PRESS RELEASE

2016 / 7 / 24

Winners of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema
FESTIVAL 2016 announced!
Walking Distance for Grand Prize in the Feature
Length Competition
Eriko, Pretended by Akiyo Fujimura received the SKIP CITY AWARD
Lies for Best Picture in the Short Length Competition
Complex × COMPLEX for Best Picture in the Animation Competition

Launched in 2004 as one of the world’s first film festivals to focus solely onfilms shot on digital in order to discover and nurture emerging talent, the13th edition of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL has been heldfrom Saturday, July 16 to Sunday, and wrapped at the Closing Ceremony today,Sunday, July 24. We announced all award winners from the three competition
sections at the Ceremony. Award winners are as follows.
Following last year’s Behavior by Ernest Daranas Serrano (Cuba) receiving
the Grand Prize, another Latin American film Walking Distance by Alejandro
Guzmán Alvarez (Mexico) won the top prize, proof of the high quality of Latin American films. Meanwhile Eriko,Pretended by Akiyo Fujimura received the SKIP CITY AWARD, which is for a Japanese feature film. We hope the awardwinners will spread their wings around the world. Please kindly introduce the award winners to your audiences andreaders.

Feature Length Competition Winners

Grand Prize

Walking Distance

Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers. Memorial plaque and cash reward of
1,000,000 yen are given by Sony Business Solutions
and Sony PCL.

2015 / Mexico / 104 min.
Director: Alejandro Guzmán Alvarez©2015 Pluto Films

Best Director

Tanna

Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers. Memorial plaque and cash reward of
500,000 yen are given by Sony Business Solutions
and Sony PCL.

2015 / Australia, Vanuatu / 104 min.

Best Screenplay

Birds of Passage

Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers. Memorial plaque and cash reward of500,000 yen are given by Sony Business Solutions
and Sony PCL.

2015 / Belgium / 84 min.

SKIP CITY AWARD
This award is given to a Japanese filmmaker providing
access to SKIP City facilities for their next project.
Trophy is given by festival organizers and the recipient isgiven free access to SKIP City’s digital post-production
facilities for a limited time.

Director: Bentley Dean, Martin Butler©2015 Contact Films

Director: Olivier Ringer©Ring Prod

Eriko, Pretended
2016 / Japan / 93 min.
Director: Akiyo Fujimura©Akiyo Fujimura

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2016 / 7 / 24

Short Length Competition Winners

Best Picture

Lies
Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers.
Cash prize of 500,000 yen, trophy, and memorial
plaque are given by the Citizens' Circle to Support
SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL.

2015 / Japan / 25 min.
Director: Yuji Mitsuhashi©YUJI MITSUHASHI*SKIP CITY AWARD is also given by the festival organizers.
*SKIP CITY AWARD provides the winner with access toequipment at SKIP City for a limited time.

Take 82015 / Japan / 19 min.

Honorable Mention

Director: Shinichiro Ueda
©八王子日本閣

Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers.
Cash prize of 300,000 yen, trophy, and memorial
plaque are given by the Citizens' Circle to Support
SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL.

Hypnotism for Love
2016 / Japan / 25 min.
Director: Hiroki Inoue©inoue hiroki

Animation Competition Winners

Best Picturecomplex × COMPLEX
Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers.
Cash prize of 100,000 yen, trophy, and memorial
plaque are given by Shimamura Co., Ltd.
*SKIP CITY AWARD is also given by the festival organizers.

2015 / Japan / 24 min.
Director: Miyuki Fukuda©PANPOKOPINA*SKIP CITY AWARD provides the winner with access to SKIPCity facilities for a limited time.

To Heel2016 / Japan / 10 min.

Honorable Mention

Director: Madoka©2016 MADOKA/Graduate School of Film and New
Media, TOKYO university of the ARTs

Certificate and trophy are given by the festivalorganizers.
Cash prize of 50,000 yen, trophy, and memorial plaqueare given by Shimamura Co., Ltd.

