One of Nakadate’s first works was her film "Happy Birthday" (2000). In this film, Nakadate asked three men to celebrate her birthday with her in intimate, one-on-one encounters. Surprisingly, however, it was not her birthday and she did not know these men. "Happy Birthday" (2000) establishes the direction of her work to follow, in that she explores the uncertainty of relationships with strangers. Through her work, Nakadate aims to establish herself as a host and a hostage simultaneously, diving deeper into the controversial issues of being an Asian American woman in a white, male dominated society.