Judges
John Williams
Kazumasa Sashide
Gregory Ruzzin
Lina Mirai
Miyu Maemoto
John Williams is a professor in the Faculty of Foreign Studies at Sophia University, a filmmaker and arts-practice researcher. Originally from Wales, he studied at Cambridge and moved to Japan in 1988.
After a decade in Nagoya making short films and a documentary, he wrote and directed his first Japanese feature film, Firefly Dreams. Since then, he has directed and produced several features and worked in various consulting roles in Japan’s film industry.
Through his teaching and artistic projects—such as a regional regeneration art project on Sado Island — he fosters curiosity, empathy, and creative engagement. Williams joined Sophia University in 2001.
John Williams
These days it’s so easy to make moving images and the internet and social media are full of them: mostly trivial, empty and distracting.
Here’s a chance to make moving images that move people, to thought and action.
Show us that moving images still matter and can make a difference!
Feel the sustainability!
A healthy planet and a happy society for everyone will expand from your perspective.
We look forward to it!
Editor-in-Chief of the SDGs magazine "Sotokoto," which envisions creating a sustainable future.
Graduated from the Department of International Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, Sophia University.
Actively engaged in the fields of community development, sustainability, and social innovation, conducting in-depth interviews and sharing stories of local players and civic activities across Japan. Beyond media editing, actively involved in collaborative projects with local governments and companies, regional talent development, and public speaking engagements.
Author of the book "On the Road: Thinking About Another Local" (Sotokoto Network).
Kazumasa Sashide
Gregory Ruzzin is an Associate Professor in the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, one of the partner institutions of SophiaU. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, he earned his MFA in Film and TV production at the University of Southern California and has cultivated a diverse career as a director–producer, scholar, and educator.
Over the years, Ruzzin has created both documentary and fiction work, including the feature films “The Hungry Bachelors Club” (1999) and “Blue Skies are a Lie,” and the documentary feature “Lost Child?” (2012). In 2022, Ruzzin was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship for his project “SMALL WORLD THIS: Cycling, Climate Change, and Japan”, which explores the relationships between energy, cycling, and the natural environment.
Gregory Ruzzin
What does “sustainability” mean to you? To your neighbor? To your friend? And how can we learn from each other to make the world a safer, cleaner, and healthier planet for all of us? (And I don’t mean just us humans!) So please get out your cameras, have some fun, and show us what “sustainability” means for you!
Please don’t try to make it perfectーtrust your intentions, and make it your most authentic creation. I am looking forward to seeing your honest perspective and gaining new insights into sustainability!
Model and creator.
Born in 1999, she began modeling at the age of three. During her teenage years, she experienced an eating disorder and depression, and, as a highly sensitive person (HSP), faced challenges in daily life. At the same time, through holistic approaches, she overcame a serious illness, which led her to study the environment, animals, and health from diverse perspectives and to rediscover hope in life. Guided by the motto “Building harmony between my heart and the world, and doing my best now to protect the future of the Earth,” she engages in a wide range of activities—including modeling, lectures, and public outreach—to inspire more people to connect “Love” to their own lives and to the world.
Lina Mirai
What I’ve come to realize through my own activities is that sharing the perspective only you can see matters more than the specialized knowledge. I’m really looking forward to seeing you capture and share those small moments of awareness or subtle feelings of discomfort you notice in everyday life through your own words and bring them to life in film.
Model and creator.
Inspired by her experience attending an international school in Indonesia during high school, she has been engaged in social issues since 2016. Guided by the motto “Those who can, do what they can, as much as they can,” she shares content on sustainable and ethical lifestyles and environmental issues through social media and media appearances. Through her diverse activities—including modeling, PR, and lectures—she is dedicated to working on projects connected to “things that should remain 100 years into the future.”
Miyu Maemoto
7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554