The Short Shorts Film Festival kicked off its 7th annual competition and tour of Japan earlier this month with screenings in the trendy Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. $60,000 in prizes was awarded to filmmakers in three categories: National (Japan), International (non-Asian), and Asian. “Rien de Grave” (dir. Renaud Philipps, France) took home the Grand Prix, and “Shirotaku” (dir. Toshiro Sonoda, Japan) was honored with the Asahi Super Dry Award, which includes a $30,000 grant to fund the filmmaker’s next project. The official programs of 78 competition films were selected from over 2,000 submissions received from over 80 countries. For more information about the festival and winners, visit their website.
In addition to the 7th annual festival, Short Shorts organizers are producing another festival in Japan this summer. The Short Shorts Film Festival EXPO, a special competition of short films with the theme Nature’s Wisdom, is screening at the EXPO in Aichi, Japan through September 25, 2005. Thirty-minute programs screen nightly on an outdoor screen on the EXPO grounds for the 15 million expected visitors.
Short Shorts is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival in the short film categories. Submissions for the 8th edition of the Short Shorts Film Festival will open August 1, 2005. There is no submission fee, and deadline for entry is November 1, 2005.