The Tokyo International Film Festival tapped two directors, who were praised from the other side of the Pacific, for the Akino Awards.
The selection committee included veteran Japanese filmmaker Yamada Yoji along with Narahashi Yoko, Kawamoto Saburo and Tiff Programming Director Ichiyama Shozo.
For Lee, this recognition follows his biggest commercial success to date. His latest film, “kokuho,” set in the world of Kimoto Theatre, premiered in two weeks directed by Cannes, before becoming a juggernaut for the Japanese box office attack, crossing the 100 billion ($67.7 million) threshold and breaking live-action admission records.
The director has won four awards, including the Grand Prix, for 20 years, starting with his graduation film “Cheng,” and at the PIA Film Festival 2000. His breakthrough was “Hula Girls” (2006), where Japan Academy Film was praised for its best director, script and film victory. He continued with the haul of five awards for “The Villain” (2010), followed by a winning streak in “Relentless” (2013), “Rage” (2016), and “The Wandering Moon” (2022).
Zhao’s “Nomadland” won the award in 2020 along with Golden Lion of Honors in Venice, Golden Globes, BAFTA, DGA and PGA, along with three Oscars including Best Director, Actress and Photographs. The filmmaker also worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Eternal” before launching a book of the production company’s book shadows in 2023 with his partner Nick Gonda.
Her next project is “Hamnet,” starring Jesse Buckley and Paul Mezcal.
“The name of Autumn is the best ruler in cinema history,” Lee said. “His insightful exploration of humanity continues to show the profound impact films can have on society and on individuals. I will continue to reflect on the meaning of giving birth to this award, named after him.”
Zhao added: “Kurosaki’s films contain both the greatest vastness of nature and the deepest truth of the human mind. It’s truly humble to connect to this lineage.”
The selection committee praised the “consistently portraying heavy themes dealing with social contradictions and human violations, and elevating them to humane dramas that resonate deeply with the audience.” They highlighted how “Kokuho” achieved both critical acclaim and widespread commercial success at the international festival.
For Zhao, the committee pointed out that her “poetic and realistic work stood out among the typical Hollywood films,” and the success of “Nomadland” inspired “other Asian female directors.”
Last year’s Kurosaki Akira Award winners were filmmakers Miyake Shaw (“Two Strangers””) and Futianyu (“Dayoff”).
The honors will be announced in the 38th edition of TIFF from October 27th to November 27th. The awards ceremony will be held on 5th and November 3rd.
