Kushiro City’s film festival is a huge success! The unique “946 International Film Festival” is gaining attention for its
effectiveness in increasing the local population and attracting tourists.
Opening Act Inc. Press release: October 22, 2025 To Members of the Press Kushiro City’s film festival is a huge success! The unique “946 International Film Festival” is gaining attention for its
effectiveness in increasing the local population and attracting tourists. A unique film festival was held in Kushiro City, shooting and editing in just 946 minutes, with the aim of revitalizing the local community. Creators from all over the country gathered, and the festival simultaneously created a local population, promoted the region’s appeal, and attracted tourists.
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—Creating a new connection population for Kushiro through a “unique film festival.” Kushiro City, Hokkaido, is facing a serious population decline issue. The city is currently focusing on expanding its connected population, including by attracting residents of two areas. Against this background, the 946 International Film Festival was held as a unique initiative aimed at increasing the “connected population.” This event is 1. 1. Inviting creators from all over Japan, both local and international, to Kushiro. 2. Films must be shot entirely in Kushiro. 3. Films must be produced within a time limit of 946 (Kushiro) minutes. 4. The festival is planned with these unique rules, even across Japan. As expected, this initiative became a hot topic in various places, with participants gathering from all over the country, including Hokkaido, Tokyo, Chiba, Fukui, Miyazaki, and even Indonesia. A total of 11 groups, 25 people in total, participated: 6 from within Kushiro City and 5 from outside the city. One participant commented, “If it weren’t for this event, I probably would never have come to Kushiro in my life.” In particular, the connections with participants from Fukui Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, and Indonesia were extremely valuable. —Participants will “actively” discover and share the charms of Kushiro.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-7835edc0898068fe31b3e7abc386ee42-3840×1080.png Participants actively discovered the charms of Kushiro through photography. A special feature of this event is that all filming must take place within Kushiro City. As a result, participants will experience the charm of Kushiro with all five senses during the video production process and communicate that charm through their own work. In fact, participants provided very enthusiastic comments, such as, “I had heard of the name ‘Kushiro,’ but as I researched Kushiro for this project, I fell in love with the city,” and “I fell in love with Kushiro so much that my family and I made our own original T-shirts.” This is not an “imposed” strategy like existing PR efforts, but rather the result of participants “actively” exploring the attractions of Kushiro. In addition, the works created can be reused to promote tourism in Kushiro. Another benefit of this event is that, after the event, works depicting the charms of Kushiro from an “outside perspective” will remain, becoming an asset for Kushiro. —By deliberately not encouraging too much sightseeing, the aim is to encourage repeat visits.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-1d257ad532fb7d4b4da62cf7a0e03e08-3840×1080.png The sunset over Nusamai Bridge captivated attendees (photo left), and the kickoff ceremony at 946 Harbor was also well-received (photo right). Another feature of this event is that the time limit for video production has been set at 946 minutes (15 hours and 46 minutes), a reference to Kushiro. This is intended to promote the direct flight between Kushiro and Haneda by allowing participants to participate in a two-day, one-night trip, as well as to raise awareness of and encourage the use of direct flights between Kushiro and Haneda. The paradoxical approach of “not letting participants do too much sightseeing at once” is also intended. In fact, we received comments such as, “I didn’t know it was so easy to get to Kushiro from Tokyo,” “I didn’t have time this time because of filming, but I’d definitely like to come back for sightseeing,” and “Next time, I’d like to come and enjoy some sushi at my leisure,” making this a measure that will contribute to the continued attraction of tourists. In addition, the fact that this ended up being the fastest film festival in Japan was apparently a sensational hit among participants. —The sharing of good memories naturally spreads across the country through social media.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-c186aa41c9763bd2c31a2f7409ab6685-3840×1260.png The charms of Kushiro were steadily spread through participants’ social media accounts. This year’s film festival included awards, and winners received certificates, commemorative panels, and regional specialties as a prize. The aim of this is to spread the appeal of Kushiro through the social media accounts of participants living both inside and outside Kushiro. In fact, participants shared their honest impressions on social media, with comments such as, “This Atka mackerel has no bones, so it’s safe to eat,” “The salmon roe is the best I’ve ever eaten,” “The salmon meat is juicy and delicious,” “This is my first time trying Hanasaki crab,” and “It looked so delicious, I ate most of it before I could take a photo.” As a result, participants shared their impressions of the Kushiro region’s specialty products, which were the prize, in natural language and with fond memories of the products. This successfully promoted the appeal of Kushiro in a natural way to those who saw it. It is believed that communicating the appeal of Kushiro by the participants themselves, in their own words, and of their own volition will be more effective than any elaborate catchphrase. —The judging and screening held after the 946-minute production will “strengthen the community both inside and outside Kushiro.