On Sunday, November 24 from 11:20 a.m., “Draw me” was screened at NTT CRED Hall No. 2.

In this 20-minute short film, an aspiring manga artist, Koyori, a high school girl, is accused of harming others with her artwork featuring school officials, and the story unfolds after her classmate, Kiriko, says, “Draw me." The film was directed by Kohei KIYASU, who won the Screenplay Award at the Japan Academy Prize in 2013 for “The Kirishima Things” and is active across the fields of theater, film, and animation. The interviewer was Michita KIMURA, a freelance personality.

The director was scheduled to be present at the talk show following the screening, but his flight was delayed, and the producer, Mr. NAGAMORI had to rush to the stage. The director was on his way to the venue, and Michita KIMURA interviewed him over the phone, which gave the audience a sense of presence. When the director arrived a short time later, he received a big round of applause.

The production of this film began after Director KIYASU's script was submitted to the "Kodansha Cinema Creators Lab" project, which aims to produce short films, and was selected out of more than 1,000 submissions. During the production process he had a difficult time with the characters and storyline changing for the first time, but he also learned a lot, and said he felt he understood how directors felt when he was an actor or a scriptwriter himself.

He then answered questions from the audience and spoke passionately about his thoughts on the film, concluding with a strong message, “I hope to eventually return to the Hiroshima International Film Festival with a feature-length film.”