Tokyo Movie Pageant: Finalists of Amazon Prime Video Take One Award

 
 
For the second yr in a row TIFF is internet hosting the Amazon Prime Video Take One Awards for brand new filmmakers. “We wish Amazon to be a house for expertise — when administrators give you nice new concepts, we would like them to assume Amazon is the place to go,” mentioned Kodama Takashi, nation director for Prime Video Japan at a TIFF press occasion on Monday. “That’s why we’re sponsoring the awards.”  

Open to filmmakers residing in Japan who’ve but to be a director, scriptwriter or producer on a industrial movie or have their unbiased movies of 40 minutes or longer display screen theatrically, the Take One Awards are for brief movies of quarter-hour or much less. This yr veteran director Yukisada Isao presided over a jury that sifted via 83 entries to give you seven finalists. Of this quantity 5 are feminine, together with fourteen-year-old Asumi Momoha.  

Whereas saying that, in judging the entries, he didn’t make distinctions between intercourse or age, Yukisada informed the press that “Girls appear to have extra momentum and energy today, in addition to extra resilience — they may by no means hand over finishing their movies.” Additionally, he discovered entries by girls filmmakers extra “shocking.” “They’re tackling their themes in a contemporary approach,” he defined.  

Acknowledging that working with new administrators, scriptwriters and actors is “essential,” Kodama added that it “additionally carries danger.” By sponsoring the Take One Awards, he defined, Amazon is ready to consider numerous new abilities with assistance from a veteran filmmaker like Yukisada. “So, we’re extra more likely to have successful than by randomly working with new administrators,” he mentioned.  

Final yr’s winner, Kim Yunsoo, mentioned that he’s engaged on a screenplay in cooperation with Amazon, however modestly added he feels he’s nonetheless “on the beginning line – not quite a bit has modified.” “However I’m very grateful I used to be chosen as a finalist,” he continued. “It’s actually been an enormous motivation for me.” His recommendation for this yr’s finalists, six of whom who have been current within the viewers: “I’d such as you to attend for the outcomes with a peaceful thoughts. And even in case you don’t win the award this yr, there’s all the time subsequent yr. So, no matter occurs, it’s all proper.”