Jurors

• 

  Ryosuke HASHIGUCHI (Chief of Jurors & To Mom, With Love』Director)

  Born July 13, 1962, in Nagasaki Prefecture.
  In 1992, his first theatrically released film, "A Touch of Fever," was a huge hit that broke theater records.
  His second film, "Like Grains of Sand" (1995), won numerous awards, including the Rotterdam International Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Dunkirk International Film Festival, and the Turin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and also won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Screenplay in Japan.
  His third film, "Hush!" (2002), was entered in the Director's Fortnight at the 54th Cannes Film Festival and was released in over 69 countries around the world. It won numerous awards, including the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Best Film Award.
  His fourth film, "All Around Us" (2008), his first new work in six years since "Hush!", depicts a ten-year relationship between a married couple who never leave each other no matter what, and has been praised by many in various circles as "a new frontier for Director HASHIGUCHI," and has won numerous awards, including the Hochi Film Award for Best Director and the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Actress.
  In 2013, he released the 62-minute feature film "Zentai." His first feature film in seven years since "All Around Us," "Three Stories of Love" (2015) won numerous awards as a representative masterpiece of Japanese cinema in 2015, including the 89th Kinema Junpo Best Ten Japanese Films, the 70th Mainichi Film Awards Japanese Film Grand Prize, and the 58th Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director.
  "To Mom, With Love" is his first feature film in nine years since "Three Stories of Love."

• 

  Yukihiro MORIGAKI (Juror & 『Rude to Love』Director)

  Born in 1983 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, Yukihiro started making documentary films while in university.
  He worked as a TV commercial director at T&E, a commercial production company in Fukuoka, before going independent in 2017.
  He is the founder of the creators group Kujira and has directed commercials for major companies and organizations such as SoftBank, the Japan Racing Association(JRA), Shiseido, Lotte, Fujifilm, Toto, NH Foods, ENEOS, Lawson, etc.
  His expertise as a director stretches from TV commercials and web films to TV drama series and feature films.

• 

  MEGUMI (Juror & 『LAYERS』Planning / Produce)

  MEGUMI was born in 1981 and raised in Okayama Prefecture.
  As an actress, she is a winner of the 62nd Blue Ribbon Awards Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress.
  In recent years she has been involved the development and production of TV dramas and films.
  Her portfolio as a producer includes such TV dramas as ”Kanzen ni Tsunda Ichiko wa mo Karisuma ni Naru Shikanai no (Ichiko Has No Choice But To Become Charismatic) (2022, TV TOKYO), Naoto TAKENAKA's film "Downfall”(2023), and Takuya UCHIYAMA's short film ”LAYERS” (2022).
  She joined BABEL LABEL as a producer in 2023.

Guests

• 

  Kohei KIYASU (『Draw me.』Director)

  1997 - Graduated from Hiroshima University, Faculty of Education,Department of Fine Arts.
  2000 - Established theater troupe, “Bull Docking Headlock,” which he writes for and directs. Have held 30 stage plays in 20 years.
  2013 - Won the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Screenplay for “The KIRISHIMA Thing” (directed by Daihachi YOSHIDA). Also active as a voice actor.
  This is his 1st submission to a film festival.
  Kohei has many credits as director, screenwriter, scriptwriter for the stage & has worked on many films, TV dramas & animated films.

• 

  Tetsuichiro TSUTA (『BLACK OX』Director/ Screenplay/ Editor)

  In 2013, he debuted with his first feature, Tale of Iya, which he shot on 35mm color film in the Iya region of Tokushima Prefecture.
  The film premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival and has won awards at festivals around the world.
  In 2020, BFI listed Tale of Iya as the Best Japanese Film of 2013 in their list, “The Best Japanese Film Every Year—from 1925 to Now.”

