PRESS RELEASE

May 13, 2024
Committee of Short Shorts
Committee for Short Shorts Asia

Accredited by the Academy Awards® Short Shorts Film Festival & ASIA 2024

Judges for SSFF & ASIA 2024 competition
have been announced【Live Action Competition, International Category, & Non-Fiction Competition】

Hiromi Nagasaku, Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Tim Redford【Live Action Competition Asia International Category & Japan Category】

Sharon Badal, Hiroshi Fujioka, Katsuhide Motoki【Animation Competition】

Tom Kawada, ShiShi Yamazaki, Tomoyuki Sugiyama
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA) 2024, an Academy Awards® accredited and one of thelargest international short film festivals in Asia and originating in Japan, is pleased to announce the official
jury members for the festival. The best short films in each category and section that will be nominated for
the Academy Awards® in the following year.
In addition to the festival directors and programmers who have been involved in the selection process atinternational film festivals, the jury will judge this year's short films from a variety of perspectives,
including filmmakers, actors, and cultural figures.
■Live Action Competition/International Category Judges
33 nominated films among 2104 submissions form 94
countries and regions■Non-Fiction Competition Judges：
15 nominated films among 313 submissions form 55
countries and regions
Hiromi Nagasaku(Actor)/Ema Ryan Yamazaki(Documentary Film Director)
Tim Redford(Co-Director of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival)/■Live Action Competition/Asia International Category Judges：
25 nominated films among 722 submissions from 36
countries and regions■Live Action Competition/Japan Category Judges：
Out of 241 submissions, 21 nominated films were screened
Sharon Badal(Festival Programmer, Distinguished Lecturer at NYU Tisch School of the Arts )/Hiroshi Fujioka (Actor, Martial Artist)
Katsuhide Motoki(Film Director, President, Directors Guild of Japan)/■Animation Competition Judges：
23 nominated films among 464 submissions from 57
countries and regions
Tom Kawada(Developer / Eldest son of AR Three Brothers)/
ShiShi Yamazaki (Artist)/
Tomoyuki Sugiyama(President of Digital Hollywood University / Doctor of Engineering )Each winning film will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 17, 2024.
The International, Asia International, and Japan categories of the Live Action Competition, as well as the Best
Animation and Best Non-Fiction categories, will be announced at the Awards Ceremony. The George LucasAward (Grand Prix) will be presented by Cunard with an extra prize of a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth.

＜Awards＞

Live Action
Competition

supplementary prize：
Voyage on
Queen Elizabeth

Best Short

GRAND PRIX＝
GEORGE LUCAS
AWARDBest Short/Governor of Tokyo Award

Best ShortBest ShortBest Short

International
Category

Non-Fiction
Competition

Animation
Competition/Governor of Tokyo Award

Asia International
Category

Japan Category

Grand-Prix is selected from winners of theAcademy Awards Accredited 5 Competitions:Live Action Competition (International, Asia
International, Japan), Non-Fiction Competitionand Animation Competition
Each winner will be eligible to the Oscar of theshort film category next year.

＜Other Competitions＞

Best Short

BrandedShortsof The Year/Governor of Tokyo AwardBestShort

BestShort

BestAward

BOOK
SHORTS
Award

Cinematic
Tokyo Competition

U-25
Project

Smartphone
Competition

Kodansha
CinemaCreators Lab

BOOK
SHORTS
Project

Deloitte
DigitalAward

VisualTourism
Award
HR Best
short
Award

BRANDED SHORTS【SSFF & ASIA 2024 Award Ceremony】
The awards are presented to the nominees for the following year's Academy
Awards nominations, including the Grand Prix - the George Lucas Award. The
Live streaming will be on SSFF & ASIA YouTube
Dates：Mon, June 17th 4:30pm-7:30pm
Venue：Meiji Jingu Kaikan
Ticket: Passport + Award Ceremony ：11,500 yen
students / Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disabled discount: 10,000 yen

SSFF & ASIA 2024 Live Action Competition/International Category
Non-Fiction Competition Judges
Hiromi Nagasaku (Actor)
Born October 14, 1970, Ibaraki Prefecture.Debuted as an actress in the drama “Hi noAtaru Basho” (CX) in 1994. Since then, she has been active in movies, dramas, on thestage, and as narrator for TV programs. Other films include, "Funuke: Show Some Love,You Losers!" (2007, directed by Daihachi Yoshida), "Wandering Home''(2010, directedby Yoichi Higashi) "Rebirth" (2011, directed by Izuru Narushima), and "The Furthest
End Awaits (2015, directed by Hsiu-Chiung Chiang)." She has won numerous awards,including the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actressin a Leading Role for the movie “True Mothers” (2020, directed by Naomi Kawase).
Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Documentary Film Director)
Ema Ryan Yamazaki is a Japanese/British documentary filmmaker based in Tokyo, withroots in New York. With a unique perspective as an insider and outsider in Japan, Ema
strives to tell stories that empathetically show human struggle and triumph. Her thirdfeature documentary, THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE, premiered at the Tokyo
International Film Festival in 2023 and is currently playing festivals and in distribution
around the world. She has also recently served as Editor and Co-Producer for Shiori
Ito's BLACK BOX DIARIES, which premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance 2024.

