Cinematic Tokyo Program, Best Shorts Award in 2018

TOKYO COMET

Hiroki Horanai / 24:54 / Japan / Fiction / 2017

It has been announced that a comet will crash in Tokyo a year from today. Sho's school is evacuated and he hitchhikes to go help his big brother, Sora, in Tokyo.

Hiroki Horanai(Director) and Yuriko Koike(Governor of Tokyo)

Comment

Q: How about award winning?

Horanai: Winning the Cinematic Tokyo Competition, I felt surprised, grateful, excited but also a sense of responsibility. Surprised - I was surprised because I didn't imagine winning an award with a theme centered on the anxiety of living in a nation rife with natural disasters. Grateful - Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to our producer Matsuo, MOON CINEMA PROJECT and everybody who supported us throughout this journey. Excited – Not only was I simply very excited to receive this award, but because I'm also searching for sponsors to develop this film into a feature, I'm excited to use this as leverage for my application. Responsibility – This film will have fulfilled its duty if a great earthquake happens in Tokyo. I created it to show the importance of preparing for a sudden quake or natural disaster by communicating with our family and respecting our loved ones every day. In receiving this award, I feel a stronger responsibility to share it with more people.

Q: Anything you would like to share about your film?

Horanai: A simulation – This film is a simulation of a day where it would be announced that “a comet will drop in Tokyo the next year”; a time when we'd know the exact date of when any natural disaster like an earthquake would come. The film presents the questions “What would happen to this country?” and “Who would you think of?”. A drama – I would like everyone to focus on the decisions made by the characters. Would they escape independently, or give up on their lives and stay in Tokyo? The characters struggle between the two controversial thoughts of “surviving together” and “ending their lives alone”. Scale of the film – I ignored the stereotypical qualities of a short film, and produced a film by imagining it on a larger scale. The film – I put in all of the techniques I learned from working in the TV commercial industry as a director in an advertisement production company. Full of excellent performances – Please check out the carefully constructed characters, brilliantly performed by Riku Onishi and Ryo Shinoda, and the first acting role of Mitsuhiro “CHAMP” Enomoto, who usually manages the bar “HOLD ON” in Ginza.

Q: Any filmmakers or films that have inspired your work?

Horanai: First and foremost is James Cameron. The moment I discovered “Titanic” in theaters when I was in elementary school, I vowed that I would become a film director. The element of “escaping or remaining” in this film is linked to the passengers on the sinking cruise ship. “Shin Godzilla” too; not only was I inspired by the work itself, but I also clearly imagined a “really alluring, spectacular live action domestic film” in a shape of a ball, tossed up high by Anno and the crew, but then falling down without being picked up by anyone. This is a completely personal opinion, but I remember myself strongly believing that I was the one to pick up that ball. Last but not least is the rock band B’z. I always have their music and live performance at the core of my expression when I create an uplifting feeling, and a dynamism in the film viewing experience. It's impossible to describe Hiroki Horanai without giving appreciation to the pleasure B'z has given us.

Director : Hiroki Horanai

Hiroki Horanai was born in 1985. He started making films when he was in 8th grade, and started his professional career at DENTSU CREATIVE X INC. as a director. He currently works as a director for TV commercials and music videos in Tokyo.

Nominated films in Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2018

• Tokyo AuguFesta

  Japan / 03:23 / Music Video / 2018

  

  Bon Festival dance, Awa dance, Yosakoi, Tokyo, summer. These are quite different but harmonized to WA (Japanese Culture) with EDM and launch festival in Tokyo to the world.

• Metabolism

  France, Japan / 11:04 / Video Art / 2015

  

  In the 60's, the Metabolists, a group of Japanese urban planners and architects located in Tokyo had the same vision: build the city of the future.

• TOKYO COMET

  Japan / 24:54 / Fiction / 2017

  

  It has been announced that a comet will crash in Tokyo a year from today. Sho's school is evacuated and he hitchhikes to go help his big brother, Sora, in Tokyo.

• 0711 Tokyo

  Germany / 04:50 / Animation / 2018

  

  0711 Tokyo is set in the german city Stuttgart. Triggered by a mailbox message from her Grandma a girl starts to remember her former hometown Tokyo. While walking the streets of Stuttgart the two cities start to merge and form a beautiful yet melancholic place full of memories and foreign sounds from Tokyo.

• Johnny Jeana - Portait of a Tokyo Rockabilly

  UK / 07:09 / Documentary / 2016

  

  One of the last of Tokyo’s Rockabillys, Johnny Jeana keeps 50s Americana alive in the heart of Tokyo. In this film, we delve into Japan’s Rockabilly culture and Johnny’s dreams of superstardom.

• FROM TOKYO TO TOKYO

  Japan / 03:50 / Drama / 2017

  

  A young couple in love, live in Izu Ooshima. However, they know they can’t be together forever. In search of a job and dreams of the big city, she leaves the island. Although she is excited, she feels lonely and anxious in the bustle of the city until she finds the lover she used to be with.

• My Secret Tokyo

  Japan / 09:59 / Drama / 2017

  

  Li has a sorrowful past, and feeling loneliness in the big city of Tokyo. One day, she meets Han from Kaohsiung. Han has feelings of distrust because of an unpleasant experience and Li decides to take her to his “Secret Tokyo”. It’s here that their relationship will change.

• “Tokyo Cine-magic” a special production projectShakespeare in Tokyo

  Japan / 20:34 / Fiction / 2018

  

  An Australian Shakespeare fan with Down Syndrome, sets off on a solo adventure to discover Tokyo in order to get away from his over-bearing older brother. Along the way he uses his knowledge of the Bard, his sketchbook and his wits to win the hearts of the people he meets.