Awards

– Maki Sakai（Actor）
The problems & themes that each country and the world in general faces beyond national borders that are vividly expressed with depth & force in short films. In every film, there are people who live their lives to the fullest in a variety of environments. The award-winning work “Beyond Teruel” was interesting because it didn’t explain everything too much and wasn’t too neatly put together, giving us a real glimpse into the lives of the characters. Also, the director’s development of “Datsun” is wonderful, and the boy’s sense of immediacy and sadness brought tears to my eyes.

– Masato Hagiwara（Actor）
There were many films in which children were impressively depicted and the children were all strong and made us expect that the next generation would have a bright future. On the other hand, there were films that made you see & feel the problems of the real world. “Off Side” is a film where all the characters are adorable and the energy of the actors is overwhelming. I was especially overwhelmed by her mother’s acting and her performance had such an impact that I couldn’t get out of my head. The award-winning work “Beyond Teruel” left you with a completely different impression in the beginning and the end. Stories are born out of nothing, but that’s how life is. I felt the courage it takes to face being alone in the limited running time, and the last was sublime.

– Satoko Yokohama（Film director / screenwriter）
The actors in all the films are wonderful, each with their own unique rawness, and I could see them as people who really lived in the stories. In addition, the high level of cinematography, the selection of locations, the work of the art departments, etc., and the lack of compromise in everything that was reflected in each scene was astonishing. In “Beyond Teruel,” the simple conversation of the main character when he meets his relative and the songs sung at the dinner table reminded me of a scene from my hometown. The scene where it started to rain was also wonderful and all the scenes were unforced. Also, “Eternal Happiness” was very good at visual storytelling in a short time. I really liked the unsettled and unstable expression that the main character showed us at random moments.

– Adam Torel（Producer/Distributor）
A wonderful mix of genres, production styles and cultures, all rendered to a high standard. It was a lineup that gave a glimpse of how many up-and-coming directors are tackling various problems in their own countries as filmmakers. ‘Adjustment’ is an important story from a very conservative society, resonating with all cultures, beautifully shot and edited with sophistication. The award-winning work “The Scavenger” was a film that depicted a solid story in an easy-to-understand manner with comedic touches, making full use of images and rhythm.

– Daishi Matsunaga（Film director）
I was very happy to see a film that, while being a short film, had the power to draw the viewer into the world of cinema. I watched all the films with great interest. As juror I especially paid special attention to the director’s work with the actors. “Scavenger” is a wonderful film that lovingly and at times painfully portrayed through the main character. the compelling reality that a person cannot feed his stomach with what he carrie son his back in order to survive. “The House of Brick and Stone” is also very well made and the actors on the screen were living in that world so much that I thought it was a documentary.

– MEGUMI（Actor, Producer）
All the films were beautiful and high-quality visually and I was very moved by the strong messages of the creators. The stories’ wonderful beginning, develoment, and conclusions expressed in roughly 20 minutes. “Silkworm” is brilliant in incorporating various modern problems such as corona, localization, poverty, etc., into a story with an element of mystery. “Scavenger” is a work that can only be done in India, where death exists closer to people than for us. The main character, an old man, did a splendid performance with just his movements and facial expressions without saying a word, and the beautiful images that make you feel the hot and colorful India were wonderful.

– Yayako Uchida（Essayist）
I was overwhelmed by the creators who were able to develop such colorful worlds in an extremely short film of 5 minutes at the shortest and 25 minutes at the longest. In “Huyuko’s Summer,” Hana Toyoshima’s acting, in the role of Huyuko, was wonderful. The award-winning work “Seen” incorporates a modern interpretation of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s “The Nose,” and the director’s loving use of details and the handmade feel like using 80’s pop songs and a tranquil monochrome cinematography really stood out was strongly felt as you watched it. There is also a unique essence unique to Japanese people living in this era, and I am very much looking forward to seeing how it will be conveyed to the world.

– Douglas Montgomery（Global Media Executive）
I really enjoyed “Seen”. This short captured my full attention from the　beginning to the end. The scene when Fumi was about to stamp on the boy’s nose gave me goosebumps! Another scene that I found well done was with the coincidence of the music playing in the store and in the girl’s headphones. Usually an abrupt scene change like this disrupts the flow, but in this case I was perfectly and fit the scene. I felt the emotions / feelings of all characters from “Sweet”, especially Miwa, a second grader, who follows various rules, striving to be a “perfect child,” to meet her mother’s (Mizuho) expectations.

– Yūki Yamato（Film director）
All the films were worth watching, with an emphasis on vivid performances. By looking at all the submitted shorts, you will find that there are films that visualize the culture and lifestyles of various parts of Japan. “Tofu” is cinematic in its universality of the story that can be watched by all generations. especially the beauty of the images, and the visual metaphor of how tofu is made from beans. The award-winning work “Seen” is a powerful film that harmonizes contemporary issues and universal themes with modern literature. I felt that it was a work with a high degree of perfection both visually and in terms of message, and has a reach that spreads to the world.

