The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia has become a preeminent festival destination for short filmmakers.
Why?
SSFF & ASIA truly believes emerging short filmmakers will shape the future of the entertainment industry. And to champion them, SSFF & ASIA gives out handsome awards to boot.
As the festival president Tetsuya Bessho said in the 2021 closing ceremony on Monday, every filmmaker takes a first step, and that is the focus of SSFF & ASIA.
At the livestreamed 2021 closing ceremony, winning filmmakers received cash prizes between $2,000 and $10,000, artful trophies, and become eligible for next year’s Academy Awards. You can read a full event report of the closing ceremony here.
Who did the awards go to? Here are the results!
Official Competition supported by Sony
The official competition of the festival supports creators who redefine film culture. Awards are given in three categories: International, Asia International, and Japan.
International Competition: Best Short Award
Out of 2452 submissions from 20 countries, films in this category explored modern social issues, the near future, and high-quality comedy, and beyond
Winner: Gustavo Milan, Under the Heavens
Synopsis: Marta, a young Venezuelan mother, is immigrating to Brazil when she meets a struggling young couple with a baby girl. Her ability to breastfeed causes their fates to become forever entwined.
Still from SSFF International Best Short Award Winner 'Under the Heavens' directed by Gustavo Milan.
International Competition: Audience Award
Winner: Kevin Haefelin, TRUMPET
Synopsis: A Japanese trumpet player on a cultural pilgrimage to discover New York City jazz experiences a hell of a night after being lost in Brooklyn.
International Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Nadir Saribacak, Leylak
Synopsis: In present-day Queens, New York, a Turkish gravedigger is unable to face a shattering truth, and risks losing the dearest connection left in his life.
Asia International Competition: Best Short Award/Governor of Tokyo Award
This year for the Asia International Competition, SSFF & ASIA received 1,627 submissions from 11 Asian countries and regions excluding Japan. The selected films showcase serious social issues, family, and heartwarming stories.
Winner: Rafael Manuel, Filipiñana
Synopsis: The self-contained cosmos of the golf course reflects societal structures. Although new "tee girl" Isabel still has to learn the rules, she's already looking for loopholes to subvert the system.
A still from SSFF Asia International and Grand Prix winning "Filipiñana" directed by Rafael Manuel.
Asia International Competition: Audience Award
Winner: Joe Hsieh, Night Bus
Synopsis: On a late-night commuter bus, a necklace was stolen. This was followed by a tragic and fatal road accident, and a series of intriguing turn of events which revealed love, hatred, and vengeance. The film climaxes as the bus went ablaze, burning and glittering against the dark coastal sky.
Asia International Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Lee Chae Kyung, Georgia
Synopsis: When the police refuse to investigate their daughter’s alleged suicide, two computer-illiterate parents decide to design a protest banner. (Based on a true story.)
Japan Competition: Best Short Award/Governor of Tokyo Award
From Japan, SSFF & ASIA selected 19 short films out of 328 submissions that showcase Japanese cinema from a brand new perspective.
Winner: Atsushi Hirai, Return to Toyama
Synopsis: Takumi left Japan for France despite his father's disapproval. After a long absence, he returns to Toyama, his hometown, a small and declining port on the northern coast of Japan.
A still from Japan Competition Best Short Winning 'Return to Toyama' directed by Atsushi Hirai.
Japan Competition: Audience Award
Winner: Shoji Yasui, Empty Cream Puffs
Synopsis: Yuta and Ayumi are a childless couple. One day, Ayumi tells him that she's pregnant, but when Yuta goes to the hospital for a check-up, he finds out that he's infertile.
Japan Competition: Best Actor Award
Winner: Hikari Mitsushima, A Woman Who Acts
Synopsis: Akira is an old man with little time left to live due to illness. He has a young and beautiful wife, Yoshiko, who tries to take him outside to enjoy his last days. She looks delighted as Akira gets weaker and weaker. What are her true intentions?
Grand Prix George Lucas Award
The Grand Prix winner is chosen from the three official competitions.
Winner: Rafael Manuel, Filipiñana
Smartphone Film Competition supported by Sony
A brand new category 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. And it received over 900 submissions from around the world, the largest number ever for a new competition of the SSFF & ASIA!
Smartphone Film Competition: Best Short Award
Winners: Daigo Hariya and Yosuke Kobayashi, viewers:1
Synopsis: In the future, after "something" happened to the human race, a man continues to video stream himself in solitude as he wanders about the city ruins for the one single viewer he has.
A still from Smartphone Competition winning 'viewers:1' directed by Daigo Hariya and Yosuke Kobayashi.
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.
Featured header image is a still from short film 'A Woman Who Acts' whose lead Hikari Mitsushima won the Best Actor Award at the 2021 SSFF & Asia.
Check out the rest of our SSFF coverage here!
