Archive 2015

New Venues

Once again, the festival was held across the two cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, but with Shidax Culture Hall, Andaz Tokyo Andaz Studio and iTSCOM STUDIO & HALL added as new venues in the capital.

Official Reporters

Official Navigators

J-WAVE navigator Rachel Chan and popular singer Jade Goto were appointed as the official voices of this year's festival. They provided the narration for videos screened at the festival ceremonies, including the introduction to the lineup and each of the award announcements.

Opening Ceremony

This year’s official lineup was introduced at the Opening Ceremony, with a selection of awards and projects announced. Numerous celebrities participating in the various projects or as jury member were in attendance at this impressive start to the festival.

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Competitions

http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/
International Competition

Films with emotional impact that were short in length contributed in particular to the rich lineup. 45 films out of 3436 were screened.

Asia International Competition

Interesting short films from a variety of Asian countries and regions were presented. 18 films out of 760 were screened.

Japan Competition

The 2015 lineup highlighted the power of deep human drama. 22 films out of 363 were screened.

Save the Earth! Competition

A wide variety of films that approach environmental issues and offer enlightening ideas about protecting the environment through the medium of film were gathered. 11 films out of 144 were screened.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/competition_award/earth.php

CG Animation Competition

The newest CG animation shorts by leading CG animators were gathered. 20 films out of 217 were screened.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/competition_award/cg.php

Music Shorts Competition

A program introducing original music short films and official music videos for established artists. 8 original music shorts out of 44 were screened in competition for the UULA Award, and 5 official music videos from Japan were screened in competition for the Cinematic Award. 12 music videos from overseas were presented as special screenings.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/competition_award/music.php

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Special Programs

Asiana International Short Film Festival Program from Korea

Asiana International Short Film Festival, celebrating its 13th edition in 2015, presented 4 short films from their selection, including the 2013 National (Korea) competition winner "Ordinary Family."
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/korea.php

Kaohsiung Film Festival Program from Taiwan

Since 2010 SSFF & ASIA has continued to strengthen its connections with Kaohsiung Film Festival. Four attractive and powerful Taiwanese short films were introduced as part of the collaboration, in its fifth year in 2015.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/taiwan.php

Academy Awards® Program

The program showcased a special selection of 5 short films including nominated and winning shorts from the 87th Academy Awards®. The lineup included “The Phone Call,” winner of Best Short Film in the 2015 Academy Awards® Live Action Category.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/academy.php

Focus on Québec supported by Saguenay International Short Film Festival

A program gathering films from Québec, Canada, where elements of thought and culture from France endure and many Hollywood productions are realized. Seven films were screened, including one starring Xavier Dolan, a Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winning director in 2014.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/quebec.php

Focus on UK

British-born talents are particularly active in the film industry, as directors, actors and actresses. For this year’s program gathering shorts from the UK, “Hollywood Portfolio,” with its star-studded cast including Academy Awards® Best Actor Award winner Eddie Redmayne, was shown as a special screening.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/england.php

French Film Festival - Short Film Selection

The French Film Festival - Short Film Selection introduced five French shorts by up-and-coming French directors, including "Savage Night" starring Shinobu Terajima and Susumu Terajima.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/france.php

Children Program supported by Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

We presented a program aimed at both adults and children with support from Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France), the largest short film festival in the world with 37 years of history.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/child.php

War and the Power To Live Program supported by Red Cross

With 2015 marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we screened films that give audiences an opportunity to think about the real meaning of "living in peace" with loved ones.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/w_p.php

Special Program from Cannes

From one of the biggest film festivals in the world, Cannes Film Festival, seven short films including the 2014 Palme d’or (short film) winner were screened.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/cannes.php

Short Story NAGOYA

To discover and nurture new creative talents and promote the unknown attractions of Nagoya throughout Japan, three short films shot in Nagoya were presented.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/nagoya.php

Andaz Tokyo Special Programs "Personality" and "TOKYO"

We presented two programs focusing on "personal style" and "indigenous" themes, elements of the Andaz concept. One program was centered on unique international films about "personality," and the other introduced the Tokyo locale and Japanese culture to international tourists.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/andaz-personal.php
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/andaz-tokyo.php

Fashion Shorts Program

In 2014 SSFF & ASIA established the Fashion Short of the Year award and began paying attention to the connection between fashion and short film. This year the focus was expanded, and a luxurious program of the latest fashion shorts was created.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/fashion.php

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Events and Seminars

Opening Screening Event

Special Screening and Introduction with the Cast of "Like a Families" Directors Uchida Eiji and Hanta Kinoshita, and cast members Yuko Araki, Houka Kinoshita, Yutaka Kobayashi, Takumi Saitoh, Mone, Mayu Tsuruta and Taro Yabe were in attendance at the special screening of "Like a Families," an omnibus that consists of bizarre short episodes that revolve around unique families.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_kazoku.php

