The winners of the 37th Japanese Academy Awards were announced on Friday night. I gave a run through of the movies that were up for the major awards back in January, you can read that here. But now on to the winners.
The Great Passage (舟を編む)
Best Picture
Best Director - Yuya Ishi (石井裕也)
Best Actor - Ryuhei Matsuda (松田龍平)
Best Screenplay - Kensaku Watanabe (渡辺謙作)
Best Sound Recording - Hirokazu Kato (加藤大和)
Best Film Editing - Shinichi Fushima (普嶋信一)
The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ)
Best Animation
Best Music - Joe Hisaishi (久石譲)
Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる)
Best Supporting Actor - Lily Franky (リリー・フランキー)
Best Supporting Actress - Yoko Maki (真木よう子)
Sayonara Keikoku (さよなら渓谷)
Best Actress - Yoko Maki (真木よう子)
The Unforgiven (許されざる者)
Best Cinematography - Koichi Watanabe (渡邊孝一)
Ask this of Rikyu (利休にたずねよ)
Best Art Direction - Takashi Yoshida (吉田孝)
The Cannes film festival starts up this weekend, and there are two Japanese films in the official selection competing for the Palme d'Or.
The first is Shield of Straw (藁の楯) by Takashi Miike (三池崇史). Prolific and hard working, it's hard to describe the work of Miike, as there is no comparable directors in the world of cinema. From the surealism of David Lynch, the violence of Tarantino, it was the shockingly graphic films like Audition and Ichi the Killer that helped develop his cult following in the west.
Miike's latest film features Tatsuya Fujiwara (藤原竜也) of Battle Royale and Death Note fame, Nanako Matushima (松島奈々子) from Ring, Ring 2, the Japanese remake of Ghost (Yes, the Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore Ghost), and a long list of Japanese TV dramas, and stage, TV and movie star Takao Osawa (大沢たかお) who recently featured in the main role in the TV adaption of JIN (仁).
The other film up for the Palme d'Or is Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる). Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (是枝裕和) who has previously featured at Cannes with Air Doll (空気人形), Nobody Knows (誰も知らない), and Distance (ディスタンス). Staring Japanese musician, actor, entertainer, heartthrob, Masaharu Fukuyama (福山雅治), it also features Machiko Ono (尾野真千子), Yoko Maki (真木よう子), and Lily Franky(リリー・フランキー).
Both films will hit cinemas in Japan later in the year.
