Latest news with #ShortShortsFilmFestival&Asia
Kyodo News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Int'l short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI
By Eduardo Martinez, KYODO NEWS - 13 hours ago - 22:49 | Arts, All, Japan, World One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. With the theme "creative active generative," the festival -- now in its 27th year -- features about 250 films selected from 4,592 submissions in 108 different countries and regions, according to organizers. "The creativity of filmmakers from all over the world will come together at this festival, where films, audiences, and enterprises can meet and create new chemical reactions," Bessho said at the venue in the Japanese capital's Minato Ward. He also acknowledged the emergence of generative AI and its influence on creative industries, saying, "We will continue to hold this festival together with technology." Jury members for the competitions, of which there are three live-action categories, one nonfiction, and one animation category, include Shunji Iwai, Japanese filmmaker known for "Love Letter," Nigerian content producer Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo and actor and model Tao Okamoto. "(The films are) more amazing than I had imagined. I was so impressed and learned many things," said Iwai of his experience as a juror. He added, "It is fun to make short films because they are so condensed," and said he "can watch them over and over again." Awards for some other categories were presented at the ceremony, including the J-Wave Sound of Cinema Award, which went to Portuguese director Goncalo Almeida for the production "Atom & Void." The event also featured screenings of two short films. In the Japanese film "Extreme Flashbacker," a convenience store clerk repels customers using a device that makes them relive their traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, British film "Oya, Dance!" told the story of a father trying to help his daughter connect with her Yoruba culture from their London home. A ceremony to announce winners of the five categories eligible for the Oscars, as well as the grand prize George Lucas Award, will take place on June 11.
The Mainichi
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Int'l short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. With the theme "creative active generative," the festival -- now in its 27th year -- features about 250 films selected from 4,592 submissions in 108 different countries and regions, according to organizers. "The creativity of filmmakers from all over the world will come together at this festival, where films, audiences, and enterprises can meet and create new chemical reactions," Bessho said at the venue in the Japanese capital's Minato Ward. He also acknowledged the emergence of generative AI and its influence on creative industries, saying, "We will continue to hold this festival together with technology." Jury members for the competitions, of which there are three live-action categories, one nonfiction, and one animation category, include Shunji Iwai, Japanese filmmaker known for "Love Letter," Nigerian content producer Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo and actor and model Tao Okamoto. "(The films are) more amazing than I had imagined. I was so impressed and learned many things," said Iwai of his experience as a juror. He added, "It is fun to make short films because they are so condensed," and said he "can watch them over and over again." Awards for some other categories were presented at the ceremony, including the J-Wave Sound of Cinema Award, which went to Portuguese director Goncalo Almeida for the production "Atom & Void." The event also featured screenings of two short films. In the Japanese film "Extreme Flashbacker," a convenience store clerk repels customers using a device that makes them relive their traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, British film "Oya, Dance!" told the story of a father trying to help his daughter connect with her Yoruba culture from their London home. A ceremony to announce winners of the five categories eligible for the Oscars, as well as the grand prize George Lucas Award, will take place on June 11.
