KYOTO INTERNATIONAL FILM AND ART FESTIVAL 2017

Jiro Shindo and Tadanobu Asano Win KIFFs Big Two Awards

2017/10/12　Report

Begun in 1958, this year’s Shozo Makino Award is the 50th edition. Created to honour behind-the-scenes professionals, it is named in honour of the Kyoto-filmmaker Shozo Makino.

“I am serving as the presenter of this honorable award” said Masahiko Tsugawa, grandson of Shozo Makino, who took to the stage and drew laughs from the audience as he built anticipation ahead of revealing the winner.

Producer Jiro Shindo was announced as this year’s recipient, explaining “I admire Mr Tsugawa and am really moved by this. My father was awarded this prestigious award too. Without Kyoto we wouldn’t have our lives as filmmakers.”

Shindo received the award designed by local craftsman and potter Takahiro Kondo, who creates the trophy known as the “Shizuku no Utsuwa” using his unique silver-mist glaze technique.

The Toshiro Mifune Award and 1,000,000 yen, named after Japan’s iconic actor, was then awarded to Asano Tadanobu. Selected by a committee including Teruyo Nogami, Tadao Sato, Daisaku Kimura, Rikiya Mifune and Kazuyoshi Okuyama, the award was presented by film critic Sato, who explained why Asano Tadanobu was selected.

“We are looking at someone’s entire career, not only one movie,” he said. “But his recent work “Dear Etranger” explained well the life of modern Japanese and was especially impressive, such that we think he is a representative actor of modern Japan.”

“I’m so happy, these days I got a lot of offers and I am really glad to be here,” said a clearly delighted Asano. “I am always fighting hard to find the character I’m playing, and though I never met Mifune, I sometimes ask him how to deal with this, and I get the answer from his acting” he added.