Dead Shimizu wins!

[Aaron Gerow]

The Tokyo FilmEX wrapped up last night with the awards ceremony and a 
screening of Morisaki Azuma's new film, Niwatori wa hadashi da. That 
was classical Morisaki, half out of date (very 1970s ninjoteki 
resolution) and half up-to-date politics (zainichi, anti-Emperor, 
corruption, etc.), all bundled in some fun comedy action.

The surprise of the evening was the awards. No Japanese film won any of 
the jury prizes, but in something I've never really heard of before, 
one film from the Shimizu Hiroshi retrospective, the 1941 Kanzashi, won 
the audience award. That award was figured through the average of 
audience ratings (1 to 4), and that film got about 3.88 after a total 
of 3 sold-out screenings. Jury president Bernard Eisenshitz applauded 
the festival for such a result. (This would NEVER happen at the Tokyo 
Film Festival.)

I hope Shimizu, who is long dead (this year, like for Ozu, is the 100th 
anniversary of his birth), is smiling a bit in his grave.

Aaron Gerow
Yale University
KineJapan co-owner