Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Nominees for 45th Edition

Written by

Posted on

The Japan Academy Film Prize, Japan’s equivalent of the Oscars awarded by the Nippon Academy-sho Association of industry professionals, has announced the candidate list for its 45th edition which honours films released Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2021 that played in a Tokyo cinema at least three times a day for more than two weeks. This year’s big contender is Kazuya Shiraishi’s Last of the Wolves which picks up 13 nominations across 12 categories, while Takahisa Zeze’s In the Wake trails closely behind with 12, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s international festival hit Drive My Car comes in with eight.The awards ceremony hosted by last year’s Best Actress winner Masami Nagasawa and TV presenter Shinichi Hatori will take place at Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa International Convention Center Pamir on 11th March.

Picture of the Year

Animation of the Year

Director of the Year

Screenplay of the Year

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

  • Yuki Amami (What Happened to Our Nest Egg!?)
  • Kasumi Arimura (We Made a Beautiful Bouquet)
  • Mei Nagano (And, the Baton Was Passed)
  • Mayu Matsuoka (Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction)
  • Sayuri Yoshinaga (A Morning of Farewell)

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Satomi Ishihara (And, the Baton Was Passed)
  • Kaya Kiyohara (In the Wake)
  • Mitsuko Kusabue (What Happened to Our Nest Egg!?)
  • Nanase Nishino (Last of the Wolves)
  • Suzu Hirose (A Morning of Farewell)

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction

Outstanding Achievement in Music

  • Taisei Iwasaki & Ludvig Forssell & Yuta Bandoh (Belle)
  • Taro Iwashiro (It’s a Flickering Life)
  • Otomo Yoshihide (We Made a Beautiful Bouquet)
  • Takatsugu Muramatsu (In the Wake)
  • Goro Yasukawa (A Morning of Farewell)
  • Goro Yasukawa (Last of the Wolves)

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Tsutomu Imamura (Last of the Wolves)
  • Takashi Nishimura (It’s a Flickering Life)
  • Tetsuo Harada (Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai)
  • Katsuhiro Fukuzawa (A Morning of Farewell)
  • Fumiko Matsuo (In the Wake)

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording

  • Kadoaki Izuta (recordist) & Miki Nomura (re-recording mixer) (Drive My Car)
  • Tomoharu Urata (Last of the Wolves)
  • Shinya Takada (In the Wake)
  • Shota Nagamura (It’s a Flickering Life)
  • Kenichi Fujimoto (A Morning of Farewell)

Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing

  • Kazuhide Ishijima (It’s a Flickering Life)
  • Hideaki Ohata (A Morning of Farewell)
  • Hitomi Kato (Last of the Wolves)
  • Ryo Hayano (In the Wake)
  • Azusa Yamazaki (Drive My Car)

Outstanding Foreign Language Film

  • Tailor
  • Nomadland
  • Minari
  • No Time to Die
  • Dune

Newcomer of the Year 

Special Award from the Association

(Lifetime achievement awards)

  • Kyoko Obayashi (producer)
  • Toshiyuki Sasatake (artwork type designer)
  • Sadao Tsukioka (animator)

Award for Distinguished Service from the Chairman

(Lifetime achievement awards for contribution to the film industry)

  • Mitsuko Kusabue (actress)
  • Natsuko Toda (subtitler)
  • Teruyo Nogami (production manager for Akira Kurosawa)
  • Masako Nozawa (voice actress)
  • Hanae Mori (costume design)
  • Tsutomu Yamazaki (actor)

Special Award from the Chairman

(Lifetime achievement award presented to members of the film industry who passed away during 2021)

  • Yasuo Otsuka (animator)
  • Masato Hara (producer)
  • Kunie Tanaka (actor)
  • Sonny Chiba (actor)
  • Shinichiro Sawai (director & screenwriter)
  • Tan Takaiwa (producer, former president of Toei Animation)
  • Emi Wada (costume design)

Shigeru Okada Prize

  • Kyoto Animation
  • Toei Animation

Source: Japan Academy Prize official website, Eiga Natalie