Kazuhiro Soda

In response to the Fukushima disaster, Yama-san is running an election campaign with an anti-nuclear message. But unlike last time, he has no money, no machine, no nothing. Does he even stand a chance? On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced one of the most calamitous nuclear disasters in history. But in two national elections following the accident, the pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) achieved landslide victories, gaining control of the two parliaments. Why? 'Campaign 2' by Kazuhiro Soda observes a small local election right after the disaster and gives insight into this difficult question, presenting a microcosm of Japan's political-psychological landscape.

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Oriza Hirata is Japan's leading playwright and director, who runs his own theatrical company, Seinendan. Theatre 2 (Observational Film Series #4) examines the dynamic relationship between theatre and the society through depicting Hirata's activities. In order for his art and his not-so-commercial company to survive this highly capitalistic modern society, what kind of strategy does Hirata have and practice?

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Theatre 1 (Observational Film Series #3) is a feature length documentary, which closely depicts the world of Oriza Hirata, Japan's leading playwright and director, and his theatrical company, Seinendan. By depicting them, the film leads the audience to revisit fundamental but timely questions: What is theatre? Why do human beings act?

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In memory of the Japanese earthquake on 3.11, each director presents a 3 minute and 11 second short film in tribute to those who were lost that day.

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What is peace? What is coexistence? And what are the basis for them? PEACE is a visual-essay-like observational documentary, which contemplates these questions by observing the daily lives of people and cats in Okayama city, Japan, where life and death, acceptance and rejection are intermingled.

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MENTAL is a feature-length documentary that observes the complex world of an outpatient mental health clinic in Japan, interwoven with patients, doctors, staff, volunteers, and home-helpers, in cinema- verite style. The film breaks a major taboo against discussing mental illness prevalent in Japanese society, and captures the candid lives of people coping with suicidal tendencies, poverty, a sense of shame, apprehension, and fear of society.

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Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election if he is backed by the political giant Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party? This cinema-verite documentary closely follows a heated election campaign in Kawasaki, Japan, revealing the true nature of "democracy."

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James is a photographer and who takes pictures on the streets of New York City. One day, he encounters a blind man standing on a lonely street. James feels drawn to the man's mysterious aura and snaps several photographs of his alluring face. However, later, while reviewing the pictures, he discovers that he missed the most crucial moment. One that will never return.

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Jon and Jelena, a young couple, have recently begun co-habiting in a small apartment, deep in the heart of East Village. When Jon's distant cousin James visits New York City and moves into the couple's tiny apartment for a week, his habits conflict with Jon and Jelena's structured life, and James is left feeling like an unwelcome stranger. He leaves their apartment to face the jaded city, floating from block to block, street to street, not quite knowing if he will survive the cruel Manhattan twilight.

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A woman cares for a red rose in her studio apartment. Over time, we see how it grows alongside her rapidly changing life.

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Late at night, a Japanese businessman enters a pizza shop and observes strange but typical New Yorkers, eating their pizza in their own queer ways. The businessman makes fun of them, believing he is the only one who is a normal person there. However, it soon becomes apparent that he is no less strange than them.

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In response to the Fukushima disaster, Yama-san is running an election campaign with an anti-nuclear message. But unlike last time, he has no money, no machine, no nothing. Does he even stand a chance? On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced one of the most calamitous nuclear disasters in history. But in two national elections following the accident, the pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) achieved landslide victories, gaining control of the two parliaments. Why? 'Campaign 2' by Kazuhiro Soda observes a small local election right after the disaster and gives insight into this difficult question, presenting a microcosm of Japan's political-psychological landscape.

Open details →

Oriza Hirata is Japan's leading playwright and director, who runs his own theatrical company, Seinendan. Theatre 2 (Observational Film Series #4) examines the dynamic relationship between theatre and the society through depicting Hirata's activities. In order for his art and his not-so-commercial company to survive this highly capitalistic modern society, what kind of strategy does Hirata have and practice?

Open details →

Theatre 1 (Observational Film Series #3) is a feature length documentary, which closely depicts the world of Oriza Hirata, Japan's leading playwright and director, and his theatrical company, Seinendan. By depicting them, the film leads the audience to revisit fundamental but timely questions: What is theatre? Why do human beings act?

Open details →

What is peace? What is coexistence? And what are the basis for them? PEACE is a visual-essay-like observational documentary, which contemplates these questions by observing the daily lives of people and cats in Okayama city, Japan, where life and death, acceptance and rejection are intermingled.

Open details →

MENTAL is a feature-length documentary that observes the complex world of an outpatient mental health clinic in Japan, interwoven with patients, doctors, staff, volunteers, and home-helpers, in cinema- verite style. The film breaks a major taboo against discussing mental illness prevalent in Japanese society, and captures the candid lives of people coping with suicidal tendencies, poverty, a sense of shame, apprehension, and fear of society.

Open details →

Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election if he is backed by the political giant Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party? This cinema-verite documentary closely follows a heated election campaign in Kawasaki, Japan, revealing the true nature of "democracy."

Open details →

James is a photographer and who takes pictures on the streets of New York City. One day, he encounters a blind man standing on a lonely street. James feels drawn to the man's mysterious aura and snaps several photographs of his alluring face. However, later, while reviewing the pictures, he discovers that he missed the most crucial moment. One that will never return.

Open details →

Jon and Jelena, a young couple, have recently begun co-habiting in a small apartment, deep in the heart of East Village. When Jon's distant cousin James visits New York City and moves into the couple's tiny apartment for a week, his habits conflict with Jon and Jelena's structured life, and James is left feeling like an unwelcome stranger. He leaves their apartment to face the jaded city, floating from block to block, street to street, not quite knowing if he will survive the cruel Manhattan twilight.

Open details →

Late at night, a Japanese businessman enters a pizza shop and observes strange but typical New Yorkers, eating their pizza in their own queer ways. The businessman makes fun of them, believing he is the only one who is a normal person there. However, it soon becomes apparent that he is no less strange than them.

Open details →