Germany's Berlin International Film Festival, one of the world's three largest film festivals, opened on the 16th, and 19 films, including Makoto Shinkai's animated film "Suzume no Toshimari", will compete for the highest award, the "Golden Bear Award". .

One of the world's three major film festivals, along with Cannes and Venice, the Berlin International Film Festival, which celebrates its 73rd year this year, opened on the night of the 16th and before dawn on the 17th of Japan time.



This year, 19 movies were exhibited in the competition section that competed for the highest award, the "Golden Bear Award", and from Japan, Makoto Shinkai's animation movie "Suzume no Toshimari" was nominated.



It is the first time in 21 years that a Japanese animated film has been nominated in the competition section since Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which won the Golden Bear Award in 2002.



About 290 films will be screened during the Berlin International Film Festival, and the judging results such as the "Golden Bear Award" will be announced on the 25th of this month.

What is "Sparrow's door lock"

"Suzume no Tojiri" is a road movie about Suzume, a high school girl who experienced the earthquake when she was young, and travels around Japan to close the "door" that caused the disaster.



Using her memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake as a motif, Suzume grows up facing herself while confronting the “doors” that appear in places where people can no longer live or have been forgotten.



The original story, screenplay, and direction are directed by Makoto Shinkai, who will be making his eighth theatrical film this time.

"Shinkai World" works so far

Director Makoto Shinkai is 50 years old from Nagano Prefecture.



After graduating from university, he started making animations while working at a game company. In 2002, he made his debut as a film director with the short animation "Voices of a Distant Star," which was produced mostly by himself, but was highly regarded for its high quality. I called.



After this, he released many popular works such as 2004's "Kumo no Mukou, Promised Place", 2007's "5 Centimeters Per Second", and 2013's "Kotonoha no Niwa", and won many awards both in Japan and overseas. Awarded.



Released in 2016, "Your Name" became so popular that it became a social phenomenon, recording 25.1 billion yen, the third-highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time.



In 2018, director Shinkai became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presides over the Academy Awards, the highest honor in the American film industry. are invited to



Shinkai's works are also known as "Shinkai World" for their unique visuals that meticulously depict the beauty of Japanese cities, nature, and everyday landscapes, and combine delicate light expressions and music. .

President Zelensky's speech at the opening ceremony

Ukrainian President Zelensky attended the opening ceremony of the Berlin International Film Festival online on the 16th and gave a speech to film directors and actors.



In it, President Zelensky said, "People have been murdered in Ukraine for almost a year. At a time like this, can art remain silent and help evil? We will do everything to liberate our territory." The support for that purpose is irreplaceable," and once again appealed for support to Ukraine, where Russia's military aggression continues.