ScreenAnarchy is honored to have the distinction of announcing the award winners from this year's edition of the the Toronto Japanese Film Festival. By all accounts the festival continues to grow in popularity, it was their biggest festival so far.
Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's My Man, starring perennial ScreenAnarchy favorite Tadanobu Asano, took home the Jury Prize. And it is no surprise that Shinobu Yaguchi, director of crowd pleasers like Waterboys, Swing Girls and Robo-G, enchanted the crowd in Toronto with his latest film Wood Job! and won the audience award.
The full press release follows.
Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's MY MAN and Shinobu Yaguchi's WOOD JOB! Take Major Awards at 2015 Toronto Japanese Film Festival.Masato Harada's KAKEKOMI also HonouredKazuyoshi Kumakiri's MY MAN was selected the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film at the Toronto Japanese Film Festival 2015. Masato Harada's KAKEKOMI finished a very close 2nd and was awarded Special Mention. Shinobu Yaguchi's WOOD JOB! received the festival's Kobayashi Audience Choice Award.The 4th annual Toronto Japanese Film Festival closed June 26 with a sold-out North American premiere Masayuki Suo's LADY MAIKO. Suo and actress Tamiyo Kusakai, both of Shall We Dance? fame were in attendance to introduce the film.The Grand Prize Jury included director Yoshihiro Nakamura (Fish Story, Snow White Murder Case), CBC Metro Morning's Film Critic Karen Gordon, Tokyo-based film professional Ian MacDougall and other leading members of Toronto's film community.The 2015 festival attracted nearly 6000 visitors for 19 films including the International premiere of Masato Harada's KAKEKOMI and North American and/or Canadian premieres of Takashi Koizumi's A SAMURAI CHRONICLE, Daihachi Yoshida's PALE MOON, Shinobu Yaguchi's WOOD JOB!, Ryuichi Hiroki's HER GRANDDAUGHTER, Setsuro Wakamatsu's SNOW ON THE BLADES and Masayuki Suo's LADY MAIKO.The Toronto Japanese Film festival is dedicated to showcasing the finest Japanese films that have been recognized for excellence by Japanese audiences and critics, international film festival audiences and the Japanese Film Academy.