Short Films (International Competition, Japan Competition, Music Animation Competition)

Koji Yamamura

Japan

Born in 1964. He graduated from Tokyo Zokei University in 1987. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short, "Mt. Head" (2002) had 6 grand prizes and selected 100 Films for a Century of Animation. "Franz Kafka’ s A Country Doctor" (2007) had 6 grand prizes, and his films were awarded more than 100 prizes. He has been selected as the 2 place at 25 top short animated films directors over the last 25 years in 2021. He was awarded the Kawakita Prize and Education Award for Fine Arts in Japan and received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2019. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a sub-chairman of the Japan Animation Association and a member of the board of directors of ASIFA, a professor of Tokyo University of the Arts.

Kenji Iwaisawa

Japan

Born in 1981 in Tokyo. After graduation from high school studied with director Teruo Ishii starting from feature film production then moving on to animation. First animated work “Fukuraicho man in the tunnel maze” was completed in 2008. His first independent feature animation “On-Gaku: Our Sound”, which it took seven and a half years for him to complete, was released in theaters on January 11, 2020 and screened in many theaters in Japan for 9 month.

Yantong Zhu

China

Animation filmmaker, artistic director of Feinaki Beijing Animation Week. Born in 1988 in Nanjing, China. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with master's degree in 2014. Her work "My Milk Cup Cow" won 24 prizes all over the world, such as Grandprix of KROK, Grandprix of BIAF, Young Animation Award of Stuttgart and New Face Award of Japan Media Arts Festival. Founded Feinaki Beijing Animation Week as one of the co-founders in 2019 and serving as artistic director. Visiting lecturer at Communication University of China, department of Animation. In charge of the executive producer of animated omnibus film "To the Bright Side" in 2021.

Feature Films and Student Films

Mirai Mizue

Japan

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1981, MIZUE Mirai is an animation director who creates non-narrative pieces with cellular and geometric motifs. Known for his unique, eye-catching abstract animations, Mizue is involved in a wide variety of projects that include independent animation and music videos. Nominated at all four of the world’s top animated film festivals (Annecy, Ottowa, Hiroshima, and Zagreb), his most famous work, MODERN No. 2 enjoyed its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and won the Original Music Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The world premiere of MIZUE’s Wonder took place at the Berlin International Film Festival and went on to win the CANAL + Creative Aid prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. He is currently working on his first full-length animation, tentatively titled Mirai Mizue’s Journey to the West.

Asami Hosokawa

Japan

Born in 1977 in Tokyo. Studied arts and art education. After graduating, she was involved in exhibition productions, supporting artists and curators. Major exhibitions she has been involved in include: “Isamu Noguchi Exhibition” (Sapporo Art Museum / Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2005), “Japan Media Arts Festival” (2008-2013), “art and collective intelligence” (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM], 2013), “Sapporo International Art Festival” (various locations, 2014- ) and more.

Ru Kuwahata

Japan

Ru Kuwahata is an Oscar-nominated animation filmmaker born in Tokyo, Japan, living in Providence, USA. Since 2007 she has been collaborating with Max Porter as the directors duo Tiny Inventions. Known for their unique mixed-media animation, they have directed and produced TV commercials, music videos, PSAs, comics, interactive games, and four independent films. Their films have screened in more than 1000 festivals around the world, including Sundance Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand and Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Their most recent short, Negative Space (2017), was nominated for the 90th Academy Awards and has garnered 135 prizes. They are currently working on their first feature-length animated film, Porcelain Birds, with Miyu Productions in France.