Following the film sceening of 'Zero' on Monday, 26 February at Maynooth University, Film Director Kazuhiro Soda will join us on Monday, 4 March for a Q&A session.
About the Director: SODA Kazuhiro is an award-winning Japanese independent director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, author.
Born in Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan in 1970, he studied Religion at Tokyo University and completed a degree in Film Studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He spent many years in New York as correspondent producing documentaries for NHK, the biggest national broadcaster in his native Japan, before directing his first ‘Observational Film’, CAMPAIGN (2007) which follows the election campaign of an old schoolmate, Kazuhiko Yamauchi, a political newcomer running for the local office for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). CAMPAIGN won the Peabody Award for Best Documentary.
Kazuhiro Soda practices an observational method of documentary filmmaking based on his own 'Ten Commandments' which prohibits 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 make unexpected discoveries while filming and editing, they are:
1. No research.
2. No meetings with subjects.
3. No scripts.
4. Roll the camera yourself.
5. Shoot for as long as possible.
6. Cover small areas deeply.
7. Do not set up a theme or goal before editing.
8. No narration, super-imposed titles, or music.
9. Use long takes.
10. Pay for the production yourself.
The Q&A might be of interest to those in media studies, anthropology, health studies, psychology, Asian studies, and sociology.
Any queries or questions can be directed to: Rebecca.king-oriain@mu.ie