Look at Me Only
2016 / Japan / 7 min.
Director: Tomoki Misato©2016 Tomoki Misato

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2016 / 7 / 24

<COMMENTS>●Alejandro Guzmán Alvarez, Walking Distance, the Grand Prize winner of the Feature Length Competition
I’m very stunned to receive the Grand Prize because I hadn’t expected to win. I think filmmaking is truly hard
everywhere as well as in Mexico. I think this prize will give me a boost for my future filmmaking.
●Yuji Mitsuhashi, Lies, the Best Picture winner of the Short Length Competition
I thank my crew, cast members, and especially my screenwriter Yoko Yonaiyama as I think this film would not have beenborn without her. I also think the magnificence of my three actresses Chikako Tanaka, Takako Nakamura, and Kyoko
Takahashi is everything for this film. Thank you very much.
●Miyuki Fukuda, complex × COMPLEX, the Best Picture winner of Animation Competition
I’m just so happy. This film is visually quite simple to enhance the story and actors’ performances. I had been concerned
about executing this film on screen as an animation, but I am really grateful for receiving such a great award.
●Yutaka Okada, President of the Jury of the Feature Length Competition, President of ARGO PICTURES / Film
producerFilm is an art with a “scent” of the time because films cannot be made by directors alone but are always created bymany people. Watching films at international film festivals is always fun as we can understand how people around theworld live and know how the “scent” is. I am very impressed with the high quality of the films. As someone involved infilmmaking in Japan, I was a bit disappointed with the Japanese films, however, because the films depicted only theworld within arm’s reach. I hope new Japanese filmmakers will find fresh themes and receive the Grand Prize at the next,or future edition of the festival.
●Shoji Masui, President of the Jury of the Short Length Competition, President of Altamira Pictures / Film
producer
Decisions at the judgment meeting depend on lots of uncertain elements. I think the filmmakers who couldn’t win aprize this year should be proud that their films were selected in the 12 nominations out of over 140 films. I truly hopethe 12 nominated filmmakers will keep deepening their pursuit. If they do, I am sure they will get their chance next time.
●Ryusuke Hikawa, President of the Jury of the Animation Competition, Animation and special effect specialist /Guest professor of Meiji Gakuin University Graduate School
It was very tough for us to choose three films from so many different styles, such as hand-drawn, stop-motion and CG
works. We chose complex × COMPLEX as the Best Picture because the film has a unique approach which we had neverseen before. I would like the nominated filmmakers to evolve animation by trying new styles.
●Kiyoshi Ueda, Chairperson of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL Committee, Governor of Saitama
Prefecture
All of the nominated films were superb at depicting “the present” of each country. I believe the audience could feel theyoung and talented filmmakers’ passion. Saitama Prefecture has lots of programs for not only discovering the talents
but also nurturing them for their step-up. I hope that a superstar who conquers the film industry will come out of SKIPCITY.
●Nobuo Okunoki, Vice Chairperson of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL Committee, Mayor ofKawaguchi CityI think that the audience could enjoy the charm of digital cinema through the nominated films, created by combining
the filmmakers' passion and the newest digital technology. I would be happier than anything if any filmmaker from thisyear's festival goes on to shine internationally. If so, I would like to screen their films in our festival like this year's
opening film Good Bye, Talking Dog by Madoka Kumagai.
●Tsutomu Tsuchikawa, Director of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL Committee
As the President of the Jury of each category already mentioned, the judgments were very tough because the level offilms were truly competitive and of a high standard. That's why I congratulate all the award-winning filmmakers from myheart. I hope the rest of the filmmakers will make great achievements in the future. Here, I thank all the staff who
devoted themselves to the festival and all the audiences. I hope to see you all next year again.

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2016 / 7 / 24

SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL 2016
■Date: Saturday, July 16 – Sunday, July 24, 2016
■Venue: SKIP City (Audio Visual Hall, Convention Hall) and others■Organizers: Saitama Prefecture, Kawaguchi City, SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL Committee,
Saitama Audio-Visual Volunteers■Website: www.skipcity-dcf.jp【Contact】
SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL Office
TEL：+81 48 263 0818

FAX：+81 48 262 5635

E-Mail: press@skipcity-dcf.jp