Dance Performance Group “Zunchacha” 〜 Wins Gold in Two Categories at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards!

Do you know Zunchacha, a dance performance group based in Okayama and Kurashiki, led by Suhara Yoshimi, who is from Kurashiki City?

For more about Zunchacha, be sure to check out our article published in May 2025.

Dance performance group “Zunchacha” — Dancing with youthful spirit for life! 30 years of pursuing their own way

“So this is dance, too!” “It somehow lifts your spirits!” “For some reason, I felt soothed!” When I first encountered a Zunchacha performance, I thought contemporary dance was difficult to understand…

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Astonishingly, Zunchacha has achieved an outstanding feat on the world stage.

At the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, held in Cannes, France, on September 24 and 25, 2025, a video featuring Zunchacha as performers won the Gold Dolphin in both the Web Documentary category and the Lifestyle, Art, Music & Culture category.

The Gold Dolphin is equivalent to the “Gold Award,” presented to particularly outstanding works in each category. It is a recognition of the value of Zunchacha’s work.

When I interviewed them previously, I also heard about their plans to enter international competitions. Wanting as many people as possible to know about this remarkable achievement, I visited Suhara again.

What are the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards?

Before hearing Suhara’s words of joy, here is an overview of the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards and the award-winning work, PROCESSION – Zunchacha 30-year history.

The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards is an international film festival recognizing corporate films and news documentaries, held in Cannes, a city on the French Riviera in southern France.

Founded in 2010, it has become a showcase for international trends in corporate video, receiving entries from all five continents.

The judging panel includes experienced judges such as Academy Award and Emmy Award winners, as well as business communications experts. The awards are also known for selecting high-quality works.

The trophies awarded are “Dolphins” in black, blue, silver, and gold, while the top prize is the “White Dolphin.”

“PROCESSION -Zunchacha 30-year history-”: 30 years of Zunchacha

The award-winning work “PROCESSION -Zunchacha 30-year history-” grew out of the video production project PROCESSION, which was carried out from 2023 to 2024.

Zunchacha, photographer and filmmaker/director Kimura Takuma, and musician Matsushita Toru joined forces to pursue a new form of expression combining video, music, and dance, with the aim of entering international video competitions in Cannes, New York, and elsewhere.

We also recommend watching not only the award-winning work, but also the color version, “PROCESSION Planeta matris,” and the making-of video, “another PROCESSION,” as well as viewing them together.

The creators’ passion comes through even more deeply.

Interview with Zunchacha leader Suhara Yoshimi about her joy

We spoke with Zunchacha leader Suhara Yoshimi about her joy.

A dream you dream alone is just a dream; a dream you dream together becomes reality

Congratulations on your award. How did you feel the moment your name was called at the venue?

Suhara (honorifics omitted)

When we received the award in the first category, Web Documentary, the announcement came right at the beginning. I was so surprised and excited that I was, well, “speechless”—or rather, apparently I kept bowing over and over while screaming. I’m Japanese (laughs).

The Gold Award was the prize we had dreamed of winning, and there was very little information about Japanese winners, so I thought it would be incredibly difficult. After receiving the award, I came to my senses and hurriedly sent the news to our friends in Japan. As messages of congratulations kept arriving, the reality of winning began to sink in.

Kimura Takuma, who handled filming, editing, and directing, submitted the work in two categories. We received Gold in both the category focused on Zunchacha’s journey so far and the category focused on the artistic quality of the video as a whole. It felt as though all the hard work by the entire production team had paid off.

There is a quote by John Lennon: “A dream you dream alone is just a dream; a dream you dream together becomes reality.” I was truly happy to share the moment our dream came true with my friends.

When your name was called and you went up on stage as a winner, how did you feel about the audience’s reaction and the atmosphere?

Suhara

When we were called for the second category, Lifestyle, Art, Music & Culture, I was a little calmer, so I remember the audience’s reaction.

We had been spinning around and making big reactions before we went on stage, so everyone laughed and gave us lots of warm applause. I had never even imagined being congratulated by people from another country in my life. It was a first for me, and I was deeply moved by their warmth.

Looking back after receiving the award, when Zunchacha took part in “PROCESSION,” what did you particularly value or focus on?

Suhara

As Zunchacha, we always value “giving everything our all,” not just for this project. Starting several months before the shoot, we repeatedly went to Sami Beach in Kurashiki to train our bodies to adapt to the unpredictable natural conditions and explore with the members what kinds of movements we could do in nature.

Kimura always respected our area of expertise—creating movement—so we freely prepared our movements. But on the day, we filmed amid a sandstorm and heavy rain and winds severe enough to be considered a disaster. In the end, I think both the dancers and the filming crew accepted the natural conditions of that moment, sharpened our senses, and gave it our all.

