By SHINICHI KATSUBE/ Staff Writer
November 7, 2022 at 07:00 JST
A collage of scenes from seven films selected for competition at the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival (Provided by the executive committee of the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival)
TANABE, Wakayama Prefecture--Touted as the first step to a successful career for young directors, the 16th edition of the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival will be held on Nov. 11-13 at the Kinan Cultural Hall here.
The event will be held on-site with audience members for the first time in three years. It was held online for the past two years due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
A record 180 films were submitted to the competition this year as the festival accepted online digital submissions in addition to discs in the mail.
Of these, seven titles selected for consideration will be shown on Nov. 11 and 12. Admission is free.
“Many people can watch films online, but we’d like participants to share the same time and place with directors and other audience members and experience the films on site,” said a representative of the festival's executive committee.
Five films have also been invited for screening at the festival. They include “Just Remembering” by Daigo Matsui; “Plan 75” by Chie Hayakawa; “Owakare no Uta” (“Farewell Song”) by Keisuke Shibata; “Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning” by Keishi Otomo; and “Broker” by Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Launched in 2007, the festival has showcased films selected for competition and works invited for screening.
The awards ceremony will be held on the final day on Nov. 13 to determine the recipients of the top Benkei Grand Prix with a cash prize of 300,000 yen ($2,030) and other accolades.
Actor Hayato Isomura, who appears in “Plan 75,” and director Otomo will serve as special judges.
Visit the official website at (https://tbff.jp/).
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