Planning the 1st KOJIMA Film Festival - Director Koichi Kuwata's new challenge: "I want to make Kojima a city of movies."

Film director Kuwata Koichi (Kuwata Koichi), who resides in Kojima, has announced that the first KOJIMA Film Festival will be held in December 2023.

Despite being a hairdresser by profession, Director Kuwata has utilized his Mondays off to produce four films as of September 2023.

His next endeavor, based on his film production experience, is the "KOJIMA Film Festival," which aims to make Kojima a film town by inviting works from around the world for screening.

The theme for the first call for entries is "local films that convey a sense of local love" and "special effects films."

Starting from April 2023, a total of 101 works were submitted, from which 6 works were selected.

I will introduce the "1st KOJIMA Film Festival," which will be held on December 17, 2023.

What is the 1st KOJIMA Film Festival?

The KOJIMA Film Festival is gearing up for its launch in December 2023.

For more details, please check the KOJIMA Film Festival's official website, which is being updated regularly.

The "wave" that begins with Director Kuwata's film production continues.

Here are some words from Director Kuwata regarding the upcoming KOJIMA Film Festival.

I boldly declare, "I want to make Kojima a film town."

As the first step towards that, I will hold the Kojima Film Festival.

"I want to revitalize Kojima, which has been experiencing a population decline, and bring it back to a vibrant town."

"I want to leave images for the people of Kojima 100 years from now."

"I want to pass down the history of Kojima to the children."

"I want to convey the importance of my hometown," and with such thoughts, I have been making films set in Kojima.

In 2018, "Kamiisan!"

In 2020, "Momono Hime Densetsu Shimotsui."

In 2021, "Ishidan."

In 2022, "Charihen♪," and I have continued to film almost every year.

I want people to come to Kojima after watching my works.

I want Kojima to become a filming location recognized nationwide.

I want those who watch the films to come to this town as tourists.

That way, I hope Kojima will be revitalized.

The road ahead is tough.

But,

that is my dream.

This time, the Kojima Film Festival has two themes.

First, "Local Works."

I believe there are many people across Japan who are making works set in their hometowns.

I want to know how they feel about their hometowns and how they create their works, and I want to see those works.

If possible, I would like to deepen my friendship with the creators.

The other theme is "Special Effects."

In my works, I have had actors from special effects (nationwide) appear.

Thanks to that, I became fascinated with special effects works.

In my second work, "Momono Hime Densetsu Shimotsui," I recklessly challenged special effects.

Most of today's special effects films are CG works, but handmade miniature special effects have the craftsmanship.
For example, even if wires are visible or if it’s a suit actor, there is a dream in that technique.

There is so much more to say about this.

My love for Kojima and my passionate desire to produce films set in Kojima will never cool down.

The KOJIMA Film Festival holds the future of Kojima.

KOJIMA Film Festival Facebook

▼Director Kuwata and Desukappa (the real one)

Approximate Schedule

The announced approximate schedule is as follows.

The host will be Kyoko Fuchimoto.

Selected Films (6 works) Announced (August 6, 2023)

The themes for submissions for the 1st KOJIMA Film Festival are divided into the following two categories, inviting works from around the world.

From a total of 101 submissions, 5 works were selected for the local category and 1 work for the special effects category, making a total of 6 works.

For details about the selected 6 works, please check the KOJIMA Film Festival's website.

Behind the Scenes of Poster Shooting (July 31, 2023)

On July 31, 2023, I was informed that there would be a poster shooting for the 1st KOJIMA Film Festival.

Curious about how it would turn out, I will introduce the poster shooting.

The poster shooting begins based on a sketch by Director Kuwata (below).

The cast for the poster shooting is as follows:

• Director of Photography: G-Panda (a representative mascot of Kojima)
• Cast A: Desukappa (the real one) - Is he the villain in the poster shooting?
• Cast B: Kojimar - In the illustration, she is the woman in the front right. During the shooting, she transformed into a man. Who is the person inside "Kojimar"? I'm curious.
• Script Supervisor: Kyoko Fuchimoto
• Assistant Director: Kanna Fukui
• Sound Engineer: Sakura Suda
• Director: Miki Yosoi

The poster shooting will be handled by Chieko Katayama, who is essential to Kuwata's films.

▼During G-Panda's entrance, Kojimar is helping, while Fuchimoto-san looks on with concern. It’s a bit difficult to walk just a little because visibility is poor.

▼They repeatedly adjust the angle and brightness during the shooting.

▼Don't miss the intense acting guidance by Kojimar.

▼A three-shot of the representative of Kojima, Director Kuwata, G-Panda, and Desukappa, who will liven up Kojima in the future.

▼I couldn't help but take a picture of the preparations in front of the poster. Director Kuwata is helping Kojimar prepare.

This is how the "hero of justice, Kojimar" transforms.

▼Kojimar's transformation item

The handmade item by Akitoshi Otaki, who is the true identity of Kojima.

It is said that Mr. Otaki personally transported it by Shinkansen to prevent it from breaking.

I am amazed at the high quality that seems impossible to create on a low budget (2,000 yen).

Interviews with the Cast

I interviewed the four cast members who participated in the poster shoot about the poster shoot.

Kyoko Fuchimoto

Today, since it was a full-fledged poster shoot, I was happy to participate.

I am looking forward to what kind of movies I will encounter at the first KOJIMA Film Festival to be held in December.

Kana Fukui

I was happy to shoot with members I have co-starred with in a wonderful film festival being held in Kojima.

Also, I saw the real Desukappa for the first time, and the impact is completely different.

It's a bit scary.

I am looking forward to seeing the posters posted in various places and the excitement in Kojima.

Sakura Suda

Today, I was happy to be invited by Director Kuwata for the poster shoot of the first KOJIMA Film Festival, and I am looking forward to the festival.

At the film festival, I will be performing a dance at the opening, so please look forward to it.

Miki Yosoi

Today, I played the role of a film director.

It was my first time filming with a beard attached with glue, so it was itchy.

“I will do my best as a presenter for the film on the day!”

How to Apply for the First KOJIMA Film Festival

Applications for tickets to the film festival will begin on August 4, 2023, from special sponsors, and general sales will start after October 1, 2023.

For sponsors, due to printing arrangements for name listings in the pamphlet, special sponsorship will be accepted until September 30. Additionally, it comes with a special original pass.

▼Details for Sponsors can be found here.

If you are interested, please check the official website.

▼Details for General Sales can be found here.

Pre-sales for general sales will start on October 1, 2023. Seating areas are specified.

Conclusion

This article introduced the "First KOJIMA Film Festival" to be held in the Kojima area of Kurashiki City on December 17, 2023.

On that day, there will be screenings of "Desukappa" and "Dengen Keiji".

It will be a packed day with a Desukappa talk show (featuring director Tomo Hiraguchi and actress Hiroko Sakurai) and screenings of six nominated works.

Of course, I am looking forward to one work from the special effects category and five works that feel the local love as local films.

Just imagining seeing the wonderful scenery and people from each region is exciting.

The film festival will be held in the Kojima area.

Please consider participating from the first part to the second part and help liven up the festival together.

Data for the First KOJIMA Film Festival

Name	First KOJIMA Film Festival
Date	December 17, 2023 (Sunday) from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (tentative)
Location	Kojima Community Exchange Center, Jeans Hall (2-2-38 Ajino, Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture)
Website	KOJIMA Film Festival

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