[1] Soda obtained a degree in religious studies from the University of Tokyo in 1993 and a BFA in filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he has remained since, in 1997.

series, a global media event co-produced by 33 broadcasters around the world, including the BBC, CBC, and NHK.

[8] Other awards include Special Jury Mention at the 2009 Miami International Film Festival, Outstanding Documentary Award at the 2009 Hong Kong International Film Festival,[9] and Inter-religious Jury Prize at Visions du Reel in 2009.

[11] Peace depicts the lives of people with disabilities and cats in Okayama, Japan, and was initially commissioned by DMZ Docs as a short documentary.

[14] In 2009, Soda started shooting Theater 1 and Theatre 2, a documentary series about a playwright/theater director Oriza Hirata and his company, Seinendan.