Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Winners for 45th Edition

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The Japan Academy Film Prize, Japan’s equivalent of the Oscars awarded by the Nippon Academy-sho Association of industry professionals, has announced the winners 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. International festival hit Drive My Car achieves a clean sweep winning in all eight categories for which it was nominated while Kasumi Arimura takes Best Actress for We Made a Beautiful Bouquet.

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 

(Presented to all nominees equally)

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

Popularity Awards

(Decided via public vote)

  • Movie: Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
  • Actor: Masaki Suda (We Made a Beautiful Bouquet)

Japan Academy Film Prize official website, Eiga Natalie