"A Man" leads the Japan Academy Film Nominations
Monday, February 20, 2023 at 10:00AM
NATHANIEL R in A Man, Asian cinema, Chieko Baisho, Inu-Oh, Japan, Sakura Ando, Suzu Hirose, Ultraman, Wandering Moon, anime, foreign films

by Nathaniel R

"A Man" received 13 nominations from the Japanese Academy.

Last year the Japan Academy Film prizes were had a slightly higher profile on this side of the pond due to the international success of Drive My Car (which was also popular with Oscar voters). This year, there's no Japanese breakout film unless you count popular anime titles but it's still worth sharing what the Japan Academy is loving. With 13 nominations Kei Ishiwaka's A Man (which premiered at Venice) is the film to beat and it's worth noting that it came out after the deadline for the Oscar submissions this year [updated] and also wasn't submitted by Japan in the new Oscar season. The Japanese ceremony was two days before the Oscars this year on March 10th. Here are the nominees and UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE WINNERS AFTER THE JUMP...

PICTURE

DIRECTOR

The only director shut-out from the top prize nominee is Wandering Moon's Lee Sang-il... replaced here by Takashi Koizumi for a historical drama that was delayed for release for a couple of years. 

SCREENPLAY

The writing category keep the same switcheroo as Director but also boots out Shin Ultraman for Japan's Oscar submission for 2022, Plan 75

 

ANIMATION OF THE YEAR

One Piece Film: Red, Suzume, and Inu-Oh all played on US screens already. Lonely Castle in the Mirror  and The First Slam Dunk followed later in 2023 and are eligible for Best Animated Feature

ACTRESS 

Chieko Baisho in "Plan 75"

This is a very young category with all the nominees but one between 21 and 30 years old. Chieko Baisho is the outlier at 81. She was a favourite of the director Yoji Yamada in the 1970s and 1980s and she's also done voicework on internationally popular anime titles like Howl's Moving Castle and Weathering With You.

Suzu Hirose could be a threat to win, too. She's a favourite of the Japanese Academy having won both the Newcomer Award for Umimachi Diary (2015) and this category for The Third Murder (2017). She is just 24 and this is already her sixth nomination.

 

ACTOR 

Suzu Hirose and Tôri Matsuzaka are both nominated for their leading roles in "The Wandering Moon"

In contrast to the current historic Best Actor race at the Oscars this is filled with past favourites of the Japanese Academy. 

 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Sakura Ando in "A Man"

You'll remember Sakura Ando from her incredible performance in Shoplifters a few years back. 

SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Ren Meguro is double-nominated: Newcomer & Supporting Actor

 In this category all the nominees are automatically winners which is kind of a sweet way to do "newcomers" if you think about it. 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The cinematography in Wandering Moon (its only "craft" nomination) is by the South Korean DP Hong Kyung-Po an incredible talent. He previously shot great looking features like Burning For Lee Chang-dong, this year's Hirokazu Kore-eada feature Broker, and three classics from Bong Joon-ho: Parasite, Mother, and Snowpiercer.

He's hardly without formidable competition from these other films though. One of his competitors is 85 year old Oscar-nominee Shôji Ueda (one of the cinematographers on Akira Kurosawa's Ran). He's nominated for The Pass: Last Days of the Samurai

LIGHTING DIRECTION

 

ART DIRECTION

EDITING

SOUND RECORDING

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

"Avatar" is well-attended all around the world

It's all blockbuster movie-making with the exception of Sundance sensation and Oscar winner CODA. 

 

SPECIAL AWARD FROM THE ASSOCIATION

 

AWARD FROM DISTINGUISHED SERVICE FROM THE CHAIRMAN 

 

SPECIAL AWARD FROM THE ASSOCIATION

 

SPECIAL AWARD FROM THE CHAIRMAN

 

 

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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