Biography
Kazuhiro Soda practices an observational method of documentary filmmaking based on his own ‘Ten Commandments’ which prohibit him from doing pre-shoot research or writing a synopsis before filming. He imposes these rules on himself in order to minimise preconceptions and to be able to make unexpected discoveries while filming and editing.
He has taught at the University of Michigan as a visiting professor (2016–2017).
His films have won several awards, including Audience Award, Kinotayo Film Festival, for Oyster Factory (2015); Best Documentary Award, Hong Kong International Film Festival, for Peace (2010); Best Documentary, Pusan International Film Festival, Best Documentary, Dubai International Film Festival, and Special Jury Mention, Miami International Film Festival, for Mental (2008); and Peabody Award and Best Film, Belgrade International Film Festival, for Campaign (2007).
He is the recipient of the Marek Nowicki lifetime achievement prize awarded by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (2020).
Soda holds a BA from the University of Tokyo (1993) and a BFA in Film Directing from the School of Visual Arts, New York (1997).
Born in 1970 in Ashikaga city, Japan, he currently lives and works in Ushimado, Okayama, Japan after living in New York for 27 years.
SAF Participation:
Sharjah Film Platform 4 (2021)
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SFP4 Talks and Workshops
Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) offers a programme of talks on cinema and artists’ moving image as well as sessions addressing current debates in the film industry. A programme of workshops for children and families aims to teach children about the various aspects of filmmaking, such as screenwriting, storyboarding, lighting, filming and production.
Sharjah Film Platform 4
Sharjah Film Platform is an annual festival organised by Sharjah Art Foundation to support the growing film scene in the UAE by celebrating and sustaining the work of local, regional and international filmmakers.
A limited number of Festival Passes and tickets to individual screenings are now available for purchase online. To book your SFP4 Festival Pass or tickets, click here.