Kenji Williams

Kenji Williams was born to transcend. Trained in the violin since the age of seven, Williams branched out from classical music as a teenager, intrigued by the possibilities of electronic music. While composing a series of highly regarded dance music pieces, Williams earned a BFA in Film Production and began to combine his intricate musical compositions with striking visual media. By the mid-90s he established himself as an innovative musical force with the release of his first album, Epic. Williams's eclectic tastes and diverse talents yielded songs which combine classical instrumentation, warm electronic beats, naturalistic sound design and propulsive hip-hop beats. In the past and present, his unique songs share an ethereal edge, a tendency to take listeners on a journey. This quality carries over to Williams's award-winning work as a filmmaker, and over the course of his career Williams has combined his musical and visual talents to stunning effect.

On his WorldSpirit project, Williams directed his own multimedia experience that combined Williams's original music with hypnotic artwork by artist Alex Grey. His direction of such critically-acclaimed productions have propelled Williams to being internationally renowned. He performs around the world at small gatherings of distinguished guests, as well as 300,000-person outdoor events, always bringing with his work a message peace and unity.

(http://www.meaningfulmedia.org/get_involved.php?id=74)

In 2005, while attending the launch of the Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan and hearing tales from those who had seen the earth from outer space, Williams had an idea. What if he could artistically replicate the experience watching the Earth from above?

The result is his new multimedia performance, Bella Gaia (Beautiful Earth). As the director and composer for the project, Williams combines his music with images from NASA to create "a living Atlas," which conveys the beauty of planet Earth while illuminating planetary issues such as air traffic, energy consumption and climate change. This fusion of art and science gives brilliant life to Williams’s mission to “[build] a deeper relationship with our home planet and all life on it.”

(http://www.meaningfulmedia.org/get_involved.php?id=74)

For Kenji Williams, protecting our planet’s environment and creating visionary art are thoroughly entwined goals. The MY HERO Project is proud to honor him at our 6th annual MY HERO International Film Festival, where he will be performing selections from Bella Gaia. His message of planetary stewardship is one that we share with passion.