Tetsuya Bessho Receives Short Film Cultural Achievement Award at the 20th Anniversary Sapporo International Short Film Festival
Commemorative Party [Sapporo International Short Film Festival (NoMaps Executive Committee)]
Sapporo International Short Film Festival (NoMaps Executive Committee) Press Release: September 26, 2025 At the 20th anniversary Sapporo International Short Film Festival
commemorative party, Tetsuya Bessho (SSFF&ASIA representative) received a special award: “Short Film Cultural Achievement Award.” Founder of one of Asia’s largest international short film festivals, he has been a driving force in cultural dissemination for 27 years.
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contributing greatly to the promotion of new Asian film culture and the development of talent. Furthermore, the American Short Shorts Film Festival, which Bessho founded in 1999, led to Toshiya Kubo, a film producer in Sapporo at the time, reaching out to Tetsuya Bessho, and the following year, in 2000, the American Short Shorts Film Festival in Hokkaido (held in Sapporo) became Sapporo’s first short film festival. Through these accumulated activities, the Sapporo
International Short Film Festival (Founder: Toshiya Kubo) was born in 2006. For the past 20 years, SSFF & ASIA and the Sapporo International Short Film Festival have worked together as sister film festivals, promoting and developing short film culture. Through these activities, Mr. Bessho has served as a recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Director-General’s Award for Cultural Affairs, a Visit Japan Ambassador for the Japan Tourism Agency, a member of the Cabinet Secretariat Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters Content Enhancement Expert Committee, a Qatar Friendship Fund Goodwill Ambassador, a member of the Film Ethics Committee, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Japan House Expert Advisory Council, a Tokyo Tourism Ambassador, and a visiting professor at Ritsumeikan University Business School. He has also been selected by the Cabinet Office as a “Japanese person active around the world promoting Japan.” In this way, Tetsuya Bessho has been dedicated to the spread and development of short film culture in Japan since its early days, and his achievements are highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. Without his presence, the Sapporo International Short Film Festival would not be what it is today. This year, as the Sapporo International Short Film Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary, we have once again presented the Short Film Culture Achievement Award to our respected predecessor and friend, Tetsuya Bessho, with a renewed sense of respect and gratitude. In addition, the 20th Sapporo International Short Film Festival (October 10-13) will be screening the SSFF & ASIA SPECIAL SELECTION program as a collaborative project with SSFF & ASIA. With the support of Japan Expo 2.0, seven directors from around the world will be invited to Sapporo to present their works, promoting the charms of Japan as a whole through Tokyo and Sapporo. To commemorate its 20th anniversary, the 20th Sapporo International Short Film Festival will feature a variety of programs, including a special awards ceremony. We hope you will look forward to this film festival, which will look back on its history while also looking to the future. Full comment from Tetsuya Bessho: “Sapporo International Short Film Festival I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved on this 20th anniversary. I am truly grateful for this prestigious award. I would also like to express my deepest respect to Producer Toshiya Kubo and everyone involved with the film festival, who have worked with me for so many years. The American Short Shorts Film Festival was launched in 1999 to introduce short films to Japan. That same year, I met Kubo-san in Tokyo, and the American Short Shorts Film Festival in Hokkaido (held in Sapporo) became a reality. Over the past 20 years, we have been able to help establish and spread the new culture of short film in our two bases: Tokyo and Sapporo. I am proud of that. Over the years, we have welcomed many young filmmakers from around the world to Japan and supported their challenges and talents. The Sapporo Film Festival has also served as a springboard for many creators and continues to foster international connections. Receiving the Short Film Cultural Merit Award is a great honor for me personally, and it is an award I would like to share with my colleagues who have walked this path with me and with all those who love short films. As a film festival that connects Sapporo, Tokyo, and the world, I hope to continue illuminating the future of young creators. ”
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/67047/42/67047-42-f18b7bf3d0f8e138b6d2fc6cc84a5d4a-2048×1161.jpg Scenes from SSF2024 2 Sapporo International Short Film Festival Established in 2006, this is Japan’s largest international short film festival, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Every year, over 2,000 films from around the world are selected for the International Competition and special out-of-competition screenings are screened at theaters across the city. The festival offers an opportunity to encounter popular works that can only be seen at the festival, and it also serves as a stepping stone for new directors to constantly introduce new talent. In recent years, directors of selected and Grand Prix-winning films at the festival have gone on to release feature films and win Grand Prix awards at the Japan Academy Prize and other international film festivals. Official website▷
https://sapporoshortfest.jp (Event Overview) Name: Official Name (Japanese/English): 20th Sapporo International Short Film Festival 20th Sapporo International Short Film Festival & Market Nickname (Japanese/English): SAPPORO Short Fest 2025 SAPPORO SHORT FEST 2025 (abbreviated as SSF 2025) Organized/Managed: NoMaps Executive Committee/Film Festival Management Department Period/Venue Theatrical screening Program screening: October 11th (Sat) – 13th
(Monday/holiday) Award ceremony: October 13th (Monday/holiday) 10:00 Screening venue Satsugeki (Minami 2-jo Nishi 5-chome [Tanukikoji 5-chome], Chuo-ku, Sapporo) Online Screening Dates: November 1st (Sat) – 16th (Sun), 2025 20th Main Visual
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/67047/42/67047-42-9f38c7fbc8b54b3790e0b0e6da7ee6a8-600×848.jpg SSF2025 POSTER RIBBONESIA RIBBONESIA, formed by artist Mugi Maeda and director Toru Yoshikawa, is an artist duo that focuses on colorful ribbons, which have a short lifespan as gift wrapping materials. Using an approach similar to three-dimensional origami, they create a variety of motifs, primarily featuring plants and animals, using ribbons. Their work spans a wide range of creative fields, both in Japan and overseas, including packaging and visual presentations for major retail brands in the fields of fashion, cosmetics, and food, as well as event displays for hotels and commercial facilities. Screening Program International Competition International Program National Program Japan Premiere Program Family & Children Midnight & Drunk Programs Outdoor Adventure Cinema National Competition Micro Docs for SDGs Micro Docs U18 Hokkaido Selection Special program SSFF & ASIA SPECIAL SELECTION SSF 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL International Jury Yi-Chi Lien | Taiwan (Director/Screenwriter/Producer) Satoko Yokohama | Japan (Film Director) Morgan Ferrero | Canada (Programmer, Curator) Contact Us 〒003-0005 1-1-1 Higashi Sapporo 5-jo, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo City Sapporo Business VILLAGE 2F H Contact: Homma & Kubo Contact Information https://sapporoshortfest.jp/contact/
