George Lucas Award (Grand Prix) goes to “SEN” by Win MorisakiThe winners of Best Short Awards including Live-Action, Non-Fiction, Animation and Hoppy Happy Award were announced
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, one of the largest international short film festivals in Asia, accredited by the US Academy Awards® held its Award Ceremony which was the closing of the 26th this year.
The 2024 film festival featured short films that illuminate “life, living and the world we live in,” with the theme “Illuminate Your Life ~ Illuminate living, illuminate the world.” The filmmakers gathered from 114 countries and regions around the world with the aim of spreading this message by shining a light on the viewers’ own lives through their creations, and by providing a place where empathy, discovery, and emotion are born, along with an opportunity to open their eyes to the world. SSFF & ASIA 2024 screened and held events for approximately 270 shorts selected from a total 4,936 submitted films.
At the awards ceremony, addition to the Hoppy Happy Award and Kodansha Cinema Creators’ Lab, Best Short Awards of Live Action Competition (International, Asia International, Japan), Non-Fiction Competition and Animation Competition as well as the Grand-Prix = George Lucas Award, which will lead the way to next year’s Academy Awards were announced.
Jury members presented each awards and finally, the George Lucas Award went to “Sen” by Win Morisaki. The winner of the Grand Prix was also given a balcony stateroom for two sailing on Queen Elizabeth’s 2025 Japan season as a supplementary prize.
“Short films require an effort to convey one‘s innermost thoughts honestly and in detail. I was moved by the group of works created by gently wrapping up such treasures” (Jury member: Hiromi Nagasaku) “Death, which is an eternal theme and which we face all the time, and the things we want to leave behind for the future in our daily activities. Many of the works depicted things we human beings must not forget.” (Jury member: Tomoyuki Sugiyama) “Exciting, stimulating, thought-provoking and moving, with stories from diverse countries and an awareness of the issues. Through the images, I felt hope that the world would move towards peace.” (Jury member: Hiroshi Fujioka).
Jury members gave comments and all the awards results announced at the Award Ceremony are as follows. The Official Competition nominated films, including the award-winning films, will be available at SSFF & ASIA 2024’s Online Grand Theatre until June 30 (Sunday). https://www.shortshortsonline.org/
SSFF & ASIA 2024 Grand Prix “George Lucas Award“ / Live Action Competition Japan Category
Best Short Award / Governor of Tokyo Award 【Candidate for the 97th Academy Awards Nominee】
『SEN』 Director：Win Morisaki
24:45/Japan/Drama/2024
An old woman in the countryside begins another ordinary day. Breakfast with a young town official on a small table, chatter with a delivery man on the porch. However, she begins to feel a faint discord somewhere in her usual days.
【Win Morisaki】
Born in 1990 in Myanmar, 33 years old. His Hollywood debut was in 2018, as one of the main casts of “Ready Player One” by Steven Spielberg. He won the New Actor Award at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize for “Listen to the Universe.” He has worked in various fields including the main characters of musicals, and this is his first film as a director.
【Juror’s Comment】
The story unfolds in one location, a house in the countryside, but the message can be heard through the music and the actors’ superb performances. It is a powerful film with overwhelmingly competent writing where not a moment is wasted. The direction, that only a director with experience as a musical performer could portray, shines brightly, making the film worthy of the Grand Prix.
Live-Action Competition International Best Short Award【Candidate for The 97th Academy Award Nominee】
『Hedgehog’s dilemma』
Director：Mateusz Rybinski/16:10/
Poland/Drama/2023
The film, told entirely in sign language, is set in a rehab center for deaf youth struggling with addiction. As a new patient, the main character finds himself drawn to a long-term resident and struggles to navigate their growing connection amidst the challenges of recovery.
【Mateusz Rybinski】
Born in 1999, a second-year student of film directing in Poland. “Hedgehog’s Dilemma” is his debut short film. Currently, he is working on a short documentary set in South Korea. It tells the story of an 18-year-old girl who moves to the other side of the world to hear “I love you” from her mother.
［Juror’s comment]
The story flowed well from the beginning to the end as two people met and the chemistry between them changed, and they excelled in all areas: character development, story development and acting. While the entire film is in sign language and there is no dialogue at all, the message of the visual direction is excellent, and it is an exceptionally good film that allows the audience to experience a world they have never seen before.
Live-Action Competition Asia International Best Short Award / Governor of Tokyo Award【Candidate for The 97th Academy Award Nominee】
『Maybe Someday』
Director：Praditha Blifa Rahayu
22:08/Indonesia/Drama/2023
Sri and Yanti, two teeage girls who are blind, have been close friends since they lived in a dormitory. They are inseparable and always together. One day, Yanti announce her plan to move out of town to pursue her dream. It makes Sri angry and keep questioning: whether they even deserve to have dreams?
【Praditha Blifa Rahayu】
Graduated from Jogja Film Academy and has made several short films, like ‘The Envelope of Grief’ that become popular short in Vidsee 2021 and has been widely discussed in Indonesia. Her latest short film ‘A Girl’ has just won the Grand Winner award at the Indonesian Film Festival, Australia 2023.