• 

  Baltasar KORMÁKUR (『TOUCH』Director)

  Baltasar KORMÁKUR is an actor, producer and director whose work spans theater, movies and television.
  Born in Iceland in 1966 to a Spanish father and Icelandic mother, both of whom were highly regarded artists, KORMÁKUR graduated as an actor from Iceland’s Academy of the Arts in 1990 and was immediately hired by Iceland’s National Theatre. He became the Jeune Premier and was cast in one leading role after another during his time there, which lasted almost a decade.
  During those formative years, he grew to appreciate the works of the masters of theatre, such as Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet), Chekhov (The Seagull, Three Sisters, Ivanov), Ibsen (A Doll’s House), Dostoyevsky (The Idiot) and Federico García Lorca (Blood Wedding). For the National Theatre, he also directed acclaimed revivals of such classics as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ibsen’s Per Gynt and´Tis Pity She‘s a Whore by the 17th century playwright John Ford.
  As one of the most popular young actors in the nineties, he built a career acting in features. But by then, he had developed an ambition to direct, so he left his permanent assignment as actor at the National Theatre and co-founded his own company, The Air Castle, where he produced and directed some highly successful stage plays and musicals. He returned to the National Theatre occasionally to direct classical works, such as Ibsen’s Per Gynt, Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and more. Some of his stage productions traveled abroad; his Per Gynt ran at the Barbican in London and his Hamlet was staged in Denmark.
  Continuing to explore yet more artistic avenues, KORMÁKUR opened film production company Blueeyes Productions / Sögn, and in 2000, he made his feature, 101 Reykjavik, starring Victoria Abril. An international success, the film propelled KORMÁKUR onto Variety’s list of “10 Directors to Watch,” and he also was selected as the “Newcomer of the Year” at the Toronto International Film Festival.
  Since then, he’s actively worked on both sides of the Atlantic as a director, producer and writer, amassing feature film credits including Jar City, Contraband, 2 Guns, Everest, The Oath, Adrift and most recently, Beast, among others.
  In 2012, he expanded into scripted television projects, opening a new outlet, RVK Studios; since then, all his productions have been produced under the RVK Studios banner. RVK’s first 10-part TV series, Trapped, became a national hit in Iceland and was sold worldwide, earning massive acclaim. RVK Studios is now the biggest production company in Iceland, even offers production services for international productions.
  A key player in the Icelandic scene of filmmaking, KORMÁKUR opened a fully operational film studio in Iceland, GN Studios, in 2019, offering full production facilities in its three studios, along with full post-production facilities.

• 

  Hideyuki TOKIGAWA (『Love Song for Hiroshima』Director/Writer/ Editor/ Producer)

  Film Director who is from Hiroshima.
  Japanese film maker, Hideyuki Tokigawa, began his career in Singapore working for Discovery Channel Asia, before returning to Tokyo to work for Walt Disney Television International , where he lead the TV Production Unit as Senior Producer.
  2009, Hideyuki has set up the company, TimeRiver Pictures, Inc.
  He directs feature films, documentaries, TV commercials and music videos.
  2012, He wrote and direct his first feature film "Radio Love". It started in small theater of Hiroshima then it spread to nation wide in Japan. Since then he have written and direct 4 feature films and all released movie theaters in Japan successfully and wining awards in film festivals.

• 

  Ryosuke SOTA (『Love Song for Hiroshima』Leed Actor)

  Born on October 24, 1997 in Shimane Prefecture. He made his debut on social networking sites.
  Major works include WOWOW “Ao Haru Ride Season1” ('23), WOWOW “Ao Haru Ride Season2” ('24), TV Asahi “Destiny” ('24), and Nippon TV “Machinami-terasu-yatsura” ('24), TBS “Warau-matryoshka” ('24), Kantele-Fuji TV series “Snowdrop no Hatsukoi” ('24).
  Movie “And Yet, You Are So Sweet.” ('23), and “Exchange a lie diary” ('23).
  This is her first starring role in a movie.

