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 Ikematsu Sosuke, who won the Best Supporting Actor Award for "My Sunshine" (directed by My Sunshine), took the stage.
With a cool expression, Ikematsu said, "I am very happy to receive this award. This is the first time I have received an individual award at the Mainichi Film Awards. I am overwhelmed with joy," drawing laughter.
He continued, "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Director Okuyama, the staff, and cast, who were filled with love, courage, and talent in creating this work," and congratulated Koshiyama Takatada, who won the Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award for the film, saying, "Congratulations, Takatada."
Ikematsu said, "By working in film, I am able to deliver stories to this world, to bring empathy to a world that seeks and needs empathy, and to make a living through acting. I am cherishing the happiness that has been given to me now, and I strongly hope to continue to listen to true voices in my films and continue to speak the truth." He added, "This award is a great encouragement for me for the future."
At the press conference held after the award ceremony, he appeared with Koshiyama. Regarding his impression of Koshiyama, who he co-starred with for the first time, he said, "Many child actors are quite pushy, and even I, an adult, can be overwhelmed. Keita is not pushy at all, he is really modest and absent-minded, and I really like him."
He also gave her some encouragement, saying, "I hope you grow up to be honest, and that if you're ever troubled, I hope you'll rely on those around you. I hope we can work together again."
The film tells the story of the encounters and partings of three people: Takuya, a boy with a stutter, Sakura, a girl learning figure skating, and Sakura's coach. Ikematsu plays the coach, and Koshiyama plays Takuya.
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)