[Juror’s comment]
The visually impaired actors were excellent and played out the struggles of life that everyone experiences, where one person succeeds among friends and one person is left behind. A wonderful film that does not focus on disability, but is a story of friendship that everyone can relate to and that gives us dreams and hope.
■The number of submissions for the Official Competition supported by Sony
・International Competition
Submissions：2,104（94 countries and regions） Screened：33
・Asia International Competition
Submissions：722（36 countries and regions） Screened：25
・Japan Competition
Submissions：241 Screened：21
■Prize Money：¥600,000 (JPY)
■Judges（in alphabetical order)：
International Hiromi Nagasaku、Ema Ryan Yamazaki、Tim Redford
Asia International Sharon Badal、Hiroshi Fujioka、Katsuhide Motoki
Live-Action Competition Japan Best Short Award / Governor of Tokyo Award【Candidate for The 97th Academy Award Nominee】
『SEN』
Director：Win Morisaki
24:45/Japan/Drama/2024
An old woman in the countryside begins another ordinary day. Breakfast with a young town official on a small table, chatter with a delivery man on the porch. However, she begins to feel a faint discord somewhere in her usual days.
【Win Morisaki】
Born in 1990 in Myanmar, 33 years old. His Hollywood debut was in 2018, as one of the main casts of “Ready Player One” by Steven Spielberg. He won the New Actor Award at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize for “Listen to the Universe.” He has worked in various fields including the main characters of musicals, and this is his first film as a director.
［Juror’s comment］
The film is about the theme of growing old and the loneliness of daily life, one of routine. This is reflected by the things occurring around the world, as heard on the radio. The film has a deep message hidden in a casual manner. This movie was such a unique experience, especially in a space where stories are usually only told from one perspective of their surroundings.
Non-Fiction Competition Best Short Award 【Candidate for The 97th Academy Award Nominee】
『Then Comes The Body』
Director：Jacob Krupnick
14:44/Nigeria, United States/Non-fiction/2023
When a video of kids dancing in the rain goes viral, it brings global attention to an unlikely ballet school outside Lagos, Nigeria. Now, Daniel Ajala — who learned ballet over YouTube — is training students to perform on the world stage.
【Jacob Krupnick】
Jacob Krupnick creates cinematic stories told through movement and dance. Using the world as a stage, his unconventional collaborators move through busy spaces, sparking delight and curiosity — while exploring deeper questions about identity and public space.
He’s currently working on a follow up to his debut feature, Girl Walk // All Day.
［Juror’s comment］
The theme, message, creativity, charisma, sound and length are all outstanding as a short film, and more originality shines through than in most documentaries that portray people. The film’s cruel but beautiful and powerful message and the passion of the young people will stay with you forever.
■Non-fiction Program Submissions：313（55 countries and regions） Screened：15
■Prize Money：¥600,000 (JPY) ■Judges：Hiromi Nagasaku、Ema Ryan Yamazaki、Tim Redford
Animation Competition Best Short Award 【Candidate for The 97th Academy Award Nominee】
『A Crab In The Pool』
Director： Alexandra Myotte & Jean-Sébastien Hamel/11:11/Canada/Animation /2023
In a run-down neighborhood, Zoe and her little brother Theo are left to fend for themselves. A young adolescent, Zoe is a ball of anger haunted by an intimate terror. Theo, still a child, flees reality into a fantastical world.
【Alexandra Myotte & Jean-Sébastien】
Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel are a duo of writers-directors based in Montreal. Their award-winning animated short films and web series have been featured in numerous festivals around the globe. Their latest film No Title (2021) has won multiple awards.
[Juror’s comment]
The imaginary binoculars the boy has, the spatial computing expression, the colourful and detailed touch are excellent, contemporary and very good. There were deep themes that seemed to depict a small world, and the human condition was well portrayed in a realistic way.
■Animation Program Submissions：464（57 countries） Screened：23
■Prize Money：¥600,000 (JPY)
■Judges （Alphabetical Order）： Tom Kawada、ShiShi Yamazaki、Tomoyuki Sugiyama
HOPPY HAPPY AWARD
『10 Days to Eternity』
Director：Kenji Qurata/24:59/Japan/Drama/2024
Akira, who left his hometown to become a photographer, returns home for the first time in more than a decade after receiving a mysterious message left by his younger brother Jun. However, his brother is nowhere to be found, and his brother’s daughter, Sana, gives him a red envelope. The envelope leads him to the beginning of a “treasure hunt”.
【Kenji Qurata】
Film director and screenwriter. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Sundance NHK International Filmmaker Awards. Winner of awards at international film festivals, for the movies “EVERYTIME WE SAY GOODBYE” and “Novela Picaresca”. He also made the T.V. show “Futari Monologue”, and the feature film “MANKAI MOVIE A3!”. He wrote the screenplay for “DitO” directed by Takashi Yuki.