The Okinawa International Movie Festival is an annual

Film Festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

held in

Ginowan ( ryu, ジノーン, translit=Jinōn) is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2012, the city has an estimated population of 94,405, with 40,041 households and a population density of 4,838.8 persons per km2. The total area is 19.5 ...

City and

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...

City on the Japanese island of

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

. The festival was founded by Japanese century-old comedy-entertainment giant

Yoshimoto Kogyo is a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate. It was founded in 1912, Osaka, as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai (comedy) talent, produci ...

in 2009 and focuses on comedy films from around the world, with the theme of "Laugh & Peace". It is held each year at the Okinawa Convention Center and Sakurazaka Theater with indoor and outdoor screenings of film premieres and recent movies from Japan and abroad. It also hosts fashion, music and trade shows and has been likened to a Japanese ''

matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in Traditional Chinese holidays, traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time ...

'' in atmosphere. The most prestigious award given out at the Okinawa International Movie Festival is the ''Golden

Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some ...

Award'' for the best film, selected by a jury. The 8th Okinawa International Film Festival was held from April 21, 2016 until April 24, 2016.

History

2nd Okinawa International Movie Festival 002

The concept for the festival was inspired by a visit to

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

CEO Hiroshi Osaki. While watching the premiere of

Hitoshi Matsumoto , commonly known as , is a Japanese film director and one of Japan's most popular comedians and TV hosts. He is one half of the comedy duo Downtown alongside Masatoshi Hamada. Like Hamada, Matsumoto was born and raised in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefect ...

's '' Dai Nipponjin'' he considered that the cost of making a film was higher than of putting on a festival, and so to allow people to enjoy watching films, perhaps his company could arrange their own.

, which was started by Sei and Kichibei Yoshimoto in 1912 with a ''

rakugo is a form of ''yose'', which is itself a form of Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on a raised platform, a . Using only a and a as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long ...

'' theater in the grounds Tenmangu Shrine in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, had been expanding throughout the 2000s with hundreds of new comedians graduating each year from New Star Creation, Yoshimoto's entertainment school. In addition it had spread out to manage athletes, producers and musicians, and two theatres in each of Tokyo and Osaka. With

Busan Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

director Kim Dong-ho as a patron for the Okinawa International Movie Festival, he was able to give valuable advice while other staff brought expertise from

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

. The 1st Okinawa International Movie Festival took place over four days from March 19–22, 2009 at the American Village at Mihama Chatan-cho in

Okinawa City is the second-largest city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, following Naha, the capital city. It is located in the central part of the island of Okinawa, about north of Naha. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 138,431 and ...

. The location of Okinawa was selected for its natural beauty by the sea in order to replicate the atmosphere of Cannes, but with comedy at its heart. Before each screening, every film is introduced by one of comedy agency giant and organizer

's comedians. The festival's largest screen is shipped over from Sweden and placed directly on the beach at Okinawa Convention Center. It measures just under 30m wide and 15m tall.

Programmes

2nd Okinawa International Movie Festival 003

The Okinawa International Movie Festival is organised into two main sections: *Laugh – The first half is a selection of comedy films from around the world. *Peace – The second half includes dramas and documentaries.

Juries

Prior to the beginning of each event, the Festival's board of directors appoints the juries who hold sole responsibility for choosing which films will receive a Cannes award. Jurors are chosen from a wide range of international artists, based on their body of work and respect from their peers. * Feature Films – An international jury composed of a President and various film or art personalities, who determine the prizes for the feature films in Competition.

Awards

The most prestigious award given out at the Okinawa International Movie Festival is the ''Golden

Award'' for the best film. In addition the Uminchu Prize Grand Prix is awarded to the best film in each of the two categories. *Competition ** ''Laugh Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix'' ** ''Peace Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix''

Festivals By Year

* '' 1st Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2009) * '' 2nd Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2010) * ''

3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival The 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival was held from March 18 to March 27, 2011 and took place at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan City and Sakurazaka Theater in Naha, owned and run by Japanese director Yuji Nakae. This was the fir ...

'' (2011) * '' 4th Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2012) * '' 5th Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2013) * '' 6th Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2014) * '' 7th Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2015) * '' 8th Okinawa International Movie Festival'' (2016)

References

External links

Okinawa International Movie Festival official website

Official Okinawa International Movie Festival Facebook Page
{{Film festivals Film festivals in Japan March events