Novice director rolls out feel-good film with ‘East Side Sushi’

She’s a Mexican food-cart worker in Oakland; he’s a tradition-minded Japanese American who runs a by-the-books sushi place.

When she wants to become a sushi chef, there’s a lot more standing in her way than just recipes.

“East Side Sushi” is an engaging film that fits neatly into that category of foodie films and dreams — Jon Favreau’s “Chef,” Stanley Tucci’s “Big Night,” for example — but Anthony Lucero’s film has an added attraction for Bay Area filmgoers and foodies alike. As with that hole-in-the-wall restaurant that puts a personal twist on old classics, “Sushi” is locally made and sustainable, and feels good going down.

The film features some nice performances, including Mexican actress Diana Elizabeth Torres as Juana, the former food-cart worker and single mother who tries to buck tradition at a sushi joint that prides itself in being a fully Japanese operation, and Yutaka Takeuchi as Aki, a sushi chef and her early ally.

She needs one because the stern owner of the restaurant, Mr. Yoshida (San Francisco actor Roji Oyama), refuses to allow her to make sushi behind the bar for the customers (she does prep work in the kitchen), even though some of the most popular dishes on the menu are her creations.

Lucero, an Oakland native who is making his feature-film debut, is known for his visual-effects work on films in the “Star Wars,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Iron Man” and “Twilight” series. And yet “East Side Sushi” is special-effects-free — all ingredients are natural.

Not surprisingly, the film won audience awards last year at Cinequest in San Jose, SF IndieFest and CAAMFest in San Francisco.

East Side Sushi

Comedy-drama. Starring Diana Elizabeth Torres, Yutaka Takeuchi, Roji Oyama. Directed by Anthony Lucero. (Not rated. 107 minutes.)