Sakurai trained as a cinematographer and shot independent and short films throughout the early 2000s. He made his feature directorial debut with the low-budget crime thriller Aardvark (2010), which was shot in his hometown of Cleveland.
In 2021, he directed the hidden camera comedy film Bad Trip, starring regular collaborator Eric André.
Sakurai directed The Passage, a short film co-written by and starring American comedian Phil Burgers ("Dr Brown"). It premiered at Sundance in 2018, and won Best Short Fiction prize at the LA Film Festival, Best Comedy at Aspen Shortsfest, and the Grand Jury Prize at the Nashville Film Festival.
In February 2025, Sakurai was announced as the director of the live-action film adaptation of the Street Fighter video game franchise. The film scheduled to be released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on October 16, 2026.
Sakurai co-founded the New York-based production company Naked Faces, with Andrew Barchilon.
