Awards
International Competition
The International Competition is open to feature films at least 60 minutes in length, which were produced in 2020 or 2021, and shot and edited digitally by directors with fewer than three feature film credits to their name. This year, we received 889 entries, the most in festival history, from 104 countries and regions. Among them a total of the very best ten films were selected. Works from Curaçao and Malta have been nominated for the first time. There are films confronting social problems entangling immigrants and refugees and on the other hand, there are films depicting the choices of life and familial love. The “world” viewed from the perspective of each of these up-and-coming directors from each country rises to the surface. After the final round of judging by four leading experts in the film industry, awards are given to the winners including the Grand Prize. In addition, the SKIP CITY AWARD will be given to one Japanese film in the International Competition or the Japanese Film Competition, providing access to SKIP CITY facilities for a limited time.
International Competition Awards Details
| Grand Prize | Certificate, trophy and cash prize of 1,000,000 yen are given. |
| Best Director | Certificate, trophy and cash prize of 500,000 yen are given. |
| Special Jury Prize | Certificate, trophy and cash prize of 300,000 yen are given. |
| SKIP CITY AWARD |
*Given to a Japanese filmmaker, whose next feature project is highly anticipated. Certificate and trophy are given. The SKIP CITY AWARD grants the recipient free access to the audio and video facilities at Sai-No-Kuni Visual Plaza for a limited time. |
| Audience Award |
Determined by the votes received during the festival． Certificate, trophy and gift produced in Saitama Prefecture are given. |
Japanese Film Competition
The Japanese Film Feature Competition accepts entries completed in 2020 and 2021 at least 60 minutes in length. The Japanese Film Short Competition accepts entries at least 15 but under 60 minutes in length. This year, we received a record-breaking 82 features and 195 shorts, with six features and eight shorts being nominated. It’s a selection that provides a sense of the expanding horizons of Japanese cinema, featuring ambitious works of various genres such as coming-of-age, horror, and the first feature animation to be nominated to this section; and masterpieces shot in France, Cambodia, and India. After the final round of judging by three jury members who are cinema experts, the Best Picture is given to winners in both the Feature and Short categories. In addition, the SKIP CITY AWARD will be given to one Japanese film in the International Competition or the Japanese Film Competition.
Japanese Film Competition Awards Details
|
Best Picture (Japanese Feature category) |
Certificate, trophy and cash prize of 300,000 yen are given. |
|
Best Picture (Japanese Short category) |
Certificate, trophy and cash prize of 200,000 yen are given. |
| SKIP CITY AWARD |
*Given to a Japanese filmmaker, whose next feature project is highly anticipated. Certificate and trophy are given. The SKIP CITY AWARD grants the recipient free access to the audio and video facilities at Sai-No-Kuni Visual Plaza for a limited time. |
|
Audience Award (in Feature and Short categories) |
Determined by the votes received during the festival． Certificate, trophy and gift produced in Saitama Prefecture are given. |
