Aoi Ozone is the 2025-2026 Kazushige Hirasawa Scholarship Student from Tokyo, Japan. In Japan, she is majoring in Politics at Kobe University. She has completed an internship at a Government-affiliated agency, worked as an international student tutor, and served as a board member of Kobe University’s annual festival. Her decision to study abroad was motivated by both a curiosity about the world beyond Japan and an inward desire to see if she could grow in a new environment. Aoi is fascinated by the power of cinema to shake our hearts, offer us new perspectives on the world, and create opportunities for understanding between people and the cultures that surround them. The Bates Film Festival sits at the intersection of her passions: social issues, international perspectives, and collaborative creation.