Creativity is alive and well in the 25th year of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia.
This year’s theme “UNLOCK” explores the post-COVID-19 world of filmmaking while respecting the history and knowledge of the filmmakers, networks, communities, and film festivals that have shaped the world of cinema that we have known so far.
While some winners of the festival were announced at the opening ceremony, SSFF & ASIA help its official award ceremony to celebrate more short films from around the world that "unlock" a new wave of storytelling after 1200 days of the world-altering pandemic.
At the award ceremony held in Meiji Jingu Memorial Hall on June 26th, eight awards were announced, including the George Lucas Award (Grand Prix). Over 5,000 entries from across the globe competed for this honor, but very few received the glory of the awards and the possibility of being considered for an Academy Award.
Who did the awards go to? Here are the results!
Official Competition
The official competition of the festival supports creators who redefine the new age of film culture. Awards are given in three categories: International, Asia International, and Japan.
International Competition: Live Action Competition Best Short Award
Winner: Manuel Omonte, Beyond Teruel
A shepherd who wants to leave his village and a young photographer who weeks to unearth the traces of the past come together for a road trip to the corners of a forgotten province.
International Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Coralie Ruccier, OFF SIDE
Camille, a single mother and home helper, tries as best she can to raise her son Théo, who has severe language problems. Obliged to replace a colleague, she is forced to take care of Monsieur Conti, a silent old man.
Asia International Competition: Live Action Competition Best Short Award/Governor of Tokyo Award
Winner: Manish Saini, Giddh
An old man is compelled to choose an unlikely means of earning a morsel, his hunger is fulfilled by his actions have consequences on his conscious.
'Giddh'Credit: Courtesy of SSFF & ASIA
Asia International Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Sanjay Mishra, Giddh
An old man is compelled to choose an unlikely means of earning a morsel, his hunger is fulfilled but soon his guilt catches up to create a dilemma.
Japan Competition: Live Action Competition Best Short Award/Governor of Tokyo Award
Winner: Shinji Hamasaki, Seen
A love story based on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story "The Nose." Tatsuya, a man afflicted with a nose complex, meets Fumi, a reclusive woman with an eye patch. Both burdened with their emotional scars, the two find themselves drawn to each other.
Japan Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Ami, Sweet
Miwa, a second grader, follows various rules, striving to be a "perfect child," as expected by her mother, Mizuho. On the other hand, her piano teacher, Yuko, encourages her to express herself freely. Miwa's heart is torn between the two.
Grand Prix George Lucas Award
The Grand Prix winner is chosen from the three official competitions.
Winner: Izumi Yoshida, The Bridge
The Bridge is inspired by the events that brought Poland and Japan closer to each other in the 1920s. Told from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy, the story tells the history of orphans who lost their families and had to rush into manhood to survive.
'The Bridge'Credit: Courtesy of SSFF & ASIA
Smartphone Film Competition supported by Sony’s Xperia Best Short Award
This category has become a new staple for the SSFF & ASIA. The Smartphone Film Competition called for short films under 25 minutes shot on a smartphone to expand the range of visual expression for filmmakers. The category often receives the most submission from across the globe, solidifying smartphone filmmaking as a new medium for indie filmmakers to show off their skills in the world of cinema. The winner of this year's Smartphone Film Competition supported by Sony's Xperia and official competition nominees are available to SSFF & ASIA 2023 Online Venue until July 10th.
Winner: Shiori Saito, Floating in between
This is a story of an artistic swimmer, Misa, and how she embraces "now" after she let go of her career.
"The underwater cinematography was wonderful," one of the competition's official Jurors said about Floating in between, "and it made me want to see the images taken on a tiny smartphone on a big screen. Even though it is a documentary, it has a perfection as in a fiction, and I could sympathize with her view of life."
'Floating in between'Credit: Courtesy of SSFF & ASIA
Hoppy Happy Award
Winner: Daisuke Kamijyo, Perfect Strangers
Uta's life takes a sudden turn when her father reveals that her mother is alive. Determined to find her, she heads to Shinjuku only to be rejected. At a loss, Uta wanders the streets, meets a girl, and learns about her mother's secret through this encounter.
'Perfect Strangers'Credit: Courtesy of SSFF & ASIA
Non-Fiction Competition Best Short Award
Winner: Jennifer Rainsford, Heart of an Astronaut
Heart of an Astronaut is a short documentary by Jennifer Rainsford, inviting you on the journey of an astronaut’s heart from Earth to Space. Its beat, its perils, and its strength are told by the astronaut’s doctor, the flight surgeon Brigitte Godard. It is a romantic trip of a cardiovascular system into space.
Animation Competition Best Short Award
Winner: Izumi Yoshida, The Bridge
Congratulations to all the filmmakers!
To read the full awards, including the competition results in Non-Fiction, CG Animation, U-25, and more, check out the festival website here.
