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TYO Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroshi Hayafune) held the awards ceremony for the 6th “TYO Student Movie Award” on Tuesday, March 10, at Akasaka Intercity Conference, where it announced the winning entries from among the five finalists.
[Back Row] From left: Judges Kazuhiro Matsui (FIELD MANAGEMENT EXPAND), Wataru Sato (TYO), Tetsuya Bessho (Actor/Representative of the International Short Film Festival), First Summer Uika (Actress/TV Personality), Erika Kaneno (Commercial Director), Hiroshi Hayafune (TYO)
[Front Row] From left: Special Jury Prize – Shun Kawasaki; Silver Prize – Takumi Yamano; Bronze Prize – Yui Wada (Gold Prize winner Sophia Abenova and Bronze Prize winner Kento Yanagiya were unable to attend the awards ceremony due to prior commitments)
For the 6th edition of this award, we invited students to submit 60-second short films created freely on the theme of “Rules.” We received numerous entries that stood out for both their high quality and the unique, free-spirited creativity characteristic of students. To select the final nominees, we invited actor and International Short Film Festival representative Tetsuya Bessho, as well as First Summer Uika—a multi-talented artist known for her unique individuality that transcends “rules”—to serve as special judges.
From the five finalists, the Gold Prize went to “Between the Red Lights” by Sophia Abenova of the University of Tokyo Graduate School; the Silver Prize went to “Smombie” by Takumi Yamano of Aoyama Gakuin University; the Bronze Prize went to “The Chinese Restaurant with a Line” by Kento Yanagiya of Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture; “3-Second Sheriff” by Yui Wada of Nihon University, and the Judges’ Special Award went to “rule FACTory” by Shun Kawasaki of Josai International University.
The award ceremony, hosted by Tetsuya Bessho, concluded successfully to a large and enthusiastic audience. Additionally, Hayafune, representative of the award’s organizing company, offered the following overall comments: “This year’s theme, ‘Rules,’ offered a wealth of perspectives—from the familiar and implicit to contradictions and the unconscious. I also made a new discovery: it is important to skillfully depict both the unchanging and the changing aspects of ‘Rules.’ It is always a great pleasure to discover new forms of expression every year.”
Gold Prize: 『赤のあいだ』 “Between the Red Lights”
Sophia Abenova
Second-year master’s student in the Field of Aesthetics and Art Studies, Department of Basic Cultural Studies, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology at The University of Tokyo
[Acceptance Speech]
Rather than focusing on “rules” themselves, I wanted to depict the conflicting emotions of the urge to break them and the anxiety that comes with their absence. I sought to express the emotional turmoil that arises when, precisely because of constraints, a sense of playfulness and tension is created—yet the moment freedom is granted, a sudden sense of distance from reality and awkwardness emerges.
Silver Prize: 『スマホゾンビ』“Smombie”
Takumi Yamano *Group entry (representative)
First-year student in the Department of English and American Literature, Faculty of Literature at Aoyama Gakuin University
[Acceptance Speech]
When I heard the theme was “Rules,” as a member of Gen Z, I wanted to tackle a topic related to smartphones. The issue of people using their phones while walking was something I felt strongly about, so I decided to make that the central theme of my project. I’ve been creating CG since I was in elementary school, so I’m incredibly happy to finally have my work recognized. I plan to use the prize money to expand the scope of my creative expression.
Bronze Prize: 『行列のできる中華料理店』“The Chinese Restaurant with a Line Out the Door”
Kento Yanagidani
First-year student in the Media Design and Film Course, Advanced Course in Fine Arts and Design at Oita Prefectural College of Arts and Culture
[Award Acceptance Speech]
When I first considered this year’s theme, it occurred to me that we likely live our lives following countless “rules” without even realizing it. For example, I felt that the phenomenon of queuing serves as a microcosm of society, shaped by a shared, unconscious understanding. I wondered if I could express the nature of these rules through the motif of “queuing,” which led me to the concept for this work.
Bronze Prize:『3秒保安官』 “3-Second Sheriff”
Ibuki Wada
First-year student in the Visual Expression and Theory Course, Department of Film, College of Art at Nihon University
[Acceptance Speech]
I always strive to create work that anyone can enjoy, and I think that message came across. Receiving this award makes all my hard work feel worthwhile. Rather than simply creating works based on what I could already do, I expanded my capabilities and worked through my challenges as I went along. As a result, I feel this is a piece I completed while truly experiencing my own growth.
Jury Special Award: 『rule FACTory』“rule FACTory”
Shun Kawasaki* (Group Entry, Representative)
Third-year student in the Visual Arts Course, Department of Media and Information Studies, School of Media Studies at Josai International University
[Acceptance Speech]
When I heard the theme “Rules,” I wanted to approach it from a different angle—not simply in terms of obeying or breaking them. I decided to depict the structure of “rules” themselves and ask: Who decides these rules, and who follows them? The realization that this was actually quite frightening was what inspired me to create this work. Since I aspire to become a commercial director in the future, winning this award feels like a major step forward.
*In addition to the winning entries, you can view the finalists (honorable mentions) on the award’s official website.
https://tyo-gama.jp/
The winners listed above will receive prize money and, as an additional prize, will be featured in the monthly magazine Brain, published by Sendenkaigi. Furthermore, the Gold and Silver Prize-winning films will be screened in a special presentation at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, an international short film festival taking place this summer.
This award is a short film contest for students organized by TYO—a company with a proven track record and expertise in producing a wide range of content, primarily television commercials and online videos, and which has nurtured numerous directors for commercials, films, and other visual media—out of a desire to discover and cultivate the next generation of talent and contribute to the development of the visual media industry as a whole.
TYO Student Movie Awards Official Website
TYO is a production company specializing in the strategic planning, conceptualization, and production of communication content, with a focus on advertising videos. We produce over 1,000 pieces of content annually, including TV commercials and online videos. With a total staff of approximately 300, including 84 producers, we are one of the largest companies in Japan’s video production industry. Guided by our mission—“To continue creating content that moves hearts and resonates with audiences, transcending boundaries with the best production team”—we strive to build a society where diverse values coexist, and we continue to create content that touches people’s hearts every day.
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[Contact Information for Inquiries Regarding This Matter]
TYO Student Movie Award Organizing Committee info@tyo-gama.jp
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第7回 TYO学生ムービーアワード
12月16日までエントリー受付中！
