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Kyodo News
2 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
2 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
2 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
3 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.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Calligraphy created by executed assassin breaking auction records
Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese leader, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultra-rich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a train station in Harbin. Ahn shouted "Hurrah for Korea!" as he was arrested, according to the Association for Asian Studies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean Peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of World War II. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days — typically at the request of Japanese officials — is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films — including one starring "Crash Landing on You" actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. "The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them," Ahn wrote in his autobiography. "I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it." Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won ($674,098) — more than three times its opening bid. The piece, which says "green bamboo" — a traditional symbol of integrity — had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. "It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air," she told AFP. "Misguided but principled idealist" Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honor Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. In 2014, Japan criticized a memorial built in China to commemorate Ahn, BBC News reported. A Japanese government spokesman branded him a terrorist after the Chinese-Korean memorial hall opened in China's Harbin city, where Ito was shot. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy "reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early 20th century East Asia," said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia — comprising Korea, China and Japan — somewhat akin to today's European Union. "Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist," Park told AFP. His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, "resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically," he said. "At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination." In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won (nearly $1.4 million). The piece "Green Bamboo" was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. "We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public," Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, told AFP that his mother "hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied," and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a Catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who traveled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest — who had also baptized Ahn and was a longtime friend — was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. "The gracious lord will never abandon you," Wilhelm told Ahn. "He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace." Texas mom accused of buying ammunition for son who officials say planned school attack Hearing on Kilmar Abrego Garcia case; DHS wants National Guard troops to help with deportations These Republicans voted against the reconciliation bill in House Budget Committee