– Adam Torel
I enjoyed a variety of interesting and unique subjects. The technical level was also very high, and every film had a good rhythm and flow. “Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles” is a work that powerfully portrays creation by religion and destruction by war in a simple and effective way. “Astronaut’s Heart” was an impressive work that gave a new perspective with an overall easy-to-understand composition and a subject that I had never been seen before.

– Daishi Matsunaga (film director)
Since I made my directorial debut with a documentary film, I have been shooting films while going back and forth between fiction and documentary. The award-winning film “The Heart of an Astronaut” was not only valuable as a record of work, but also had the power to excite those who watched the film. “Live Till I Die” is the moment of death that everyone will surely face. It was a valuable piece of work that gave a glimpse of it. Although it was short, it left a big impact.

– MEGUMI (Actor, Producer)
I strongly felt that this process of visualizing what is happening in a country, region, or individual through a filmmaker’s filter and conveying it to the world is very emotional and valuable. Someone once told me that it is important to be able to put your own subjectivity into a film so in “Dear My Father – The Story of A Legendary Hairdresser -,” if the daughter could get to know her father better as a human being & feel more respect for him through the making of this film, it made me feel like if I was the daughter, I might be able to grow & develop enough to make something lke this! The film’s strength lies in this ability to draw on the viewer’s subjectivity. In addition, the award-winning work “The Heart of an Astronaut” was a valuable work that allowed us to understand the reality of an astronaut, along with the romance and dreams of the female flight surgeon, Brigitte.

– Yu Inaba
Even within the same category, there is a wide variety of subjects, animation styles, and compositions, and I could feel the strong energy put into each work by the creators. “The Pink Jacket” is a film that is interesting because of its bleak setting and the cuteness that can be seen in Japanese educational programs and the wit in the song, and the quality of the details is eye-catching. In the end, the work that moved my heart, and the one that left an especially strong impression on me was “The Bridge.” This film has an inevitability without dialogue, and I think it was very effective in drawing the story. A movie that many people want to reach even if you look at the historical background.

– Kotono Watanabe
It wasn’t easy to find films that were stimulating, technically advanced, and with a high quality of visual expression. “Scale” is an animation that has a very high degree of perfection and is not boring. The pattern and content matched, and the sound effects and music were very well made. The award-winning work “Kibou no Kakehashi” (The Bridge) is a well-crafted stop-motion film that tells the story of Polish orphans based on historical facts. This is the work that made me cry the most out of all 23 works, and I can recommend it with confidence in terms of content.

– Tomoyuki Sugiyama
The award-winning film “Kibou no Kakehashi (The Bridge)” is a film that gives us hope in a world where war is a real reality. It was a film that gave us hope. In the height of CG, I was moved by the movements of the puppets with amazing performances. A film that should be selected now that there is a war in Ukraine.
“Roald” also had an excellent idea and the character’s movements were wonderful. It made me realize that the world that I see in my head is the reality for the person, and it was a perfect work for the present, where reality fluctuates.

– Yayako Uchida (Essayist)
Thanks to the high degree of freedom of smartphones, I felt that there were more films that closely followed the images of what the director had originally wanted to create in hus mind than in ordinary films. “Leader” has a high production quality, a clear message, and all that is good about a short film, and I was surprised that it was shot with a mobile phone. The award-winning work “Floating in between” was visually beautiful and fresh in many ways. The phrase “ISSUI-SHIKEN” was also impressive, and I could sympathize with the message that there is no answer, and it is important to savor the process.

– Douglas Montgomery
“Hide and Seek” does a fabulous job of addressing one of the challenges that
all parents face regarding screen usage. This reflects the current era where we don’t want our children to use their cell phones all the time. It made me think of myself as a parent. I The part of the short where they disappeared was an unexpected twist and was very well done. The award-winning work “Floating in Between” was very beautiful and so well-done that from the moment I saw it, I forgot it was taken with a smartphone. I was drawn into Misa’s world completely. The cinematography done by smartphone and the storyline were both wonderful and left a very strong impression on me. I felt the short was made with just the right amount of time necessary for this story to be told.”

– Yūki Yamato (Film Director)
All of the films were focused on all that’s good about shooting images with a smartphone, and the films that left an impression on me conveyed the wonderfulness of being able to see the camera as a device close to the individual’s gaze. “Skin of the Earth” is a light smartphone, so it naturally gets closer to the community, and it successfully captures the delicacy that would not have been possible with a large camera. “Floating in between” has beautiful light in the video, and I was surprised by the spread of the world that can be seen from the smartphone by taking advantage of the expression on the smartphone. A work that beautifully reflects the charm of a woman and a human being on a smartphone, with a rich aesthetic sense that captures the appearance of the main character and the richness of the story.