Tim Redford (Co-Director of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival)
MA in Arts Management, Catalonia University (Spain). He worked as Project Manager
for Signals Media Arts in Colchester, United Kingdom, before moving to Santiago deCompostela, Spain, to take up the position of Director of Curtocircuito Short FilmFestival, which he managed for eight years. He has been co-director for ClermontFerrand Short Film Festival since 2014, in charge of the International Competition,
African Perspectives’ programme & international development. He’s also part of thecoordination team of the submissions platform Shortfilmdepot.

SSFF & ASIA 2024 Live Action Competition/Asia International Category
Live Action Competition/Japan Category Judges
Sharon Badal (Festival Programmer, Distinguished Lecturer at NYU Tisch School of the Arts)SHARON BADAL is former VP of Programming for the Tribeca Festival from its inception through the 2023
edition. She spent ten years in distribution and marketing for three major studios followed by extensive liveevent producing experience. She is recognized as a Distinguished Lecturer at New York University’s Tisch
School of the Arts, and created and teaches the Producing in London summer study abroad program. She isthe author of Swimming Upstream – A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution. Sharon has been a panelistor juror at numerous festivals and for industry organizations globally and in 2022 was one of six
programmers worldwide invited to curate BBC Longshots. At Tribeca, she programmed short films for thefestival’s Academy qualifying competition programs and produced special projects and events. Sharon
received her B.F.A in film and television production and her M.F.A. specializing in cinema studies andbusiness, both from NYU.

Hiroshi Fujioka(Actor, Martial Artist)
Debuted in Shochiku movie. Rose to fame as a hero in “Kamen Rider.” Many starring roles in movies such as“Japan Sinks,” “The Beast Must Die,” “Samurai in the Sky,” etc. He has led the movie industry as an action
actor who performs action scenes by himself without using stunts. Became the first Japanese member of theScreen Actors Guild and has close friendships with Hollywood. He is also known as a martial artist who performs
serious sword demonstrations overseas, and is well-versed in all kinds of martial arts, including judo, karate,jindo, natsudo, kotaishōgodo, and others. He has carried out relief and support activities not only in Japan butalso in conflict areas and refugee camps in dozens of countries around the world. In the movie “Kamen Rider 1”
released in March 2016, Fujioka himself participated in the planning, and returned as the solo lead character
Takeshi Hongo for the first time in 45 years, making it a huge hit. The Blu-ray/DVD achieved the highest sales
record in the Oricon movie category. Appeared in the same role as "Takeshi Hongo" in three eras: Showa,Heisei, and Reiwa. In 2023, he received attention when he appeared as Nobuhide Orida in the NHK historicaldrama “Dosuru Ieyasu.” In recent years he and his family, Ai Tensho, Maito Fujioka, Amane Tensho, and MaiFujioka, who are all involved in the entertainment industry, have been attracting attention as a symbol of family
love. In 2024, he will celebrate his 60th anniversary in the entertainment industry.

Katsuhide Motoki(Film Director, President, Directors Guild of Japan)
After graduating from Waseda University's Faculty of Political Science and Economics, joined Shochiku Co.,
Ltd. as an assistant director. Studied under directors Hiroshi Teshigahara and Keisuke Kinoshita, began work
as producer and became a film director in 1998. Has directed films of various genres, mainly comedy, butalso fantasy, films with animals, historical dramas, social dramas, etc. His filmography includes the "Free andEasy" Series, "GeGeGe no Kitaro," "10 Promises to My Dog," "Battle League Horumo," and "Samurai Hustle."
Became an independent director in 2017, and has directed "Recall,'' "Ninjya Drones?,'' "Iwane,'' "Angry Rice
Wives,'' and "Shylock's Children.'' He has won numerous awards including the Blue Ribbon Award and theJapan Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year. His latest film "Curling Girls" is scheduled to be released
this fall.

