Opening Day: A star-studded Opening Ceremony at Omotesando Hills Space O!
Hey all.
Well we’re off & running. The SSFF 2015 Opening Gala was opened by uber-MC & SSFF Ambassador Lilico & SSFF prez & actor Tetsuya Bessho. After a clip introducing various events & programs of this year’s festival, two awards were given in the “Save the Earth! Competition.” Festival supporter & Tokyo’s #1 FM radio station’s J-Wave Award was given to director Emily Driscoll (USA) for her short doc “Brilliant Darkness: Hotaru In The Night”about the fireflies of Japan & how they are affected by the advance of civilization. The Ministry of the Environment’s Minister’s Award for the Best Short was given to director Marleen van der Werf (Netherlands) for her short film “Once Upon A Tree” about 11-yr-old Filine & her very special tree & her magical connection with all the nature in the woods which is her backyard.
The star-studded event also featured video messages from the very young but world famous Japanese idol unit “Momoiro Clover Z” & none other than the now elder statesmen of rock “Kiss”!!! They had recently collaborated on a track titled “YUMENO UKIYONI SAITEMINA.” Gotta admit, that’s ultra-cool!
Up & coming director Hidenobu Abera announced the completion & release of his delightful music short “Don’t Give Us Bouquet” based on a track by vocalist MayJ. This was a special collaboration between UULA, a major streaming site here in Japan & Short Shorts. The music video also premiered today on the popular streaming site.
3 years after his 1st anime “Pendulum” became an international viral sensation, Japanese comedian “tekken,” (named after the video game) was given the “Spotlight Award” for his new stop-motion anime “Slide” which took 3 months to make using over 2,900 hand drawn pages. Another truly masterful work that follows the life of a young female figure skater in an original & emotional roller coaster ride.
So another Opening Event draws to a close & another Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia starts in truly fine form. See you all at the fest throughout Tokyo & Yokohama starting tomorrow!
DJ John