• 

  Yuji YOKOYAMA (『Love Song for Hiroshima』Producer)

  Born in 1967 in Miyazaki Prefecture, Yokoyama joined RCC Broadcasting in 1989 as an announcer.
  In addition to planning his own radio and TV programs, he is also a film director, actor, and author, writing novels and essays.
  He also formed a band with Hiroyuki Ariyoshi and Hito Gekidan and appeared as a musician on the TBS national network “Uta Ban.
  In November 2022, he wrote and directed the film “Fool's Blues” (starring Masaya KATO), which was selected as an honorable mention at the London International Film Festival.
  His works include “Haruka IGAWA: Memories of a Summer” and “FICKLE-MINDED STRIPPER!"

• 

  Kousuke SAKODA (『Laying Down Looking Up』Director)

  Born in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, he directed the short film “This window, other side” while a student at the New Cinema Workshop in 2004, which was selected and invited to festivals in Japan and abroad, along with the short film he made after graduating, “Inside of …”.W
  hile preparing for a feature film, he became depressed and was in and out of hospital for three years before returning to work on a mid-length film, “My Father's Mistress”, which screened at a number of film festivals in Japan and abroad.
  The debut feature film with all his might "You are here, you were here " was released in over 30 cinemas nationwide in May 2020. The film is also highly acclaimed overseas, having been invited to screenings and won awards at many film festivals, despite the difficulty of entering foreign film festivals due to the COVID-19.

• 

  Iroha SAKAMOTO（『Laying Down Looking Up』Director）

  Born in 2007 in Hiroshima.
  Made her acting debut in "you are here, you were here." (Director/Screenplay: Kousuke SAKODA), became a hot topic for playing a boy in the role of Ryota KAYAMA.
  In the short film " Laying Down, Looking Up" (Director/Screenplay: Kousuke SAKODA), she again plays the lead role.

• 

  Ikue TATARA (『Laying Down Looking Up』Actor as Hisako ISHIDA)

  She appears in media mainly in Hiroshima.
  Her major appearances include the TV commercial for Yume Town Izumi's "Schoolbag" (2023), Aiken Bijutsu TV commercial (2021), Molten's "Wheeliy" PV WEB and others (2021), and the second episode of the late-night Saturday drama "Morning Comes" (2016) on Tokai TV, a Fuji TV affiliate.
  This will be her first movie appearance.

• 

  Koichi KAWANISHI（UNICORN） (『Laying Down Looking Up』Actor as Toshiya KATADA)

  Born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1959.
  He made his major label debut in 1987 as a drummer in UNICORN. After leaving UNICORN in 1993, he played in VANILLA, JET-KI and BLACK BORDERS.
  He has also provided support for many other musicians, including PUFFY, Yoshihiro KAI and Yusuke FUJITA. In early 2009, UNICORN suddenly announced that they were starting over. They made a spectacular comeback with the single "WAO!" and then released the classic album "CHAMBRE", which was a huge success.
  At their live shows, they put on a spectacular stage performance, but then they also start their unique skits. They are a unique rock band representing Japan, consisting of five unique and talented individuals.
  He currently lives in his hometown of Kure, is based in Hiroshima, and is active in a variety of fields.

• 

  Kaori HARA (『Laying Down Looking Up』Actor)

  A playwright, director, actor, and video director affiliated with the Hiroshima-based theater company tempa. Born in 1980 in Wakayama Prefecture.
  Moved to Hiroshima in 2006.
  She has been a member of the theater company tempa since 2010, and has been in charge of directing and playwriting since 2018.
  Her representative and directing works include "Just being alive causes scratches" and "Connect the points, the sky turns bright," and her film works include "Film production room Gekka" and "LOST robbed his life," which he produced in collaboration with the Hiroshima Prefectural Citizens' Council to Eliminate Violence. Her latest work, "Laugh theater in a glass 2" (for which she will be in charge of the second episode), is scheduled to be released in 2025.
  She also works as an acting instructor, serving as a part-time lecturer at the Yoyogi Animation Academy Hiroshima.

