''Hiro'' is a Canadian short film, written and directed by

Matthew Swanson Matthew Swanson is a Canadian filmmaker and commercial director from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is most noted for his 2005 short film '' Hiro'', which was a Genie Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 27th Genie Awards in 20 ...

and released in 2005.Guy Dixon
"That's my film on line two"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 10, 2005. The film centres on Hiro (

Hiro Kanagawa is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including '' Smallville'', '' Caprica'', ''Godzilla'', ''The Man i ...

), a shy Japanese insect collector who finds himself thrust into a wild chase to recover a stolen beetle after a chance encounter with a young girl (

Vicky Huang Vicky Huang is a Canadian actress. Her film credits include '' Hiro'', ''88 Minutes'' and '' They Wait''. In 2010 she appeared on an episode of the television series '' Shattered''. Filmography *''Hardwired'' as Aide (2009) *'' Shadow of the Lo ...

). The film's dialogue is in Japanese, although Swanson does not personally speak the language."Abstract art-and-music pas de deux wins a Genie"
''

Concordia Journal Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Founded in 1839 ...

'', Marcy 23, 2005. Swanson described it as "liberating" to direct in a language he did not understand. The film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.

Awards

The film was nominated for a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

for Best Live Action Short Drama. It also won the award for Best Short Film at the 2006

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Film Festival, and was the first Canadian film to win the "Spirit of Slamdance" Audience Award at the

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

."Sundance Film Festival: Julia Kwan, Jamie Travis, Matthew Swanson, Carmen Aguirre"
''

The Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', February 2, 2006.

References

External links

Official Movie Website
* Canadian independent films 2005 short films 2005 films Canadian drama short films 2000s Canadian films {{2000s-Canada-film-stub