Launched in 2004 in Kawaguchi City of Saitama Prefecture as a film festival to discover and nurture new talent, the 18th edition of SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL was held virtually from September 25 to October 3. Jury and Audience award winners were announced at the Closing Ceremony on October 3.
Luzzu (Malta), directed by Alex Camilleri, received the Grand Prize in the International Competition. The film is about a man who agonises over his decision to choose the family fishery business or a better life for his family. Naoto Takenaka, the President of the Jury commented, “The director's perspective is not icky, but cool and hot. I think it is irresistible. Luzzu is a great film.” This is the first film from Malta to be nominated for, and to have received, this award.
In addition Rival (Germany, Ukraine), directed by Marcus Lenz, won the Best Director award. The film is about the lonely battle of a 9-year-old boy who travels from Ukraine to Germany where he does not know the language.
The Special Jury Prize was shared by two films. Cinema of Sleep (Canada), directed by Jeffrey St. Jules, is a thriller full of twists depicting an African immigrant in America who is hit by an unexpected accident. Mitra (Netherlands, Germany, Denmark), directed by Kaweh Modiri, is a political suspense thriller where the flames of vengeance flare in a mother's heart 37 years later in the Netherlands, when she learns of the woman whose betrayal led to her daughter's death in the chaos in Iran during the 1980s. Daisuke Shimura, a juror and the managing director of ZAZIE FILMS said, “This year's Special Jury Prize was divided into two films because the judges' opinions were split. By all means, one of them should be selected, but since the two films have completely different approaches, so the two films receive the award at the same time.”
The Audience Award went to Kiss Me Before It Blows Up (Germany), directed by Shirel Peleg, which is a romantic comedy about the wedding turmoil of a Jewish and German same-sex couple.
Psychology Counselor (Japan), directed by Zenzo Sakai, received the SKIP CITY AWARD which is given to a director whose next feature project is highly anticipated from all Japanese nominated films through international and domestic competitions. The film is a disturbing psychological horror about the interaction between a counselor and a mysterious patient. This is the first time for a short film to receive the SKIP CITY AWARD.
In the Japanese Film Competition, the Jury awarded Best Picture to Journey Beyond the Night (Japan), directed by Takayuki Kayano for the feature film category, and A Little Circus (Japan, Cambodia), directed by Yoshiro Osaka for the short film category. Both films also received the Audience Awards for their respective categories. This is the first time in the history of the film festival that both films in the feature and short categories won the Best Picture and Audience Awards at the same time.
The winners list and more details can be found here: https://www.skipcity-dcf.jp/en/news/news/211003aw.html