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-af1692c1c5639e2304d5e7c813ddbe47-1142×856.png Participants viewed each other’s works and deepened their connections in Kushiro.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-73cbcd85bedc19a0630f70bada87cdc4-1561×1171.jpg Daisuke Ebina (Midorigaoka Gakuen Educational Corporation) gives his comments. Chairman) At this event, a screening and judging session of the completed film took place a few hours after the 946-minute production was completed. By holding the judging and screening immediately after the event, participants can actively interact with each other, helping to strengthen the community both within and outside Kushiro. The judges who attended the screening included Mr. Iwao Ishiyama, Executive Director of the Kushiro Tourism and Convention Association; Mr. Shian Onigiri, Kushiro City Tourism Ambassador; Mr. Daiya Ebina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Midorigaoka Gakuen School Corporation; Mr. Takeru Ueno, Secretary General of Kushiro Watch, an NPO that plays a central role in disseminating information about Kushiro; and Mr. Balan, Representative of Opening Act Co., Ltd., representing a diverse range of local professionals. The judging process was intense and enthusiastic. And the grand prize went to the Fukui Prefecture Miyago Family
(Representative: Miyago Miki) team from Fukui Prefecture, with their work “Father and Son.” The Best Actor award went to Miki Miyago from Fukui Prefecture, and the Best Actress award went to Noi Inoue from Tokyo. The SDGs and Regional Revitalization Award went to “Ittekimasu” (I’m Going) by the Chiba Prefecture Representative (Representative: Aomi Nishi), The Kushiro Sweet Tooth Boys (Representative: Rio Maekawa), a team from Kushiro City, went to “Connecting Kushiro with Soft Cream, Please Support Kushiro!” ” was recognized for its content that utilized interactions with local residents and won the Tourism Ambassador Award. Teams from within and outside the city demonstrated their individuality and skills, with Natsuki Kawasaki of the “Teshikaga Blazers” team from Teshikaga High School winning the Outstanding Coach Award. In consideration of the environment, the electricity for this screening event was provided by a storage battery made from recycled used EV batteries, making it a zero-carbon screening.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-3951b911f47ec46d8a6cc6cdb1ead3b5-1142×856.png A storage battery (inside the red frame) made from a recycled EV battery was used as the power source for the screening.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-e8ecd3177a9617efbae20deb2183a49e-2364×1772.jpg Before the screening, an evacuation drill was conducted and
participants experienced the smartphone charging function in the event of a disaster. — “There’s no point in just ‘holding’ a film festival.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-bd2cec0c3a885bfd2d783fb35d5f85ad-1618×1213.jpg As a production condition, the specified line “Thank you” (“Nice to meet you”) that had to be used in the work was announced at the kick-off ceremony.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-e77264d4e792d1a6cf1b1df6f6a122be-2048×1536.jpg This event was also used as a venue for local certified kindergartens to present their play performances. This event will set unique rules for the film festival and create a sensational atmosphere. The objectives of the event were to encourage people to visit Kushiro and increase the number of people connected to the area, to encourage people to actively experience and promote the area’s charms through the video, To attract more tourists by offering a two-day, one-night program, The objectives of the event were to encourage people to share their memories of the event on social media. Participants not only get to enjoy sightseeing while producing videos, but also have a valuable opportunity for young creators to shine. For Kushiro City, the created works can be reused, leaving an asset, This event is designed to be a win-win for both participants and Kushiro City. Going forward, we plan to utilize the works created and have the winners pay a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Kushiro.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRtSnexzkv4 *Like the participants, the ending movie was created within a time limit of 946 minutes. Opening Act Co., Ltd. will continue to develop new approaches to regional revitalization, including producing unique initiatives like these. This event was sponsored by the Kushiro Regional Development Bureau, Kushiro City, the Kushiro Tourism and Convention Association, and the NPO Kushiro Watch. It was implemented as part of the “Kushiro Totteoki Project,” a project selected for the 2025 Shining City Development Grant.
