The award ceremony for the 79th Mainichi Film Awards (sponsored by the Mainichi Shimbun and Sports Nippon Shimbun) was held on February 13th at Meguro Persimmon Hall (Meguro-ku, Tokyo), and Ryusei Yokohama , who won the Best Actor Award for "Seitai" (directed by Michihito Fujii ), took the stage.
Yokohama expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am truly honored to receive such a wonderful award. I believe this award is owed to the support of everyone who was involved in 'Seitai' and to all those who loved the work, so I am truly grateful. I hope to share this joy with others."
He continued, "It has been 10 years since I met Director Michihito Fujii. We both started running when we were nobody, and 'Seitai' is the culmination of 10 years of work, so I am truly happy that it has reached the hearts of so many people and been loved by them." He added enthusiastically, "I will continue to work hard without compromising, with high aspirations, and to liven up the film industry as a filmmaker."
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Somei Tamehito (Kobunsha), winner of the Excellence Award at the 37th Yokomizo Seishi Mystery Awards. Kaburagi (Yokohama), who was arrested as a suspect in a murder case that shocked the whole of Japan and sentenced to death, escapes during transfer. The film approaches the true purpose of Kaburagi, who travels across Japan while changing his face.
The Mainichi Film Awards is a prestigious film award in Japan that was established in 1946. Each award is selected by about 70 leading film critics, journalists, and experts. This year's winners were selected from films that were released in theaters for a fee for at least 14 days in Japan between January 1 and December 31, 2024 (for animation and documentary categories, works that were completed or screened during the same period).
The winners of the 79th Mainichi Film Awards are as follows (titles omitted):
Japanese Movie Award: "All You Need to Know" (directed by Sho Miyake) Best Foreign Movie Award: "Oppenheimer" (directed by Christopher Nolan)
Best Actor Award: Yuumi Kawai for "Ankoto" and "Namibian Desert"▽Best Actor Award: Yokohama Ryusei Yokohama for "True Identity"▽Best Supporting Actor Award: Ikematsu Sosuke for "My Sun"▽Best Supporting Actor Award: Karusell Maki for "Carve Joy Into January's Voice"▽Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award: Koshiyama Keitatsu for "My Sun"
Best Director: Miyake Sho "Everything at Dawn"▽Best Screenplay: Hamaguchi Ryusuke "Evil Doesn't Exist"▽Best Cinematography: Ikeda Naoya "Eleven Rebels"▽Art Direction: Hayashida Yuji "The Box Man"▽Best Music: Ishibashi Eiko "Evil Doesn't Exist"▽Best Sound: Urata Kazuharu "Eleven Rebels"
Ofuji Noburo Award: "I, Me, Me, Me" (directed by Ito Rina)▽Documentary Film Award: "The Woman Who Becomes Ward Mayor on a XX Day" (directed by Peyanne Maki)▽TSUTAYA DISCAS Movie Fans Award, Japanese Film Category: "Everything at Dawn" (directed by Miyake Sho)▽TSUTAYA DISCAS Movie Fans Award, Foreign Film Category: "Inside Out 2" (directed by Kelsey Mann)