Namsayin presents “Crafted through Culture”—MOONEYES Documentary “Craft of Speed” by Humanist Films on Saturday, 8/30/2025 at Griot’s Garage in Tacoma, Washington.
Four years in the making, this 2-hour documentary covers the entire history of MOONEYES. In the film, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save MOON Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean MOON’s legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. This year, MOONEYES celebrates its 75th anniversary.
We’re thrilled to screen our film in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We love the region with its diverse people, rich culture, and strong community.
To continue our goal of producing unique cinema events, we’re working with some amazing partners—Namsayin and Griot’s Garage. In addition to a film screening, we’re curating a showcase of vehicles, post-film discussion, music, food vendors, limited edition merch, and more to create an unforgettable experience.
We’re honored to work with Namsayin, a community-based car culture brand and media platform founded by brothers Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco. They showcase and tell the stories of the people behind the car culture in the greater Northwest and beyond. They convey these stories through different mediums such as apparel, vehicle design projects, and curated automotive experiences. We love their powerful message, “Community over Cars.”
In addition to being the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Namsayin, Walter was the Curator and Collection Manager of the world-class Lemay - America’s Car Museum. We’ll be having an engaging discussion after the film with Walter, Al-Michael, and special guests TBA.
We’re excited to work with Griot’s Garage, which is known for their high-quality car care products. This cinema event will take place at their beautiful Griot’s Garage Corporate Headquarters and Flagship Retail Store. The original building was built by Coca-Cola in the 1950s as a bottling and distribution warehouse. Now, it has been fully restored and has become a car lover’s destination. It houses a museum-quality Auto Display and hosts many car events, namely their monthly Caffeine & Gasoline cruise-in car shows.
We’re also excited to announce our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book, which documents the world of MOONEYES, from the famous MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California to Shige Suganuma, the Owner of MOONEYES, conducting a test & tune of his MOONEYES Dragster at the beloved Irwindale Dragstrip in Irwindale, California to Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, building and racing his new rear engine modified roadster at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The book will be officially released at the upcoming Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show 2025 in Yokohama, Japan. Learn more about the book and pre-order here and at the Namsayin event: https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook
Our deepest gratitude to Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco of Namsayin for presenting this screening with us. Thank you to Griot’s Garage for their warm hospitality. Mahalo to Tad Matsuno of MOONEYES Hawaii for his thoughtful introduction and longtime support. As always, thank you to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and the entire MOONEYES family for all their support.
NAMSAYIN PRESENTS “CRAFTED THROUGH CULTURE”—MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY “CRAFT OF SPEED” BY HUMANIST FILMS
GRIOT’S GARAGE
Tacoma, Washington
Saturday, 8/30/2025
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Curated Vehicle Showcase / “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book Preview / Music / Food
7:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m. Film Screening
9::00 p.m - 9:30 p.m Discussion with Al-Michael Franco and Walter Franco of Namsayin, director Ming Lai, and Special Guests TBA
9:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Curated Vehicle Showcase / “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book Preview / Music / Food
Griot’s Garage
3333 S. 38th Street
Tacoma, WA 98409
Buy Tickets:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
*Limited seating. Please buy your tickets in advance.
*VIP Admission includes choice of limited edition hat or T-shirt as well as free appetizers and beverages.
namsayin.com / @namsayin
griotsgarage.com / @GriotsGarage
craftofspeed.com
humanistfilms.com / @humanistfilms
mooneyesusa.com / @mooneyesusa