Ubukata Summit × Book Shorts

Popular author Tow Ubukata and members of the "Ubukata Summit" (publishers and editors) attended. Details of the "Ubukata Juku" project and the lift of the ban on derivative works were announced. There was also a special discussion between Tow Ubukata and Tetsuya Bessho.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_ubukata.php

Short Film by Takeru of SuG Screening Event

Takeru, the vocalist of the rock band SuG, attended the premiere of his short film “WE CRY OUT HELLYEAH,” based on an original short story by the singer. He discussed his thoughts on the film and details about the behind the scenes production.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_sug.php

Hollywood VFX Seminar

Ian Hunter, winner of the 2015 Academy Awards® Best Special Effects with the film "Interstellar," was invited to demonstrate the magic of special effects, ranging from traditional miniature/stop motion techniques to the latest digital visual effects. As a role model for aspiring creators, he described the production process of numerous films he has worked on.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_vfx.php

Cinema Night with Jung Woo Sung

Popular Korean actor Jung Woo Sung was invited to accompany a screening of three works, including a short film that he starred in and a music video and short film that he directed. In amongst the screenings he discussed his creative approach from the perspective of both an actor and a director. http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_jws.php

Creators’ Seminar

YouTubers are people who create varieties of video content for the YouTube platform. We welcomed popular YouTuber Jet Daisuke and Kazuki Kamada, President and CEO of UUUM Co., Ltd., a leading production company for YouTube content, for a seminar where they discussed the current situation of video sharing. They explained how the internet may be of use to video creators in the future, and talked about the potential of expanding this area as a space for business.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_creators.php

Screenings of short films that awaken the five senses & Live recording event ＠INTERSECT BY LEXUS - TOKYO

Tetsuya Bessho selected a lineup of five short films that “awaken the senses” to screen alongside two Lexus Short Films in special screenings held throughout the festival period (June 4 – June 15). In addition, two live recording events (for YouTube) led by Tetsuya Bessho were also hosted, with Festival Ambassador LiLiCo and Official Competition jury member Jung Woo Sung (Actor / Film Director) invited as guests.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_lexus.php

The 4th Visual Tourism Award ×Tabi Motion Japon Special Event

In addition to the 4th Visual Tourism Award award ceremony, where the winner from among 562 promotional tourism videos was announced, there was a tie-up event with the travel incentive website “Tabimoja” (Tabi Motion Japon). The winner of the 4th Visual Tourism Award (Commissioner's Award, the Japan Tourism Agency) was “Another Kyoto,” and the Special Mention went to “My Soul Travel for the Future in Nanto.” Ten promotional tourism works were screened, including the awarded works, and many popular mascot characters were in attendance, promoting their local regions.
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_tourism.php

FutureCity Yokohama Award presentation and screening of nominated films

In order to raise awareness of the "Environmental FutureCity" Yokohama, the City of Yokohama and SSFF & ASIA screened 6 short films and presented an award to the film that best depicted the "Environmental FutureCity" theme. Seo-ro Oh won the FutureCity Yokohama Award for “Artist-110.”
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_future.php

Southeast Asia Program & Symposium

To promote cultural exchange and collaboration between Japan and other fellow Asian countries, the Japan Foundation Asia Center was established in April 2014.With the Asia Center, the film festival launched a new screening program and a symposium featuring 11 countries in Southeast Asia. The partnership will continue into 2016, spanning a two year period. In 2015 we screened films from six countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines as a Southeast Asia Program. We also invited panelists from the film industries in these countries to the "Symposium on the current status and future of Southeast Asian short film."
http://www.shortshorts.org/southeast_asia/en/

Screening and Award Presentation of "Ibaraki Short Film Award" nominated films

SSFF & ASIA supported the "Ibaraki Short Film Award" (Prize: 1,000,000 yen) contest organized by Ibaraki Prefecture by announcing the award winner and screening three nominated films during the festival. http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ibaraki.php
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/ev_ibaraki.php

Filmmakers' Talk

The SSFF & ASIA 2014 Grand Prix winner Yosep Anggi Noen and Yoonchul Chung, director of "Marathon," the film that captured more than five million people on the move, participated in this event. Works by each of them were screened, and the two directors discussed elements of film production. http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/film.php
http://www.shortshorts.org/2015/en/program/film.php

Award Ceremony

Invited guests attended the Award Ceremony on June 15, which was held at Shibuya Hikarie. Jurors of the various competitions gathered here to announce the best short films that were selected from each of the competitions, and the Grand Prix chosen from among the winners of the main competitions. The Grand Prix winning short film will be eligible for nomination at the 2016 Academy Awards®.

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AWARD

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Jurors