3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival

3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival

Main stage of 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival,
Opening film Manzai Gang
Closing film Forgotten Silver
Location Okinawa Island, Japan
Founded 2009
Awards Golden Shisa Award (Hankyū Densha)
Festival date March 18 – 27, 2011
Website http://www.oimf.jp

The 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival was held from March 18 to March 27, 2011 and took place at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan City and Sakurazaka Theater in Naha, owned and run by Japanese director Yuji Nakae.[1]

This was the first Okinawa International Movie Festival to include the 'Contents Bazaar' to promote co-productions between U.S. and Japanese TV companies,[2] though due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami Yoshimoto's Hollywood partners CAA did not to send representatives.[3]

In addition, the festival also launched two new elements in 2001, The Local Origination Project for films made in locations around Japan, from Niigata to Okinawa, and the Jimot CM Competition which received ideas for TV commercials with the aim of publicizing local products and attractions from a round Japan. From 565 ideas, 10 were selected as finalists with the winner receiving a ¥470,000 prize and a terrestrial TV screening. Live music was provided by Rimi Natsukawa, Kariyushi 58 and Begin at Ginowan Seaside Park.[4]

The Golden Shisa was awarded to Japanese director Yoshishige Miyake for his film Hankyū Densha.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The festival was scaled back as a result of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami with many guests cancelling their visits and attendance down on the previous year from 380,000 to 310,000.[5] Only British comic writer Tony Hawks and Taiwanese director Yeh Tien Lun attended from abroad.[3] The event was instead turned in to a fundraiser raising more than US$1 million,[6] including ¥10,949,189 (approx. US$125,000) collected by 550 staff during the event itself.[7] Organizers Yoshimoto Kogyo had a history of assisting in the face of such disasters having set up Osaka's first FM radio network following the Great Hanshin earthquake in Kobe in 1995.[8]

The festival started with a minute's silence held on the main stage with Yoshimoto President Hiroshi Osaki, Chairman Isao Yoshino, Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima and Ginowan City Mayor Yoichi Iha addressing the crowd.[3]

All of the ¥6,470,000 in prize money was donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.[7]

Official selection

Performers included girl groups NMB48 and AKB48

The official selection was announced at a press conference on Tuesday 22 February 2011, with Hiroshi Shinagawa's "Manzai Gang" as the opening film, one of three directed by Yoshimoto Kogyo talent. A further seven were co-produced by Yoshimoto.[4] 15 foreign titles were announced, including several premieres such as Ivan Reitman's comedy No Strings Attached (film) starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.[4]

Competition

The official selection of films was broken into two categories, Laugh and Peace, each with 12 entrants. The former focuses on comedy films, while the latter includes dramas and documentaries with elements of comedy. The Chinese film Aftershock by Feng Xiaogang was dropped out of respect for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3]

Laugh Category

The following films were selected as In Competition for the Laugh Category:

English title Original title Director(s) Production country/countries
Omelette Rice オムライス Yuichi Kimura Japan
Miss Kurosawa Film 2 クロサワ映画2 Taku Watanabe Japan
Mask of Moonlight 月光ノ仮面 Itsuji Itao Japan
The Pot of Good Fortune 幸運の壺 Good Fortune Michihito Ogawa Japan
High School Debut (film) 高校デビュー Tsutomu Hanabasa Japan
Karate-Robo Zaborgar 電人ザボーガー Noboru Iguchi Japan
Mistaken ミステイクン Takayuki Ito Japan
A Little Thing Called Love สิ่งเล็กๆ ที่เรียกว่า...รัก Puttipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong Thailand
The Last Godfather 라스트 갓파더 Shim Hyung-rae South Korea
Love Police ラブポリス～ニート達の挽歌～ Yoshihiro Sakata Japan
Night Market Hero 鸡排英雄 (Ji pai ying xiong) Tien-Lun Yeh Taiwan

Peace Category

The following films were selected as In Competition for the Peace Category:

English title Original title Director(s) Production country
With the Dog Tag and the Croquette 犬の首輪とコロッケと Seiki Nagahara Japan
Ghostwriter Hotel ゴーストライターホテル Hiroaki Ito Japan
Tsugaru 津軽百年食堂 Kazuki Omori Japan
TSY TSY Michinari Nakagawa Japan
Hankyū Densha 阪急電車　片道15分の奇跡 Yoshishige Miyake Japan
Fly! ＦＬＹ！～平凡なキセキ～ Masahiro Kondo Japan
Bruce Lee, My Brother 李小龍 Raymond Yip & Manfred Man Hong Kong
Skyline (film) N/A Greg Strause & Colin Strause United States
I Hate Luv Storys आई हेट लव स्टोरी Punit Malhotra India
Round Ireland with a Fridge N/A Ed Bye United Kingdom
Simple Simon I rymden finns inga känslor Andreas Ohman Sweden
Six Degrees of Celebration Ёлки Timur Bekmambetov Russia

Out of Competition

The following films were screened out of competition:

Special Screening "Okinawa Presentation"
English title Original title Director(s) Production country
A Yell from Heaven 天国からのエール Chikato Kumazawa Japan
Project of Local Areas "Films from Local Areas"
English title Original title Director(s) Production country
When You Wish Upon A Star ほしのふるまち Koji Kawano Japan

Jury

Main stage of 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival, 2011
Competition

Awards

Official selection

In Competition

The Golden Shisa Award was won by the Japanese-language film Hankyū Densha directed by Yoshishige Miyake.[7]

The Laugh Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix went to "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love" from Thailand, directed by Puttipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong.[7]

The Peace Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix was won by Hankyū Densha by Yoshishige Miyake.[7]

The Jimot CM competition Grand Prix Award went to Masako Suzuki. The Grand Prix Award winner in the World Wide Laugh short-film was "Balloon Man the Challenge" by TBS.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Darrell Nelson (2012-03-28). "Fourth Okinawa International Movie Festival". Shift East. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  2. ↑ Gavin J. Blair (2011-03-23). "Okinawa Intl Movie Fest to Open for Fun in the Sun". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mark Schilling (2011-03-24). "Laughs, tears at comedy film fest". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  4. 1 2 3 Mark Schilling (2011-02-25). "Sun, sea and celluloid in Okinawa". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  5. ↑ Robert Michael Poole (2012-03-21). "Laughter Rules at Okinawa’s Movie Fest". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  6. ↑ Liza Foreman (2012-03-25). "Okinawa International Movie Festival Celebrates Comedians". Thompson on Hollywood. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Mark Schilling (2011-04-01). "Okinawa laughs till it cries at benefit fest". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  8. ↑ Kaori Shoji (2011-03-18). "Stars certain movie business will bounce back". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2012-12-17.

External links

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