• 

  Sunao KATABUCHI (『Mai Mai Miracle』Director)

  Sunao KATABUCHI was born in 1960 and is a specially-appointed professor and senior researcher at Nihon University College of Art.
  This year marks the 43rd anniversary of his work on the screenplay for “Meitantei Holmes” [lit. Famous Detective Holmes], which he wrote while still a university student.
  He has directed numerous works, including the TV series “Famous Dog Lassie” (1996), “Black Lagoon” (2006), and the feature films “Princess Arete” (2001), “Mai Mai Miracle” (2009), “In this Corner of the World” (2016), and “In This Corner (And Other Corners) of the World” (2019).
  He is currently working on the film “The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black” which depicts people from a thousand years ago living in the midst of a plague.

• 

  Hiroto HARA (『ABUDEKA IS BACK!!』Director)

• 

  Michihito FUJII (『18×2 Beyond Youthful Days』Director)

  Born in 1986.
  After graduating from Nihon University, he founded the film group "BABEL LABEL" in 2010, and made his commercial debut with the film adaptation of Koutarou Isaka's novel "OH! FATHER" in 2014.
  The film "The Journalist" won six awards at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize, including Best Picture, and has received numerous film awards.
  Since then, he has been actively directing films such as "Ao no Kaerimichi" (18), "Day and Night" (19), "The Brightest Roof in the Universe" (20), "Yakuza and the Family" (21), "The Last 10 Years" (22), "Village" (23), "A Hard Day" (23), and Netflix original movie "Parade." His latest feature "Shotai" will be released November 2024 in Japan.
  He is considered as a director to look out for not only in Japan but around the world.

• 

  Ming Hsia WANG (『Chinhua’s Blossom Unfolds』Director)

  Director WANG Ming-Hsia has been making films since the 2000s.
  She used to be a scriptwriter, TVC editor, music and film project planner.
  After taking classes in Academy of Art University, San Francisco, she returned to Taiwan, where she started to direct documentaries, experimental videos and short films.
  She is also a cross-field and residence in Treasure Hill Artist Village in Taipei for years.
  In 2010, she founded Talking Light Films Production, and then made documentaries and independent films and feature films in Taipei.

• 

  Rotha MOENG (『The Rubber Tappers』Director)

  Rotha Moeng, a Franco-Cambodian artist, is a director, producer, and gallery owner who divides his time between Paris and Phnom Penh. While completing his directorial debut in Banlung, Ratanakiri province, two films he produced and co-produced were released in Europe. "The Sound of the Night," directed by Chandaro Sok and Kong Kea Vann, while "White Building," a feature film by Kavich Neang.
  Rotha Moeng's life is a testament to Cambodia's ongoing resurgence since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime 44 years ago. As a child under Pol Pot's dictatorship, he lacked access to art, music, cinema, and songs until his family sought refuge in Thailand. It was in a refugee camp where he experienced his first film, "Poah Keng Kang," sparking an enduring sense of wonder.
  As a refugee in France, Rotha Moeng kept Cambodia alive within him through traditional festivals, cuisine, the Khmer language, and karaoke nights singing Sin Sisamuth's melodies. In the early 2000s, as security improved and Cambodia embraced tourism, Rotha Moeng made his first return to his homeland, known as "srok." This journey inspired him to share his childhood in Cambodia, the refugee camps in Thailand, and his settlement in France, forming the foundation for his novel, "Le chœur des enfants khmers" (Seuil, 2008).
  In the 2010s, his artistic endeavors flourished. He collaborated with Régis Wargnier on the film "Le temps des aveux," in the film, Rotha Moeng portrayed the defense lawyer for a Khmer Rouge executioner. He also engaged in the production of "The terrible but unfinished story of Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia," performed in the Khmer language at Théâtre du Soleil, where Ariane Mnouchkine and Hélène Cixous first staged the play in 1985. Concurrently, he established an art gallery in Battambang, promoting young Cambodian artists.
  As Cambodia undergoes profound changes, Phnom Penh becomes reminiscent of other bustling Asian metropolises. The rampant real estate frenzy and unchecked capitalism fracture Cambodian society, leaving the marginalized as casualties of this rapid development. Artists, including Rotha Moeng, strive to capture and reflect these transformations. Thus, he chose to produce the short film "The Sound of the Night," which follows the story of Vibol and Kea, two brothers who sell noodle soup from a motorized cart while signaling their presence to customers by tapping on a bamboo stick. Both face violence and poverty, making distinct choices to escape their predetermined fates. Alongside Davy Chou, Rotha Moeng co-produced "White Building," a feature film portraying a young Cambodian grappling with his father's illness and the destruction of his building.
  After his initial experiences in production, Rotha Moeng takes a significant step by directing his first short film, "The rubber tappers" in January 2022.