◆List of award winners
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-a0292fbce2aed51d28104861dc8f119f-1996×1497.jpg “Father and Son” by the Miyago Family of Fukui Prefecture
(Representative: Miki Miyago)
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-fef613a828d0eff71f44a4e10cb3b86b-1927×1445.jpg Chiba Prefecture Representative “Ittekitaku” (Representative: Futoshi Aoumi) Sugawara Gumi “Return Home” (Representative: Sugawara Reina)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-741d4e8b7e083763c45595f59ff86f6e-2048×1536.jpg Kushiro Sweet Tooth Boys “Connecting Kushiro with Soft Serve Ice Cream, Please Support Kushiro!” ” (Representative: Rion Maekawa)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-edbbbdc34b0557cb08361cd6246d345b-2048×1536.jpg Inoue Noi (from “Beyond Tears”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-a493913fd1cb75be40408066ac44138f-1808×1356.jpg Miyago Miki (from “Fathers and Sons”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-c91c65cf74a3ab37ef0ae59872696cdf-1890×1418.jpg Tezuka Mai (from “Beyond Tears”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-f2d8aa8fe5dc8d8cc06c6dfedcfb994a-1912×1434.jpg Nakano Koharu (from “Aoi?”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-b5c4741d167a21ef8542de74eb64b88d-1942×1456.jpg Sugawara Reina (from “Aoi?”)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/154588/9/154588-9-8de953a5e83a45f6e85f17d0f5360cd3-2048×1536.jpg Kawasaki 夏輝（「よろしくしろ」より） ＜イベント概要＞ ▼イベント名 946（くしろ）フィルムフェスティバル（946 International Film Festival） （令和７年度 輝くまちづくり交付金採択事業
釧路の“とっておき”の文化・自然・食の再発見＆発信 くしろとっておきプロジェクト） ▼実施日程
2025年9月27日(土)15：00～9月28日(日)12：00 DAY1：2025年9月27日（土） 14：00
受付開始（場所：MOOの隣 EGG） 15：00 キックオフセレモニー開始（オープニングショー、参加チーム紹介、開会宣言、指定のセリフ発表） 15：30 制作開始（946分間で脚本→撮影→編集→提出までをすべてを行う。） ※制作する動画内で、指定のセリフを必ず1回以上使用すること。 DAY2：2025年9月28日（日） 07：16 制作終了・作品提出〆切 10：00 開場（場所：946BANYA） 10：30 クロージングセレモニー開始（上映会、表彰式及び記念撮影） 12：30 イベント終了（釧路の思い出とともに帰路へ。） ▼制作条件 ・制作期間：本イベント内 ・制作地 ：北海道釧路市内 ・制作時間：946分（15時間46分） ・作品尺
：94.6秒以内（1分34秒6以内、ジャンル問わず。） ・動画画面サイズ
：1920×1080もしくは1080×1920推奨（縦横どちらでも可。） ・動画ファイル形式：MP4推奨（movでも可。） ・作品の提出方法 ：ギガファイル便にアップロードし、専用フォームにて提出。 ・当日発表の指定のセリフ「よろしく」を1回以上使用していること。 （使用方法は問わず。） ▼会場 ・キックオフセレモニー：EGG（北海道釧路市錦町2-4 MOO隣 全面ガラス張りの丸い形の建物） ・クロージングセレモニー：946BANYA（北海道釧路市錦町2-4 MOO 2F）
・作業スペース：ペンギンファーム（北海道釧路市北大通3丁目7−３ 2F） ▼審査員（敬称略） 石山 巌 （一般社団法人
釧路観光コンベンション協会 専務理事） 蝦名 大也 （学校法人 緑ケ岡学園 理事長） 鬼霧 シアン（北海道観光大使・釧路市観光大使） 上野 岳 （NPO法人くしろわっと事務局長） バラン （株式会社オープニングアクト 代表取締役） ▼主催 （一社）くしろまちづくり研究所 ▼後援 北海道釧路総合振興局、釧路市、（一社）釧路観光コンベンション協会、NPO法人くしろわっと ▼協力 大喜湯
春採店、(株)釧路オールアクション、学校法人香木学園 認定こども園よしの ▼プロデュース (株)オーブニングアクト
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