Kazuhiro Soda

演劇1

Kazuhiro Soda

Oriza Hirata, Koji Fukada

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?

Senkyo 2

Kazuhiro Soda

Kazuhiko Yamauchi

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.

港町

Kazuhiro Soda

Waichiro Murata, Kumiko Komiyama

Wai-chan is one of the last remaining fishermen in Ushimado, a small village in Seto Inland Sea, Japan. At the age of 86, he still fishes alone on a small boat to make a living, dreaming about his retirement. Kumi-san is an 84 year old villager who wanders around the shore everyday. She believes a social welfare facility “stole” her disabled son to receive subsidy from the government. A “late - stage elderly” Koso-san runs a small seafood store left by her deceased husband. She sells fish to local villagers and provides leftovers to stray cats. Foresaken by the modernization of post-war Japan, the town Ushimado's rich, ancient culture and tight-knit community are on on the verge of disappearing.

演劇２

Kazuhiro Soda

Oriza Hirata

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?

Peace

Kazuhiro Soda

Shiro Hashimoto, Hiroko Kashiwagi

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.

選挙

Kazuhiro Soda

Kazuhiko Yamauchi, Junichiro Koizumi

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."

Seishin

Kazuhiro Soda

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.

Kaki Kouba

Kazuhiro Soda

In the Japanese town of Ushimado, the shortage of labor is a serious problem due to its population’s rapid decline. Traditionally, oyster shucking has been a job for local men and women, but for a few years now, some of the factories have had to use foreigners in order to keep functioning. Hirano oyster factory has never employed any outsiders but finally decides to bring in two workers from China. Will all the employees get along?

Au revoir l'été

Koji Fukada

Fumi Nikaido, Mayu Tsuruta

After failing her university entrance exam, Sakuko is invited by her aunt Mikie to spend summer vacation in a beautiful seaside town. Sakuko gets to know the people of the town, including Takashi, a shy relative of her childhood friend.

精神0

Kazuhiro Soda

Follow up to the director's previous two films called Mental, follows the retirement of the head physician at a mental health facility in Japan

The Big House

Kazuhiro Soda, Terri Sarris

A Night in New York

Kazuhiro Soda

Richard Gould, Kiyoko Kashiwagi

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 that is normal person there. However, it soon becomes apparent that he is no less strange than them.

3.11 A Sense of Home

Isaki Lacuesta, Catherine Cadou

Go Ah-sung, Ana Torrent

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.

A Flower and a Woman

Kazuhiro Soda

Karin Bottomley, Emanuele Secci

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