【Japanet Broadcasting Inc.】 This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hochi Film Awards. We’ll be broadcasting 49 films that have won the Best Picture award over the past three months!
Japanet Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Press release: October 1, 2025 To Members of the Press This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hochi Film Awards. We’ll be broadcasting for three consecutive months a selection of the 49 films that have won the Best Picture award to date! The 50th Hochi Film Awards will feature the new BS10 Premium Award! Starting October 1st, the general entertainment broadcasting station “BS10 Premium” will also be showcasing the heartwarming appeal of Japanese films!
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-af17791854462e16b20e457f31198243-1000×587.jpg To mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of Star Channel in 1986, BS10 Premium (pronounced: BS10 Premium) will launch on October 1st as a comprehensive entertainment broadcasting station, expanding its offerings of Japanese films and music in addition to foreign films! With the new catchphrase “Great Movies Today, Great Music Today,” BS10 Premium will continue Star Channel’s tradition by broadcasting the latest releases and hits from major Hollywood studios, as well as timeless Japanese films! This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Hochi Film Awards, one of the most prestigious film awards in Japan. From the 49 films that have won the Best Picture award to date, we’ll be presenting a carefully selected selection of masterpieces for three consecutive months from October to December! In October, we’ll be showcasing the classic “The Yellow Handkerchief,” starring Takakura Ken, a film that depicts the rebirth and hope of life and deeply touches viewers’ hearts. “The Man Who Stole the Sun,” starring Kenji Sawada, boasts a cult following for its quirky yet suspenseful story. “Son,” directed by Yoji Yamada, centers on family love and is a moving film that realistically captures universal themes. “The Blood of Wolves” is a suspense film set in Hiroshima at the end of the Showa era, depicting the extreme investigation of a detective played by Koji Yakusho. “A Certain Man,” a human drama starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Sakura Ando, is a moving portrayal of a man confronting a complex truth. With the profound themes and brilliant acting you expect from an award-winning film, you can fully enjoy the appeal of Japanese cinema. In addition, we have established the “BS10 Premium Award,” which allows BS10 Premium subscribers to serve as judges for the 50th Hochi Film Awards. (See below for details.) Come and participate in the 50th Hochi Film Awards with the masterpieces that have been etched into the history of Japanese cinema over the past three months! The 50th Hochi Film Awards will feature a new award: the BS10 Premium Award! Star Channel, beloved by foreign film fans for 39 years, was reborn as “BS10 Premium” in October. In addition to foreign films, the channel will offer a carefully selected selection of high-quality Japanese films and music content. To commemorate this renewal, the “BS10 Premium Award” will be newly established as part of the Hochi Film Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the Japanese film industry. This award is a new film award in which BS10 Premium subscribers will serve as judges. The “Most Premium Film” will be selected from Japanese films released between December 1, 2024 and November 30, 2025, based on a vote from those with a deep passion for film. Five pairs of ten people will be randomly selected from those who voted to be invited to the 50th Hochi Film Awards award ceremony.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-043e1a251ea6a069867fcfca3da4c91e-2512×2436.png 50th Hochi Film Awards BS10 Premium Award Application Form
https://www.bs10.jp/premium/hochi_eigashou/ Hochi Film Award Best Picture Collection PART 1 Broadcast Dates and Times: October 16th (Thursday) – October 22nd (Wednesday), 1:00 PM (5 films total) “The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness (Digitally Remastered Edition)” Broadcast Date and Time: Wednesday, October 1st, 1:00 PM and others This classic Japanese road movie chronicles the journey of a man released from prison to visit his wife. Takakura Ken plays the silent protagonist, and the film also depicts intergenerational interactions during the journey with a young couple played by Takeda Tetsuya and Momoi Kaori. Against the backdrop of Hokkaido’s magnificent natural scenery, director Yoji Yamada carefully and sensitively depicts the subtleties of the human heart. The mining town of Yubari and the beautiful rural landscapes in particular eloquently convey the characters’ emotions. The final scene is filled with forgiveness, love, and hope, which is deeply moving.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-249a71d04731a25c6d9f22d78a746402-960×540.jpg “The Man Who Stole the Sun” Broadcast Date and Time: Saturday, October 11th, 10:20 PM and others This picaresque crime action film is themed around the atomic bomb, and is directed by Kazuhiko Hasegawa, who was exposed to radiation in the womb. The anarchic charm of the
protagonist, played by Kenji Sawada, and the demeanor of the detective Bunta Sugawara, who confronts him, are a perfect match. Highlights include scenes that would have been controversial even at the time, such as guerrilla filming in front of the National Diet Building and the Imperial Palace, and scattering counterfeit 10,000 yen bills from the rooftop of a building in a busy downtown area. While it wasn’t a box office success, it spawned many enthusiastic fans and had a tremendous impact on generations to come.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-e64a0a9f92efdf2a4221130a81e5df55-960×540.jpg “Son” Broadcast date and time: Friday, October 17th, 1:00 PM and other times This moving drama, adapted from Makoto Shiina’s novel “Warehouse Worker,” is directed and written by Yoji Yamada. It depicts true family happiness through the conflict and reconciliation between an old-fashioned father living in a mountain village and his son working part-time in the city. At the 15th Japan Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, as well as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Rentaro Mikuni and Masatoshi Nagase, who played father and son. Emi Wakui, who played a deaf girl who develops a close relationship with her son, also won Best Supporting Actress, garnering attention.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-a1330069026fc519b9d0c3d7920e672a-960×540.jpg “The Blood of Wolves” Broadcast date and time: Thursday, October 16th, 1:00 PM and others This shocking film, directed by Kazuya Shiraishi of “The World’s Worst Criminals,” features a star-studded cast and is based on Yuko Yuzuki’s best-selling novel, which pays homage to Toei’s yakuza film masterpiece, “Battles Without Honor and Humanity.” Set in Hiroshima in the late Showa era, where gangs square off against each other, this film depicts the extreme investigation of a rogue detective from the Organized Crime Unit, complete with graphic violence. Yakusho Koji delivers a stunning performance as the mad-dog protagonist. Matsuzaka Tori, playing his partner, a young detective who becomes influenced by Yakusho, also received high praise. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/8010/1052/8010-1052-3b192c2480512d5f2c0717c448c22d19-960×540.jpg “A Man” Broadcast date and time: Tuesday, October 21st, 1:00 PM and others This mystery film is based on Keiichiro Hirano’s bestselling novel and is directed by Kei Ishikawa (“Honey and Bees and Distant Thunder”). The film features a talented cast, including Sakura Ando as a woman who discovers that her husband had been lying about his identity after his death, Masataka Kubota as the late husband, and Satoshi Tsumabuki as a lawyer who is asked to investigate the husband’s identity. The film depicts with moving emotion the gradual uncovering of the man’s true identity and the reasons for his transformation. At the 46th Japan Academy Awards, the film won eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, dominating the major categories.
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