# 26th Japan Academy Film Prize

The 26th Japan Academy Film Prize (第26回日本アカデミー賞) is the 26th edition of the Japan Academy Film Prize, an award presented by the Nippon Academy-Sho Association to award excellence in filmmaking. It awarded the best films of 2002 and it took place on March 7, 2003 at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan.

## Nominees
### Awards

| Picture of the Year | Director of the Year |
| The Twilight Samurai Amidadō Dayori The Choice of Hercules Hi wa Mata Noboru Ping Pong | Yoji Yamada – The Twilight Samurai Takashi Koizumi – Amidadō Dayori Fumihiko Sori – Ping Pong Masato Harada – The Choice of Hercules Hideyuki Hirayama – Out |
| Screenplay of the Year | Popularity Award |
| Yoji Yamada and Yoshitaka Asama – The Twilight Samurai Kankurō Kudō – Ping Pong Takashi Koizumi – Amidadō Dayori Masato Harada – The Choice of Hercules Kōki Mitani – Ryōma no Tsuma to Sono Aijin | Little Dog Dan's Story (Production Category) Anne Suzuki – Returner (Actor Category) |
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
| Hiroyuki Sanada – The Twilight Samurai Akira Terao – Amidadō Dayori Etsushi Toyokawa – Inochi Toshiyuki Nishida – Hi wa Mata Noboru Kōji Yakusho – The Choice of Hercules | Rie Miyazawa – The Twilight Samurai Makiko Esumi – Inochi Kyōka Suzuki – Ryōma no Tsuma to Sono Aijin Mieko Harada – Out Kanako Higuchi – Amidadō Dayori |
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Min Tanaka – The Twilight Samurai Gorō Kishitani – Returner Nenji Kobayashi – The Twilight Samurai Tsutomu Yamazaki – Mohōhan Ken Watanabe – Hi wa Mata Noboru | Tanie Kitabayashi – Amidadō Dayori Kirin Kiki – Returner Keiko Kishi – The Twilight Samurai Mari Natsuki – Ping Pong Mitsuko Baisho – Out |
| Outstanding Achievement in Music | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography |
| Isao Tomita – The Twilight Samurai Michiru Ōshima – Hi wa Mata Noboru Michiru Ōshima and Taku Takahashi – Mohōhan Takashi Kako – Amidadō Dayori Joe Hisaishi – Dolls | Mutsuo Naganuma – The Twilight Samurai Masaharu Ueda – Amidadō Dayori Yoshitaka Sakamoto – The Choice of Hercules Akira Sakō – Ping Pong Katsumi Yanagishima – Dolls |
| Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction | Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction |
| Gengon Nakaoka – The Twilight Samurai Hideaki Yamakawa – Amidadō Dayori Takeshi Ōkubo – The Choice of Hercules Kōichi Watanabe – Ping Pong Hitoshi Takaya – Dolls | Yoshinobu Nishioka and Mitsuo Degawa – The Twilight Samurai Norihiro Isoda – Dolls Kyōko Heya – The Choice of Hercules Yoshirō Muraki and Tadashi Sakai – Amidadō Dayori Shū Yamaguchi – Ryōma no Tsuma to Sono Aijin |
| Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording | Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing |
| Kazumi Kishida – The Twilight Samurai Osamu Onodera – Inochi Jun Nakamura – The Choice of Hercules Fumio Hashimoto – Mohōhan Kenichi Benitani – Amidadō Dayori | Iwao Ishii – The Twilight Samurai Hideto Aga – Amidadō Dayori Sōichi Ueno – The Choice of Hercules Sōichi Ueno – Ping Pong Takuya Taguchi – Returner |
| Outstanding Foreign Language Film | Newcomer of the Year |
| Monster's Ball I Am Sam Gangs of New York Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Min Tanaka – The Twilight Samurai Kazushige Nagashima – Mr.Rookie Nakamura Shidō II – Ping Pong Manami Konishi – Amidadō Dayori Anne Suzuki – Returner Yūka – Koi ni Utaeba |
| Special Award of Honour from the Association | Special Award from the Chairman |
| Kaneto Shindo (Director) | Koreyoshi Kurahara (Director) Kinji Fukasaku (Director) |
| Special Award from the Association | |
| Takashi Ōnuma (Costume) Kouzu Shōkai Co.Ltd. and Takatsu Sousyokubijutu Co.Ltd. (Film Decoration Art) | |