The Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, one of the region's largest film festivals, will take place from June in Tokyo in a hybrid format combining screenings at venues in the Japanese capital and online amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, its organizer said Thursday.
The 23rd run of the festival from June 11 to 21 has received over 6,000 entries from around 120 different countries and regions. It will also feature a new smartphone film competition category for the first time this year.
Online screenings of the films will be available to audiences globally from April 27 through June 30, according to the organizer.
"Despite the darkness the world may seem to be in, many filmmakers are optimistic and are welcoming new challenges every day," the organizer said in a press release.
The festival last September showcased around 200 short films from 112 countries and regions in Tokyo venues as well as online for the first time after being postponed for three months due to the pandemic.
Founded by Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho in 1999 and held annually in Tokyo, the festival is the only international short film festival in Asia with the eligibility to nominate four films to compete in the following year's Academy Awards.
From films shown at last year's festival, "White Eye" by Tomer Shushan, "The Present" by Farah Nabulsi, and "Yes-People" by Gisli Darri Halldorsson are among the nominees for the 93rd U.S. Academy Awards to be held on April 25.
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