Mainichi Concours

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

The results for the 54th Mainichi Film Concours were announced.  The 
results are as follows (forgive me if some of the name reading are wrong: 
it's hard to check those for new or lesser known people):

Japanese Film Award: Popoya
Japanese Films of Excellence:
     Kikujiro no natsu
     Kin'yu fushoku retto; Jubaku
     39 Keiho dai-sanjukyojo
     M/Other
Best director: Morita Yoshimitsu (39)
Best script: Suwa Nobuhiro, Miura Tomokazu, Watanabe Makiko (M/Other)
Best actress: Otake Shinobu (Ikitai, Kuroi ie, etc.)
Best actor: Kobayashi Keiju (Ano, natsu no hi)
Best supporting actor: Yoshi Oida (Atsumono)
Best supporting actress: Kojima Hijiri (Atsumono)
Best cinematography: Sakamoto Yoshitaka (Jubaku)
Best art direction: Isomi Toshihiro, Gunji Hideo (Wonderful Life)
Best Music: Suzuki Naoyuki (M/Other)
Best sound: Hashimoto Yasuo (Osaka monogatari, Gamera 3)
Best technical award: 
     Editing: Kawashima Akimasa (Jubaku)
     Lighting: Kurikihara Takashi (Saimin)
Best documentary:
     Long: Zoku "Jumin ga sentaku shita machi no fukushi" mondai wa kore 
kara desu (Jiyu Kobo)
     Short: Kyogen: Nomura Manzo (Sakura Eigasha)
SpoNichi Best New Face Award: Oshitari Akiko (I Love You); Ikewaki 
Chizuru (Osaka monogatari); Shiota Akihiko (Gekko no sasayaki, Doko made 
mo iko
Japanese Film Fan Ward: Poppoya
Animation Award: Jinro
Ofuji Noburo Award: For Alexander Petrov and the technical staff of Rojin 
to umi
Tanaka Kinuyo Award: Fuji Sumiko
     Special Award: Sato Masaru, Miyagawa Kazuo, Mochinaga Tadahito
Best Publicity Award: Toei (Poppoya)

The Mainichi Concours, the oldest set of film awards next to KineJun, is 
selected by a small number of critics and tends to be the most 
conservative (witness the Poppoya award).  Still, I was interested to see 
that they picked Suwa et al. for best script (since there was technically 
no script for that film).  It was also nice to see Mochinaga recognized, 
and if you haven't seen Rojin to umi, see it (the Ofuji Award, named 
after one of Japan's most original animators, is given each year to 
significant contributions to the art of animation).

Aaron Gerow
Yokohama National University
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