Interview
■Award Winners of International Competition
■Award Winners of Japanese Film Competition
Award Winners of International Competition
＜Grand Prize＞ Michelle Cameron (Producer) “Nancy”
― How do you feel after receiving the Grand Prize?
Not sure it’s even sunk in yet. It’s very exciting and amazing. It feels really good because the festival has been amazing and the other films in competition are really great films too, so it feels special and awesome. I’d like Christina (Director) to know.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
It is been amazing to be in Japan. I’ve wanted to come and visit here since I was about twelve years old, and this is my first time. It’s been really incredible to have my first time be with a film I made. It’s very, very exciting. Everyone in the festival has just been so kind and helpful, and I really love Japan a lot. The experience has been even more magical than I expected it to be.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
Lots of things. I have been working on some television stuff. What’s next to me is also working in the advertising world, making music videos, directing design. Hopefully I will come back if it will be in theaters and bring Christina next time.
＜Best Director＞ Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (Director) “Under the Tree”
― How do you feel after receiving the Best Director?
It’s great to get recognition for your work and a great honor and surprise as well because of the very strong films in the competition, and I had the pleasure of getting to know all the directors in the last few days and they are really talented and great people, so I’m just very happy.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
I think it’s a really nice festival. The city is fantastic, quite overwhelming at times, but a very interesting place. I really want to come back because I feel I only managed to scratch the surface of the city. I think the film was resonating with the audience and that was a nice feeling to realize that the film spoke to Japanese people. That is a good feeling.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
I’ve been traveling for the last months with this film and will try to concentrate on a new film that I have been working on writing a script for. I think it’s a sort of mix of a romantic-comedy and a psychological thriller. I’m also working on a TV series for Icelandic television. I hope it will go into production within the next year.
＜Special Jury Prize＞ Dong-seok Shin (Director) “Last Child”
― How do you feel after receiving the Special Jury Prize?
I would like to thank the all jury members and the festival staff. It’s a great honor to get the prize and to show the film to the Japanese audience. Thank you very much again, and I hope to join the SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL next time.
＜Special Mention＞ Birgitta Björnsdóttir (Producer) “The Swan”
― How do you feel after receiving the Special Mention?
Everybody in Japan, especially the festival people are so gracious and hospitable and so we had a really good time. We are very happy and honored to have the Special Mention.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
I think Japan is very beautiful, it’s very clean. Everybody’s so nice. It’s very hot for me obviously. I’m coming from Iceland. Our summer is 10 degrees now, so coming to 37 degrees, it’s been very hot. But we had a great time, visited lots of places in Tokyo and really like it. I will be back.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
I’ll be shooting a film with another female director. But for Ása, we are developing her next project together. Also I’m doing various other films in development, different shape, some in script and some are in just an idea for now.
＜SKIP CITY AWARD＞ Natsuki Nakagawa (Director) “She is Alone”
― How do you feel after receiving the SKIP CITY AWARD?
I didn’t expect to receive any award because I thought the level of the competition films was truly high. I am really pleased to receive the SKIP CITY AWARD which is given to a filmmaker with high anticipation for the director’s future career. I am also happy to be able to tell this news to my staff members because professional members joined the film even though most staff were students at my school.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
I could talk with the audience after the Q&As. They had strong passion and specific opinions about movies. It is difficult to think about my film by myself once the film is completed and so the festival was very fruitful for me to hear many opinions from many people.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
She is Alone is full of aspects which I wanted to try and so I am very grateful that it was selected to the award (SKIP CITY AWARD) in anticipation of the director’s future films. I feel I am in the position to make a film which I want to make and I don’t want to betray that anticipation. For the next film, I would like to make an entertaining film such as suspense or horror.
Award Winners of Japanese Film Competition
＜Best Picture (Japanese Feature category)＞ Shinzo Katayama (Director) “Siblings of the Cave”
― How do you feel after receiving the Best Picture?
I am very thankful because I received an award at the festival which I submitted a film to for the first time. I am truly happy because the people received the film more positively than I expected. It was just great that the audience watched it even though there are some provocative scenes and it must be a love or hate type of film. Thank you very much.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
I thought that I was glad to make this film and to participate in the festival because the festival welcomed filmmakers very warmly.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
I hope Siblings of the Cave will be theatrically released with the aid of receiving an award. I want to keep making films, so I’ll be always preparing new projects and keeping motivated.
＜Best Picture (Japanese Short category)＞ Teppei Isobe (Director) “Who Knows about My Life”
― How do you feel after receiving the Best Picture?
I didn’t expect an award at all. Actually I have been staying in Tokyo (to attend the festival) and bought some new clothes. As I didn’t have a shirt with a collar and thought I would enjoy the ceremony as a member of the audience, I am really pleased to receive an award.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
The audience are passionate. I received many questions although usual audiences rarely raise their hands for questions. Also, their questions showed a lot of attention to detail such as “do you imply the change of the protagonist’s emotion with his different shoes in each scene?”. I am impressed with the festival because even the midday screening on a weekday was full. The main actress, Hiroko Yashiki usually acts in major films and TV series and rarely appears in independent films, but she convinced her agency and came to Osaka for some tough shooting. I thought I needed to achieve something to reward her contribution, so I am very happy to win this prize.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
I would like to keep making films and to become a professional director, but firstly I want to make a feature film. I would like to come back to SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL with the feature film because again Hiroko Yashiki could appear in it. I would like to show my growth after winning this award.
＜Special Jury Prize＞ Michihaya Mizoguchi (Director) “Lip and Fist”
― How do you feel after receiving the Special Jury Prize?
I learned a lot from the screening because the screening circumstances were amazingly good. I always hope I learn and feed that into the next project after watching my film under excellent screening circumstances. Especially I’m extremely honored with winning an award. Also I am very happy to hear from jury member Masato Hojo that the “unseen” acting in the film was superb. I tried to make the dialogue and acting as slim as possible and it was my goal, so I am grateful that he appreciated that.
― What do you think after participating in the D-Cinema FESTIVAL?
I think it often happens that no one raises their hands even if the MC calls for questions. I received lots of questions, however, and the audience understood the film deeply. It is very important to filmmakers that we could talk with the audience who just watched the film. I thank the festival organized things well in order to provide such an opportunity to us.
― Would you tell us about your current and future projects?
I have been developing a project under the same team (with the producer Takayoshi Shiokawa). I would like it into a feature as the script is gradually developing. I am not sure when it will be completed, but I am really eager to realize the project and to show it to the audience again after I received this award at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL.