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The 42nd Japan Academy Prize was presented at Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa on 1st March, 2019. Hirokazu Koreeda swept the board for a second year in a row with his Palme d’Or winning family drama Shoplifters which picked up eight awards including Picture, Director, Actress, and Supporting Actress. Meanwhile, Kazuya Shirashi’s retro gangster epic The Blood of Wolves picked up prizes for both of its leading men as well as a handful of technical awards.
Picture of the Year
- One Cut of the Dead (Shinichirou Ueda)
- Sakura Guardian in the North (Yojiro Takita)
- The Blood of Wolves (Kazuya Shiraishi)
- Recall (Katsuhide Motoki)
- Shoplifters (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Animation of the Year
- Dragon Ball Super: Broly (Tatsuya Nagamine)
- Penguin Highway (Hiroyasu Ishida)
- Mirai (Mamoru Hosoda)
- Detective Conan: Zero The Enforcer (Yuzuru Tachikawa)
- Okko’s Inn (Kitaro Kosaka)
Director of the Year
- Shinichirou Ueda (One Cut of the Dead)
- Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters)
- Kazuya Shiraishi (The Blood of Wolves)
- Yojiro Takita (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Katsuhide Motoki (Recall)
Best Screenplay
- Junya Ikegami (The Blood of Wolves)
- Shinichirou Ueda (One Cut of the Dead)
- Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters)
- Machiko Nasu (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Tamio Hayashi (Recall)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
- Junichi Okada (Samurai’s Promise)
- Hiroshi Tachi (Life in Overtime)
- Takayuki Hamatsu (One Cut of the Dead)
- Koji Yakusho (The Blood of Wolves)
- Lily Franky (Shoplifters)
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
- Sakura Ando (Shoplifters)
- Haru Kuroki (Every Day a Good Day)
- Ryoko Shinohara (The House Where the Mermaid Sleeps)
- Mayu Matsuoka (Tremble All You Want)
- Sayuri Yoshinaga (Sakura Guardian in the North)
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
- Ittoku Kishibe (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Dean Fujioka (Recall)
- Hidetoshi Nishijima (Life in Overtime)
- Kazunari Ninomiya (Killing for the Prosecution)
- Tori Matsuzaka (The Blood of Wolves)
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
- Kirin Kiki (Every Day a Good Day, Shoplifters)
- Ryoko Shinohara (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Kyoko Fukada (Recall)
- Yoko Maki (The Blood of Wolves)
- Mayu Matsuoka (Shoplifters)
Outstanding Achievement in Music
- Kei Ogura, Katsu Hoshi, Shogo Kaida (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Takashi Kako (Samurai’s Promise)
- Nobuhiro Suzuki, Shoma Ito, Kyle Nagai (One Cut of the Dead)
- Haruomi Hosono (Shoplifters)
- Goro Yasukawa (The Blood of Wolves, Recall)
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
- Daisaku Kimura (Samurai’s Promise)
- Ryuto Kondo (Shoplifters)
- Takeshi Sone (One Cut of the Dead)
- Takahiro Haibara (The Blood of Wolves)
- Takeshi Hamada (Sakura Guardian in the North)
Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction
- Kenjiro So (Samurai’s Promise)
- Isamu Fujii (Shoplifters)
- Minoru Kawai (The Blood of Wolves)
- Hitoshi Takaya (Sakura Guardian in the North)
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
- Tsutomu Imamura (The Blood of Wolves)
- Takashi Nishimura (Recall)
- Mitsuo Harada (Samurai’s Promise)
- Kyoko Heya (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Keiko Mitsumatsu (Shoplifters)
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording
- Kazuharu Urata (The Blood of Wolves)
- Osamu Onodera (Sakura Guardian in the North)
- Kazuhiro Kurihara (Recall)
- Kokichi Komoda (One Cut of the Dead)
- Kazuhiko Tomita (Shoplifters)
Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing
- Shinichirou Ueda (One Cut of the Dead)
- Hitomi Kato (The Bloood of Wolves)
- Isao Kawase (Recall)
- Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters)
- Lee Yeong-mi (Sakura Guardian in the North)
Newcomer of the Year
(awarded to all nominees equally – announced along with nominations)
- Moka Kamishiraishi (A Forest of Wool and Steel)
- Shuri (Love At Least)
- Yurina Hirate (Hibiki)
- Kyoko Yoshine (Kasane, Samurai’s Promise)
- Kentaro (Cafe Funiculi Funicula)
- Taishi Nakagawa (Kids on the Slope, Lock-On Love)
- Ryo Narita (Stolen Identity, The Antique)
- Ryo Yoshizawa (River’s Edge)
Special Award of Honour from the Association
(Lifetime achievement awards – technical fields)
- Yasuo Otsuka (animator)
- Tadashi Kanada (still photography)
- Tsutomu Sakurai (producer)
- Keisuke Chiyoda (costuming)
Special Award of Honour from the Chairman
(Lifetime achievement awards celebrating contribution to the film industry)
- Mariko Okada (actress and producer)
- Keiko Kishi (actress)
- Junya Sato (director and screenwriter)
- Kiju Yoshida (director and screenwriter)
Special Award from the Chairman
(Lifetime achievement award presented to members of the film industry who passed away during 2018)
- Isao Takahata (animation director)
- Yuriko Hoshi (actress)
- Masahito Tsugawa (actor)
- Kirin Kiki (actress)
- Sadaji Yoshida (cinematographer)
- Mitsuru Kurosawa (producer)
In Memoriam
(special section commemorating previous winners of the special awards who passed away in 2018)
- Tadashi Sawashima (director)
- Chuji Kinoshita (composer)
- Shinobu Hashimoto (screenwriter, director, and producer)
Special In Memoriam
- Masayuki Nagare (world renowned sculptor and founding member of the Japan Academy Prize as well as the designer of the trophy).
Popularity Awards
(nominated by an All Night Nippon audience poll)
Movie: One Cut of the Dead
Actor: Kentaro (Cafe Funiculi Funicula)
