THE FUKUOKA AUDIENCE AWARD 2011
GOES TO THE IRANIAN FILM
“NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPARATION”

The Talk of Praise at the Opening Screening and a Convincing Choice

The Focus on Asia Fukuoka International Film Festival has marked its 21st year. The climax of the ten-day festival was the announcement of the “Fukuoka Audience Award” and its ceremony, held on September 21st at the JR Kyushu Hall. From September 17 through September 19, the audience rated each film after its film exhibition on a five-grade system. The “Fukuoka Audience Award” was awarded to the film, which received the highest average score. Many movie fans rushed to the official award ceremony, which marked the highlight of the film festival.

Festival guests, who were dressed sharply, entered the award ceremony hall before an audience, anxious to hear the introduction of nominees. A tense atmosphere surrounded the hall before the announcement of the award winner.

“This year as well, we have a full lineup of masterpieces, so it was hard to make the choice”, said Focus on Asia Fukuoka International Film Festival Executive Committee Chairman Tsuneo Shindo. However the award could go to only one film. Before an anticipating audience, Mr. Shindo then raised his voice to announce that winner of the award would go to “Nader and Simin, A Separation”, an Iranian film.

The second the award winner was announced, Babak Karimi, the actor playing the role of the judge in the film, showed his beaming smile as he raised both of his hands and stood up. The hall reverberated with thunderous applause. As the opening film of the film festival, “Nader and Simin, A Separation” directed by Asghar Farhadi, was the talk of praise as a motion picture that addressed questions back to its audience. Mr. Karimi explained that, “the film has won many awards before but this one is special. That’s because the other awards were presented by special jurors while this one was selected by the audience here.” After receiving the Award Certificate and prize from Mr. Shindo and the trophy from Festival Director Hariki, Mr. Karimi was surrounded by camera flashes and warm hands of applause. He smiled and continued: “Because this film depicts the complexity of Islamic society, I was frankly worried whether the motion picture could relay its message to the Japanese audience. After receiving this award, however, I feel that this is about one family, a story about people living in the city who go through problems common to everyone in the world.” The audience and even the Festival guests appeared to give consent at the choice of the award selection.

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The Festival Puts On a Social Gathering in a Relaxed Atmosphere

After the tense yet exciting Award Ceremony, a “Social Gathering” was organized at a foyer just outside the venue. Festival guests looked a bit relieved and enjoyed a night of interchange with film festival related individuals, festival staff members and volunteers. Festival Director Hariki got some laughs when he announced that, “I’m giving every one of you an award!” Photographs were taken and autographs given in a casual, informal and memorable atmosphere for the attending guests and festival staff.

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Interviewing Guests of the Festival
“It’s A Great Great World” (Singapore) Shu Sum Man, Producer

“A human drama with laughs and tears three generations can enjoy”

“I hear it’s a day to respect the elderly today. Let me give them pep and energy from the bottom of my heart”, said Shu Sum Man. The film is a heartwarming story of the good old days of Singapore, remembering and looking back at four episodes, which take place at “Great World”, an amusement park that existed from the 1940s to the 1970s.

“We made the film nostalgic so that the elderly could also enjoy the film” says Mr. Man. Apparently many families come to movie theaters in three generations, with the grandfather pointing to the screen and telling his son or grandson on how he used to play in his youth. “Great World” has been restored completely. The music in the film was composed to sound like the music of the time setting in the motion picture.

The last episode has a striking scene the Japanese Army invading Singapore. In the Question and Answer period, much opinion was expressed on the history of Asia and about war. With different languages flying about in the film, this really was a “Great World”! The inherited tradition of the people of Singapore of trying to share memories in different languages gives us a heartwarming image of its people.

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Interviewing Guests of the Festival
“The Little Comedian” (Thailand) Vithaya Thongyuyong, Film Director

He was dressed up wearing a black hat and our film festival T-shirt over his own shirt. “I was just walking along the streets of Fukuoka with a camera in one hand when people started talking to me in Japanese” said Vithaya Thongyuyang, with a friendly smile. “I thought that if 30-40% of the gags in the film could come across to the audience, that would be fine and besides, I made the motion picture in a way so people could understand what was going on by the reaction of the characters.” Elated over feeling a positive reaction from the audience, he added that, “once I reach home, I’m starting on the script for the sequel right away.” Apparently, he discovered the boy who plays the role of the protagonist in a school. A professional entertainer who ranks in the top five of his trade in Thailand was selected to play the father role. The film director is convinced that their acting has been well received by the audience.

Because he was raised in what people call the “Hollywood of Thailand” where films are often shot, the film director, in his latter thirties now, was close to motion pictures as a child. When he was at the university, he submitted his short film graduation thesis to a motion picture foundation in Thailand, which the film industry took notice of, and ultimately won an award. He then co-directed “My Girl”, a film much talked about in Japan, with 5 other directors who like himself, also had entered the gateway to success. Ever since, the directors have always included the logo of “365 film” in every one of their motion pictures. Festival Director Hariki was absorbed by the spirited and creative Thai film director who said: “It would be interesting if one day, all of our films could be shown at once.”

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Interviewing Guests of the Festival
“The Japanese Wife” (India) Chigusa Takaku, Leading Actress

“To a wonderful dreamland…”

This is the ultimate love-story spelled out through love letters, which travel back and forth from India and Japan. At first Chigusa Takaku, the leading actress, was sort of hesitant about “going all the way to India and shaving my head” to try for the audition. Yet her natural atmosphere was what got her the role. She said this was a full time appearance in a motion picture, as she had never held a leading role before. She said, “it was one ordeal after another during the shooting. Film director Aparna Sen just loves Japan but the image she has of a Japanese woman being so reserved as to almost resemble a Japanese doll is one that you rarely see in Japan.” Ms. Takaku, who just couldn’t swallow the one-sided image Indians have of a Japanese woman, argued time and again.

However during the Question and Answer session, many people thought, “this gap created something like a wonderful dreamland”. Moved to tears, a woman in the audience married to an Indian said, “the film story is a dreamland but the depiction of the village living in a state of poverty was realistic and this realism moved me.” Striking was Ms. Takaku’s teary response when she said, “I became strong through this film”.

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Interviewing Guests of the Festival
Bina Paul Venugopal Artistic Director, Kerala International Film Festival

This was Ms. Venugopal’s first trip to Fukuoka in three years. Festival Director Harki immediately asked her on her impression of the Festival’s new state-of-the-art “T-Joy Hakata” theater. Ms. Venugopal replied that, “the facilities here are wonderful, the screen size and sound included. As a matter fact, we in India are finally starting to build the foundation to constructing new movie theaters and I’d sure like to visit this theater for a fact finding mission.”

The conversation between the two, who both try and select films to satisfy the audience and who both strive to improve their film fan stratum and expand its vision, went on endlessly. Festival Director Hariki commented that, “compared to Tokyo, regional film festivals have a disadvantage but I have a lot of confidence in the films I select. I have many things I’d like to do but I’m thinking of putting on a program of films, which fit into the illusive image Europeans have of India.” Ms. Venugopal had a mischievous smile on her face as she said, “that’s a good project; maybe something I should do in India”. The conversation livened up as both suggested on teaming up one day as festival directors to organize a program.

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