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TOKYO FILMEX 2019 AWARDS

TOKYO FILMEX 2019 AWARDS

Grand Prize　

『Balloon』
Director： Pema Tseden
China/ 2019 / 102min

～The winning film's director will receive 1,000,000 yen.
Tokyo FILMeX has recognized the outstanding work of this director in the past, but this new film represents a new level of film expression in his work.
From its opening play with point-of-view to its beautiful homage to Hou Hisao Hsien in the closing scene, it brings a broad, sophisticated perspective to a particularly Tibetan conundrum : a clash between Buddhist beliefs, state policy and personal psychological factors, which tells us a lot about Tibetan life today. The 2019 FILMeX Grand Prize goes to Pema Tseden’s BALOON.

Special Jury Prize　

『Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains』
Director： GU Xiaogang
China / 2019/ 154min

～The winning film's director will receive 500,000 yen.
This heroically ambitious debut feature explores a family history and a local culture with precision and a wonderful sense of style. It makes reference to Chinese traditions, both ancient and modern, in its story telling and images. But at the same it represents a very modern intervention in contemporary Chinese film culture. As Gu Xiaogang’s first feature, it’s a remarkable achievement.

Special Mention　

『Last Night I Saw You Smiling』
Director： NEANG Kavich
Cambodia,France / 2019 / 77min

In this film Neang Kavich confronts the memories which are embedded in one building and its inhabitants, but it is not a film rooted in nostalgia. Several hundred households were forced to leave the White Building in Phnom Penh when it was acquired by a Japanese company.
People's lives were destroyed in the name of "urban renewal" -- and to boost the profits of the state and private companies. This is a form of violence, and it occurs wherever "redevelopment" is in progress.
The film faces this sad reality with clear-eyed calm.

Special Mention　

『book-paper-scissors』
Director： NANAKO Hirose
Japan / 2019 / 94min

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The film shows admiration and respect for the status of books, eternal friends of human beings in the past and in the present.
May people of the future never be deprived of touching, smelling, seeing and feeling the paper of books. Books are noble friends. May we inherit them!

The Chairperson of the jury
Tony RAYNS（UK/Film Critic,Curator,Filmmaker）
The jury menbers
Behnaz JAFARI（Iran／Actress）
Kazumi KURIGAMI（Japan／Photographer）
Samal YESLYAMOVA（Kazakhstan／Actress）
Koji FUKADA（Japan／Film Director）

Audience Award

『Silent Rain』
Director：RYUTARO Nakagawa
Japan/ 2019 / 99min

Student Jury Prize

『Last Night I Saw You Smiling』
Director：NEANG Kavich
Cambodia,France / 2019 / 77min

We can make a movie with just one place and one camera.
Casual but carefully calculated director's camera proves the fact which can be said to be the origin of cinema. If we realize that the daily life illusioned as infinite is finite, we can take the camera and make it eternal.
As soon as the movie was over, we wanted to make a movie.

The jury members
Asato WATANABE（Tokyo University of the Arts）
Miku KITAGAWA（Tokyo Gakugei University）
Shobu KIMURA（Keio University）

TOKYO FILMeX Competition

This year’s TOKYO FILMeX Competition will present 10 new films by the best emerging filmmakers in Asia. The Jury that consists of five international film professionals will judge the films in this program, and the following prizes will be announced at the award ceremony in the evening of November 30th.

Grand Prize: The winning film's director will receive 1,000,000 yen.

Special Jury Prize: The winning film's director will receive 500,000 yen.

The Chairperson of the jury

Tony RAYNS (UK / Film Critic, Curator, Filmmaker)

Tony RAYNS (b. 1948) is a London-based critic, curator and occasional filmmaker with a special interest in the cinemas of East Asia.  He has written for many newspapers and magazines over the years (including Monthly Film Bulletin, The Guardian, The Independent, Film Comment and, in Korea, Cine 21) and is still a frequent contributor to the BFI magazine Sight & Sound.  He has published books and catalogues on Chinese, Japanese and Korean directors and Rainer Werner Fassbinder; his most recent book is a study of Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love.  He programmed East Asian films for Vancouver IFF from 1989 until 2015 (and the festival's Dragons & Tigers competition for young directors from 1994 to its final edition in 2013) and for London Film Festival until 2013, and he helped to launch the Busan IFF in the mid-1990s and was an advisor to the festival for many years. His own films include the documentaries New Chinese Cinema (1988), The Jang Sunwoo Variations (2001) and Jang Sunwoo in November (2006), and his long involvement in Korean cinema was the subject of Seo Wontae's film The Not-so-distant Observer (2014).  He was awarded the Kawakita Prize (2004) and the Foreign Ministry of Japan's Commendation (2008), both for services to Japanese cinema.

　

The jury members

Behnaz JAFARI (Iran / Actress)

KURIGAMI Kazumi  (Japan / Photographer)

Samal YESLYAMOVA (Kazakhstan / Photographer)

FUKADA Koji (Japan / Film Director)

Born in 1980. After completing studies at the Film School of Tokyo, released the mid-length film “Zakuro Yashiki” in 2006. It was awarded the Soleil d’ or for Best Newcomer at Paris Kintayo Japanese Film Festival. Released “Human Comedy in Tokyo” in 2008 which was screened at the Rome Film Festival. In 2010, “Hospitality” earned the Best Picture Award in Japanese Eyes section of the Tokyo International Film Festival as well as NETPAC Award at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. “Au Revoir L’ Été” won the Grand Prize at Nantes 3 Continents Festival in 2013. 2016’ “Harmonium” was awarded the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 69 Cannes Film Festival. Won the Minister of Education’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists in 2017. Co-principal at the not-for-profit Independent Cinema Guild. In 2019, his latest film “A Girl Missing” in 2019 officially screened at the Locarno Film Festival.

Audience Award

The award-winning film is chosen from all of the section after the vote of the audience. (expect the Closing film and FILMeX Classics)

Student Jury Prize

*The jury members
WATANABE Asato (Tokyo University of the Arts)
KITAGWA Miku (Tokyo Gakugei University)
KIMURA Shobu (Keio University)

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