Submissions received from more than 100 countries and regions Tokyo-based short film festival to be held for almost 1 month this year! Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2016 Cinema Carnival ~Explore Your Emotions~
The 18th edition of Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), Academy Awards® accredited and one of Asia’s largest international short film festivals, will be held from June 2 (Thu) to June 26 (Sun). This year we received a record number of around 6,000 submissions from more than 100 different countries and regions.
With the Rio Olympics this summer, and the countdown to 2020 gaining momentum, we will be addressing diversity via the richness of short film, whilst encouraging cultural exchange through this unique media, all under the banner Cinema Carnival～Explore Your Emotions～. Film commentator LiLiCo will remain in place as Festival Ambassador this year and ensure that audiences are in the festival spirit!
In 2015 we received 17,206 festival attendees. This year, with an extended screening period of almost one month, we hope to welcome many more audience members. Approximately 200 films will screen across the seven competition categories and special programs. The film selected as the Grand Prix winner will be eligible for nomination in one of the short film competitions at the Academy Awards® in 2017.
Details on film lineup and events to be announced late April. Opening event will be held June 2 (Thu). Grand Prix and majority of awards to be announced at award ceremony held June 13 (Mon).
【Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2016 Information】
■Dates: June 2, (Thu) ~ June 26 (Sun), 2016
■Venues: ＜TOKYO＞ Omotesando Hills Space O, Laforet Museum Harajuku, SHIDDAX CULTURE HALL,
Andaz Tokyo Andaz Studio, iTSCOM STUDIO & HALL Futakotamagawa rise
＜YOKOHAMA＞ Brillia Short Shorts Theater
※Screening dates vary according to venue. Dates are subject to change.
■Organizer: Committee for Short Shorts / Committee for Short Shorts Asia
■Tickets: Admission to screenings at Tokyo and Yokohama venues is free.
※Ticket fee applies to selected events only.
■Official Website: http://www.shortshorts.org/index-en.php
SSFF & ASIA 2016 Theme:
Cinema Carnival ~Explore Your Emotions~ In 2020, four years from now, a vivacious image of Japan will emerge. Carefully selecting a vide variety of short films from around the world, SSFF & ASIA allows the vivid color of every film to speak for itself. This year, to encourage audiences to get more in touch with their emotions and really taste the richness of film, we are reasserting SSFF & ASIA as a hot-blooded “festival”. We want audiences to deepen their movie-going experience, and enjoy film in a more exciting, nuanced and enjoyable way than usual.
■About Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
This festival is a qualifier for the American Academy Awards® and one of the largest short film festivals in Asia. Established by Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho, a SAG member, the festival was started in order to introduce audiences in Japan to short films. The festival was first held in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo in 1999. For this edition, six short films directed by infamous “Star Wars” creator George Lucas back in his student days were screened. Lucas has remained a generous supporter of the festival ever since.
In 2001, the festival officially became Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF), and in 2004 it received its Academy Awards® accreditation. Consequently, the film selected as the festival’s Grand Prix winner is eligible for nomination in one of the short film competitions at the Academy Awards® the following year, and a pathway between Japan and the Oscars is in place for young filmmakers.
Furthermore, Short Shorts Film Festival Asia (SSFF ASIA) was launched in 2004 in order to highlight films from Asia, including those from Japan. Since then, the two festivals have been hosted together as Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia. In addition to the Official Competition, comprised of the International Competition, Asia International Competition and Japan Competition, other competitive categories cover themes such as “music”, “environmental concerns” and “computer generated animation”.
In 2008, Brillia Short Shorts Theater, a cinema dedicated to the short film form, was established in Yokohama’s Minatomirai area. As one of the key festival venues, this cinema has welcomed an audience totaling more than 320,000 since it opened its doors. We are committed to introducing Japanese audiences a wide variety of films from throughout the world, and endeavor to support young creators as they spread their wings and begin their worldwide journey in film.
■Images from SSFF & ASIA 2015
Left: Festival President Tetsuya Bessho greets the audience at the Award Ceremony
Center: Speeches from the jury members: Jung Woo Sung, Norika Fujiwara, Jun Kaname,
Naomi Kawase, Eiji Okuda, Tow Ubukata
Right: The Grand Prix winning director walks the red carpet