SSFF & ASIA President Tetsuya Bessho & Shinjiro Koizumi of the Ministry of the Environment announced the winner of the Save the Earth! Minister of the Environment Award!
Academy Awards accredited & Asia’s biggest international short film festival, the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & Asia) festival president, actor Tetsuya Bessho & Minister of the Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi announced on 08/31 the winner of the “Save the Earth! Ministry of the Environment Award.
The winner short film was “OASIS” by Japanese director Yuta Miyoshi. It was selected as a film that entertains while at the same time giving a strong message about environmental issues, raising awareness to a wider range of people.
SSFF & ASIA and the Ministry of the Environment established the “Save the Earth! Category in 2013! This year we have selected the short film with the strongest environmental message from among the selected short films in all of our competitions.
The award-winning director Yuta Miyoshi said that, “OASIS,” was a graduation film. The younger generation, including myself, has very little awareness of the dangers of the environmental crisis. As I learned more about environmental issues, I wanted this to be a catalyst for the younger generation to become more aware & interested. I wanted the film to show how living things, endangered by environmental issues caused by human development, could be saved by AI created with human intelligence.”
After screening the film, festival president Bessho praised the film saying that, “Even though there are many films that depict the relationship between humans & the digital world, films that show animals or nature co-existing with AI are few & far between.
It would be great if this film starts a conversation about the future of our planet.”
Festival & Special Environment Ambassador LiLiCo commented that “Short films send their message directly to each viewer. Japan, as a developed nation, should show this film as part of class in schools & teach children about the natural world.”
Minister of the Environment Koizumi said “As Former Vice-President Al Gore did with his film “An Inconvenient Truth,” which had a great effect on the world, the level of effect that a film has is enormous. Films can deliver messages to places where politics or businesses cannot. The Ministry of the Environment, along with SSFF & Asia, would like this winning short film along with the short films from the past to be the motivation to raise awareness& interest in environmental issues.
The short film is shown on our Online Screening site starting at 11:00 today until 09/15 in a limited world release. Past “Save the Earth!” Ministry of the Environment Award-winning shorts can also be seen in Japan only.
(https://shortshorts2020.vhx.tv/save-the-earth)
In addition, at the festival Award Ceremony held on Wednesday, Sept. 16th, the director will receive his Ministry of the Environment Award. On Thursday, Sept. 3rd, at an online international dialogue “The Online Platform for Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19” (Platform for Redesign 2020), The Ministry of the Environment Award-winning short film “OASIS” will be introduced & screened worldwide. (https://platform2020redesign.org/）