The 68th Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony was held in Tokyo on February 17th, with actress Hirose Suzu appearing to receive her Best Actress award. Also attending the ceremony was Tsumabuki Satoshi, who won Best Actor for his role in the film "Treasure Island" (directed by Otomo Keishi), in which Hirose also starred. Hirose calls Tsumabuki "Big Brother" just like in the film, and said, "He always goes head-to-head with me. He's the coolest big brother I've ever met."
Hirose recalled Tsukamoto's performance in "Takarajima," saying, "His back got smaller and smaller, and it was as if he was releasing the energy inside his body. We spent every day thinking how reassuring he was."
Tsukamoto also praised Hirose, saying, "Suzu-chan is like the sun, like a sunflower, who changes the atmosphere of any room just by being there. It is because of Suzu-chan that we can look forward, she is our driving force. I think that not only I but the staff felt that as well, and I think that people who saw the movie were also moved by Suzu-chan's performance."
Hirose was selected as the Best Actress for three films: "Unrequited Love" (directed by Doi Yuta), "Distant Light on the Mountains" (directed by Ishikawa Kei), and "The Girl Who Went Forth" (directed by Negishi Yoshitaro).
The Blue Ribbon Awards are a film award established by the Tokyo Film Critics Association, which is made up of film journalists from seven sports newspapers in Tokyo. Tsukamoto won Best Actor, Hirose won Best Actress, Sato Jiro won Best Supporting Actor, Morita Nozomi won Best Supporting Actress, and Shibuya Ryuta won Best Newcomer, and all attended the awards ceremony. Yamaguchi Makiya and Kawai Yumi served as hosts.
◇The awards are as follows (titles omitted):
Best Picture: "National Treasure" directed by Lee Sang-il ▽ Best Director: Yamada Yoji "TOKYO Taxi" ▽ Best Actor: Tsumabuki Satoshi "Treasure Island" ▽ Best Actress: Hirose Suzu "Unrequited Love World," "Distant Mountain Light," "Yukite Kaherenu" ▽ Best Supporting Actor: Sato Jiro "Bomb" ▽ Best Supporting Actress: Morita Nozomi "Night Flower" ▽ Best Newcomer: Shibuya Ryuta "Night Flower" ▽ Best Foreign Film: "Pope Election"