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI
One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. With the theme "creative active generative," the festival -- now in its 27th year -- features about 250 films selected from 4,592 submissions in 108 different countries and regions, according to organizers. "The creativity of filmmakers from all over the world will come together at this festival, where films, audiences, and enterprises can meet and create new chemical reactions," Bessho said at the venue in the Japanese capital's Minato Ward. He also acknowledged the emergence of generative AI and its influence on creative industries, saying, "We will continue to hold this festival together with technology." Jury members for the competitions, of which there are three live-action categories, one nonfiction, and one animation category, include Shunji Iwai, Japanese filmmaker known for "Love Letter," Nigerian content producer Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo and actor and model Tao Okamoto. "(The films are) more amazing than I had imagined. I was so impressed and learned many things," said Iwai of his experience as a juror. He added, "It is fun to make short films because they are so condensed," and said he "can watch them over and over again." Awards for some other categories were presented at the ceremony, including the J-Wave Sound of Cinema Award, which went to Portuguese director Goncalo Almeida for the production "Atom & Void." The event also featured screenings of two short films. In the Japanese film "Extreme Flashbacker," a convenience store clerk repels customers using a device that makes them relive their traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, British film "Oya, Dance!" told the story of a father trying to help his daughter connect with her Yoruba culture from their London home. A ceremony to announce winners of the five categories eligible for the Oscars, as well as the grand prize George Lucas Award, will take place on June 11. © KYODO
Kyodo News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Int'l short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI
By Eduardo Martinez, KYODO NEWS - 11 minutes ago - 22:49 | Arts, All, Japan, World One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. With the theme "creative active generative," the festival -- now in its 27th year -- features about 250 films selected from 4,592 submissions in 108 different countries and regions, according to organizers. "The creativity of filmmakers from all over the world will come together at this festival, where films, audiences, and enterprises can meet and create new chemical reactions," Bessho said at the venue in the Japanese capital's Minato Ward. He also acknowledged the emergence of generative AI and its influence on creative industries, saying, "We will continue to hold this festival together with technology." Jury members for the competitions, of which there are three live-action categories, one nonfiction, and one animation category, include Shunji Iwai, Japanese filmmaker known for "Love Letter," Nigerian content producer Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo and actor and model Tao Okamoto. "(The films are) more amazing than I had imagined. I was so impressed and learned many things," said Iwai of his experience as a juror. He added, "It is fun to make short films because they are so condensed," and said he "can watch them over and over again." Awards for some other categories were presented at the ceremony, including the J-Wave Sound of Cinema Award, which went to Portuguese director Goncalo Almeida for the production "Atom & Void." The event also featured screenings of two short films. In the Japanese film "Extreme Flashbacker," a convenience store clerk repels customers using a device that makes them relive their traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, British film "Oya, Dance!" told the story of a father trying to help his daughter connect with her Yoruba culture from their London home. A ceremony to announce winners of the five categories eligible for the Oscars, as well as the grand prize George Lucas Award, will take place on June 11.
Kyodo News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Asia short film festival spotlights tales of diversity, dystopia
KYODO NEWS - 17 hours ago - 13:50 | Arts, All, World This year's Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, starting next week, is highlighting tales of diversity and dystopia amid the backdrop of a fractured post-pandemic world. With the theme "creative active generative," organizers said they hope the two-week festival from Wednesday will be a "catalyst" to spark new relationships between audiences and films, and creators and businesses. The festival, founded by Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho in 1999, is the only international short film festival in Asia featuring five competitions whose winners will receive a prize of 600,000 yen ($4,200) each and are eligible for the following year's Academy Awards. This year's films include French production "Find The Boy," in which a group of friends lay one of their own -- Charly, a young transgender man -- to rest. As they pay their respects, Charly's brother Victor remembers him differently, under a different name. In a special program exploring the relationship between artificial intelligence and filmmaking, German film "Transformation" follows the story of beings known as Drakzuls, who in the distant future are in search of a new home after their planet has been destroyed. In "One Day I Will Hug You," a joint Swedish, Qatari and Palestinian production, a father returns to Gaza after 10 years in Norway, before which he spent 20 years in Israeli prisons. He shows his emotionally distant daughter, Mai, letters he wrote to her while he was incarcerated. Taking place in hybrid form with both online and in-person screenings at several venues in Tokyo through June 11, the festival will showcase about 250 films selected from 4,592 submissions in 108 different countries and regions. This year will see the debut of the "Horror and Suspense" category, which features short films by 11 Japanese directors who are in the running for a 500,000 yen cash prize. Other features include Japanese film "Nigemizu" by Akiko Isobe, in which a woman's plot to murder her house guest is interrupted when the prospective victim arrives too early, and "Marion," produced by Hollywood actor Cate Blanchett, which follows the story of France's only female bull-jumper. Some films are already available to watch online until June 30. Related coverage: Japanese action choreographer wins prize at Hong Kong Film Awards Shanghai to open Harry Potter theme park in 2027 Ghibli Park to exhibit anime director Hayao Miyazaki's beloved car
