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). Director Miyake Sho of "All At Dawn," which won the Japanese Film Award, Best Director Award, and the TSUTAYA DISCAS Movie Fans Award in the Japanese Film category, took the stage.
The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Maiko Seo. The story is about Misa Fujisawa, who cannot control her irritability due to PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and Takatoshi Yamazoe, who suffers from panic disorder. With the support of their understanding at work, they begin to think that they can help each other with a special feeling like comrades. Mone Kamishiraishi plays Mone Kamishiraishi, and Hokuto Matsumura of the popular group "SixTONES" plays Yamazoe.
Director Miyake, upon receiving the trophy, said, "I'm very happy to win the Best Picture award. The two leading actors, Kamishiraishi and Matsumura, were also happy and said, 'We did it.'" He added, "Just making the film was a happy thing, but receiving the award made me happy to be able to praise each other's work once again and say that it would be great to work together again."
He added with a touch of humor, "I think I was able to create this film within the larger framework of the original novel written by Seo-san. If you haven't read the novel yet, I highly recommend you buy it at a bookstore and read it."
At a press conference after the award ceremony, he revealed that although he had not met the two leading actors in person, he had had some exchanges with them, and said, "There were a lot of exclamations."
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 at Dawn" (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)
