The 48th Japan Academy Awards ceremony, a festival of Japanese films, was held in Tokyo on March 14th, and director Junichi Yasuda's film "Samurai Time Slipper" won the Best Picture award. The original film was produced by Director Yasuda using his own money, and he took on more than 10 roles including screenplay, cinematography, lighting, and editing. In addition to the award, the film was also selected for the Best Editing award.
Director Yasuda said tearfully, "I am truly surprised. I would like to show this to my father, who passed away last year, who taught me to never give up on things until the end, and to (actor) Fukumoto Seizo, who always said that if you work hard, someone, somewhere, is watching over you."
Sakura Yuka, who played the heroine Yamamoto Yuko and also served as assistant director on the film, said in her speech, "Samurai Time Slipper is truly everyone's work. I am so happy and delighted to have been able to create this work together with everyone, with the help of so many people, which is filled with so many of your thoughts. I was extremely happy to be able to work on it with everyone."
Lead actor Yamaguchi Makiya expressed his gratitude, saying, "I thought my heart would jump out of my chest. This film is an indie film and was only shown in one theater. It was a really tiny light at first. But thanks to our fans we've been able to reach such a bright place." He added, his eyes welling up with tears, "I think that everything this film has given me will become a place I can return to from time to time. Thank you so much to the director for giving me this opportunity. And thank you so much to everyone who supported me."
The film is a tale of laughter and tears about a samurai of the Aizu clan living in the late Edo period who is struck by lightning and travels back in time to a modern-day film studio in Kyoto Uzumasa, where he becomes absorbed in the job of a "killed character" in a period drama. Initially released in only one theater, it gained popularity and was eventually expanded to more than 300 theaters nationwide, creating a huge sensation.
The awards were established to promote the advancement of Japanese cinema arts, technology, and science, and the selection is carried out by voting by members of the Japan Academy Prize Association. This year's selection covers films released between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Shinichi Hatori and Sakura Ando served as hosts.
◇The winners of the Excellence Awards are as follows:
"Kingdom: The Return of the General" ▽ "Samurai Time Slipper" ▽ "True Identity" ▽ "All at Dawn" ▽ "The Last Mile"
◇The best award winners are as follows (titles omitted): Best Director: Michihito Fujii"Seitai"
Best Screenplay Award: Akiko Nogi"Let's go to Karaoke!"
Best Actor Award: Ryusei Yokohama"True Identity"
Best Actress Award: Yuumi Kawai"Ankoto"
Best Supporting Actor: Takao Osawa, "Kingdom: The Return of the General"
Best Supporting Actress Award: Riho Yoshioka"Seitai"
Best Animated Feature "Lookback"
Best Foreign Film "Oppenheimer"
Topic Award/Actor Category: Shintaro Morimoto
Topic Award/Work Category "The Return of the Abunai Deka"
