The International Short Film Competition B was held on Friday, November 22 from 19:30 at NTT CRED Hall No.1. The three nominated films were “Goodbye” (Japan) directed by Ryuichi KITABATA, “The Ghost Lullaby” (Korea) by LEE Jihyeong, and “Go Class” (China) by Roger XUE.

After the screening, a Q&A session was held with the directors of each film. The interviewer was freelance personality Michita KIMURA and the interpreters were Kyoko LEE and Hisanori SUMIYOSHI.

Q ) Impression about Hiroshima
Director KITABATA: “This is the first time I came to Hiroshima. When I saw the Atomic Bomb Dome in Peace Park, I strongly felt its historical significance.”
Director LEE: “This is my third time coming to Hiroshima. I also participated in the Damah Film Festival, the predecessor of the festival. It is a wonderful city.”
Director XUE: “This is my first time in Hiroshima. It's a very lively place, and everyone on the street has a smile on their face.”

Q ) Theme of the film
Director KITABATA: “It's a farewell. I wondered if there is such a thing as a satisfying farewell, and this film is my answer."
Director LEE: “It's about breaking up the family. There are many lonely deaths in Korea, so I wanted to rethink the importance of family."
Director XUE: “Unity of style. How can I utilize the advantages of black and white? It was the main focus of the film.”

Q) Please feel free to leave a message at the end.
Director KITABATA: “I hope you can see a new side of Junki TOZUKA, the lead actor who usually specializes in comedies."
Director LEE: “Thank you for inviting me here. I hope to come back next time."
Director XUE: “I am happy to be here now. I hope to enjoy the film festival.”

Finally, Michita KIMURA concluded the talk show saying, “All three films were about families. It is interesting to see the different ways of perceiving family in each of them. The awards will be presented on Sunday, November 24th.