Nakamura graduated with a bachelor's degree in Asian-American studies[citation needed] from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2003.
[1] He received his MFA in Social Documentation from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)[2] in 2008.
Three of his films, Yellow Brotherhood, Pilgrimage, and A Song for Ourselves, form a documentary trilogy about Asian Americans and the importance of community.
[3] Nakamura is a fourth generation Japanese American, born and raised in Los Angeles.
His father, Robert A. Nakamura, is also a filmmaker and is sometimes referred to as "the Godfather of Asian American media".