• 

  Ihsan ACHDIAT（『Visiting Linda』Director)）

  Ihsan ACHDIAT entered the world of film by making documentary films.
  His documentary project has participated in several labs and documentary film festivals, including FFD, Lock Full Circle Lab, and Docs By The Sea.
  In 2023, he created his first short fiction film, Visiting Linda, which was screened at the Madani International Film Festival and Jakarta Film Week.
  Currently, Ihsan is in the development stage of his first feature film at the Indonesiana Film 2024 Screenwriting Workshop.

• 

  Ryuichi KITABATA (『Goodbye』Director)

  He graduated from Nihon University College of Art.
  He was deeply impressed by the offbeat world of television dramas while working on the set of director Yuichi FUKUDA.
  His directorial debut was the drama "Kodoku no Gurume" ("The Solitary Gourmet").
  He enjoys working on projects where food is an important element of the story, such as "Banshaku no Ryugi", "Kimi ga, Onigiri Suki Dakara", and "Junkissa ni Koi wo Shite".

   

• 

  LEE Jihyeong (『The Ghost Lullaby』Director)

  Name : LEE Jihyeong
  Born : November 27,1979
  Country : Republic of Korea
  Degree : BA in Movie Production (Chung-Ang University,Seoul,Korea)
  MA in Movie Production (Graduate School of Chung-Ang University, Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Sciences, Master of Arts in Film and Multimedia, Korea, Seoul)

• 

  Roger XUE (『Go Class』Director)

  Roger XUE graduated from Tongji University in China.
  He is a young director, screenwriter, and photographer, and his works have been shortlisted for several mainstream film festivals in mainland China.
  His short films in the drama category are known for their bold style and nuanced character development, which make them particularly resonant with audiences.
  Additionally, he is an emerging talent in China's commercial advertising industry and has steadily made a name for himself as a leading young director in this field.

• 

  Tatsunori SATO (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Director)）

  Tatsunori SATO was born on October 29, 1982, in Kushiro City, Hokkaido.
  He started his career as a lighting assistant and then transitioned to the production department, gaining experience working on films, commercials, and music videos under various directors such as Yuichi KODAMA, Yoshihiro FUKAGAWA, and Masaya KAKEHI.
  As a director, he has been actively involved in a wide range of projects including music videos for Ayaka, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, and Aimer, as well as TV dramas and commercials. In 2014, he achieved his first theatrical release with the film "Planet Mizusa".
  Film:
  "Planet Mizusa" (96min./2014)
  Commercial Film:
  "Pigeon - Now and Future Edition, To You Who Will Be Born Edition" *Winner of the "Brain Online Video Award" Corporate Prize.
  TV Drama:
  "My Imaginary Meal To Be Praised"
  *Winner of the "Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Award" (2021)
  "My Husband is Her Boyfriend"
  *Achieved 1st place in the viewing rankings on TVer, including all programs (2023)

• 

  Michiru SETO (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Takashi TOYODA (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Tomizo NOBE (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Masato OKI (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  TORATARO (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Aya ETO (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Yasuhiro SHINTAKU (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)

• 

  Nobu MORIMOTO (『Yuko Side B, and hereafter』Actor)