After that, Matsushita Toru, who was in charge of the music, drew inspiration from Kimura’s rough-cut footage and created several tracks.

I think the work brought together the individual ideas and priorities of all involved because Kimura, Matsushita, and Zunchacha had a relationship in which they respected one another without dismissing one another.

What do you think was the deciding factor behind this award?

Suhara

I think a major deciding factor was that Kimura and Matsushita brought their sensibilities to the material that is Zunchacha. They expanded the world of our physical expression through a sensibility that wasn’t from a dancer’s perspective.

Also, the entrants were all people active at the forefront of national broadcasting and video production in their respective countries, and every work was wonderful. But many were over an hour long, so a five-minute work like ours seems to have been unusual.

I feel that it was also a good thing that Kimura carefully refined the work through trial and error, bringing it to its final five-minute length. One viewer shared this reaction: “I was moved by this pure work, which didn’t feel driven by money or business.”

We probably had the smallest budget and production team, but knowing that people understood our ambition to “share our work with the world from Okayama!” and our pure passion gave us dreams and hope for taking on the world stage.

Grateful to everyone who supports Zunchacha

What would you like to say to your friends, family, associates, and fans who celebrated the award with you?

Suhara

I simply want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family, associates, and everyone who has supported Zunchacha for 29 years. We’ve received many warm congratulatory messages, and I can’t thank everyone enough.

I’ll continue working hard to bring people something uplifting through dance and to pursue activities that will earn your continued support. Thank you for being with us.

To my fellow creators Kimura and Matsushita, yukiwo, our support staff, and the Zunchacha members who performed:

We shared our work with the world from Okayama! Thank you, everyone!
And congratulations to all of you!

Finally, could you tell us what audiences can look forward to at the 30th anniversary performance in February 2026?

Suhara

Thanks to everyone, Zunchacha will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026.
Our 30th anniversary performance, our first solo show in four years, will be held at Kurashiki Geibunkan Hall on Sunday, February 8, 2026, hosted by Ars Kurashiki.

The main work, a stage adaptation of our award-winning “PROCESSION -Zunchacha 30-year history-,” is titled “PROCESSION neo.” We hope to bring you a new dance work that fuses Kimura’s visually stunning world with live performance.

We began creating two more works of entertainment unique to Zunchacha in November 2024.

In conjunction with the 30th anniversary performance, a video exhibition (free admission) will also be held at Kurashiki Geibunkan Eye Theater for three days, from Friday, February 6 to Sunday, February 8. The videos, including the award-winning work and a feature-length director’s cut by Kimura, are scheduled to be screened on a 360-inch screen, like those in a movie theater.

We’re truly fortunate to be able to hold these two events at the same time. With gratitude for Ars Kurashiki’s support, we intend to give it our all and make this a culmination of Zunchacha’s 30 years.

We hope many people will come to both the 30th anniversary performance and the video exhibition.

A comment from cinematographer and editor Kimura Takuma

Cinematographer and editor Kimura Takuma also shared a comment with us.

What theme did you have in mind when making the film?

Kimura (surname only)

The theme of “PROCESSION” for me is “reincarnation.” I filmed and edited it while picturing someone walking, struggling, and resisting relentlessly in order to be reborn as a new self, searching for where they came from and where they are going.

As the director, what do you think was the deciding factor in winning the award?

Kimura

I think our work “stood out” in a good way. The vast majority of entries were made by broadcasters around the world, and many were businesslike productions with generous budgets and schedules. Our work, by contrast, was made with minimal funding and staff. We took it on with the conviction that “no one could match our passion.”

I feel that enjoying the process of bringing to life “what we truly wanted to create” led to a good result.

Also, the essence of contemporary dance—“expressing yourself freely, as you feel”—matched my visuals and Zunchacha’s 30-year history, allowing it to come together naturally as a documentary.

Zunchacha 30th Anniversary Performance “ZUNCHACHA Side Story / PROCESSION neo”

From the Writer

I first learned about Zunchacha more than two years ago through an interview for another publication. Since then, I’d casually followed their activities on Instagram, so when the news of their “award” suddenly popped up, I couldn’t help exclaiming, “Seriously!?”

When I asked to interview them again for Kurashiki Tocotoco in March this year (2025), they graciously agreed. I’m very happy to have had the chance to share their appeal in words once again.

What appears in an article is actually only a small part of the conversation. During the interview, so much more passion and feeling poured out, and hearing it all made me realize I’d become personally invested in their story.

As Zunchacha reaches the milestone of its 30th anniversary, I wonder what new horizons lie ahead. I look forward to interviewing them again and sharing that moment in words.

Zunchacha details

Organization	Zunchacha
Industry	Contemporary dance / dance studio
Representative	Suhara Yoshimi
Established	1996
Address	2-18-3 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, CHIMI STUDIO
Contact	086-425-0737
Website	ZUNCHACHA website

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