SSFF & ASIA 2024 Animation Competition Judges
Tom Kawada(Developer / Eldest son of AR Three Brothers)
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1976. In 1999, began working at a manufacturer's affiliatedcompany. As he wrote in his "future resume," worked on all the designs surrounding thecompany's website, the server design, a parts ordering system that can be used worldwide,
and a patented technology that connects sewing machines and the Internet. Became
independent in 2009 as the eldest of the three AR brothers in the development unit. We have
expanded into all areas, from entertainment to art, education to industry, Roppongi Hills toNihonbashi, and from Gakken to secret gadgets. J-WAVE's "INNOVATION WORLD" isbroadcast every Friday, and BS Fuji's "The Wonderful World of AR Three Brothers." "THE WAY
PASSED FUTURE" is currently being serialized at WIRED magazine.
ⓒHiroshi Saito／
KODANSHA

ShiShi Yamazaki (Artist)
Established watercolor style hand-drawn rotoscope animation as a unique style of expression.
Her use of a unique pink color has become known as ShiShi Pink.
In charge of creating promotional images for brands such as CHANEL, PRADA, and Shiseido, andis active worldwide. The original animations "YA-NE-SEN a Go Go" (2011) and "Yamasuki,Yamazaki" (2013) have been screened at numerous festivals both domestically andinternationally, and have received critical acclaim.
In 2018, officially selected as Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia – Class of 2018.
Participates in an art project titled "Mask" where one face is created everyday (2010 - present).
Since 2019, holds exhibitions focusing on ceramic works.
Produced the opening film for the NHK television series Tora ni Tsubasa (Wings to the Tiger),which will be broadcast from 2024 April.

Tomoyuki Sugiyama(President of Digital Hollywood University / Doctor of Engineering)
Born in Tokyo, 1954. Worked as a visiting researcher at MIT Media Lab for 3 years from1987. After working as the chief researcher at the International Media Research Foundationin 1990 and a full-time instructor at Nihon University Junior College in 1993, established
Digital Hollywood Co., LTD. in October, 1994. Opened Digital Hollywood Graduate School(Graduate School of Digital Content) in 2004 which is the first graduate school for specialists
run by a corporation in Japan. Opened Digital Hollywood University (School of DigitalCommunications) in the following year and currently serving as the President of theUniversity. The e-book “Digital Stream- Re-Designing the Future” (new edition) waspublished in March 2022.

【Short Shorts Film Festival ＆ Asia 2024 Outline】■Festival President：Tetsuya Bessho■Dates：Tuesday, June 4th Opening Ceremony, Monday June 17th Award Ceremony
Online Venue starts from Thursday, April 25th to Sunday June 30thScreening in Tokyo starts from Thursday June 6th to Sunday June 16th
■Venues：Omotesando Hills, Euro Live, Akasaka Intercity Conference, Futakotamagawa Studio Rise & Hall,MIKAN SHIMOKITA, Online Venue ※Schedules are varied depends on each venue■Tickets：●1 program ticket＜Advance tickets＞ General admission: 1,500 yen
Elementary school student /Junior high school student /High school student / Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disability discount: 1,200 yen
Free admission for elementary school students and younger＜Same-day tickets＞ General Admission: 1,800 yen
Elementary school students / Junior high school students /High school students /Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disabled discount: 1,500 yen
Free admission for elementary school students and younger

One-day Pass
＜Advance tickets＞ General admission: 3,500 yen
Elementary school students / Junior high school students /High school students /Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disability discount: 2,800 yen
Free admission for elementary school students and under＜Same-day tickets＞ General admission: 3,800 yen＜SSFF & ASIA 2024 Poster Visual＞

Elementary school students /Junior high school students /Based on this year’s theme 'Illuminate Your LifeHigh school students /Seniors (over 60 years old) /AI-generated visuals were created

Disabled discount: 3,000 yen
Free admission for elementary school students and underPassport ( Special passport that allows you to enjoy the programs at
all the venues except MIKAN SHIMOKITA during the festival period)*Applicable to all venues except MIKAN SHIMOKITA.
General admission: 7,000 yen
Elementary school students / Junior high school students / High school students /Seniors (over 60 years old) / Disabled discount: 5,500 yen*Passport ( Special passport that allows you to enjoy the programs at all the venues except MIKAN SHIMOKITA during thefestival period & OPENING CEREMONY) : 11,500 yen
Elementary school students / Junior high school students / High school students / Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disabled discount: 10,000
yen*Passport ( Special passport that allows you to enjoy the programs at all the venues except MIKAN SHIMOKITA during thefestival period & Award CEREMONY) : / 11,500 yen
Elementary school students / Junior high school students /High school students / Seniors (over 60 years old) /Disabled discount: 10,000yen●Other MIKAN SHIMOKITA ＜Advance tickets＞ 1,000 yen ＜Same-day tickets＞ 1,200 yen●Online Venue 4/25 - 5/24 U-25 program、AI program、Very Short program
Japan 1,000 yen Outside Japan US$5.00
6/1 - 6/30 Official Competitions and other programs
Japan 2,500 yen Outside Japan USD$15.00■General Inquiry：03-5474-8844■Official Site： https://www.shortshorts.org/2024■Host：Committee for Short Shorts / Committee for Short Shorts Asia

【Press Inquiry】
Committee for Short Shorts PR: Fuyumi Tanaka E-mail press@shortshorts.org【Stills are available here】
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kWQRmJ-Rrf8_oF4HTcv1mK2_DU-ZNi-J?usp=sharing