The Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, has announced the winners for the 67th edition which honours films released in 2024. Unexpected indie hit A Samurai in Time picked up both Best Film and Best Actor while Yu Irie’s A Girl Named Ann took Director and Actress.
Presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the Blue Ribbon Awards has announced its nominations for the 67th edition honouring films released in 2024. This years front runners are Yu Irie’s A Girl Named Ann and Michihito Fujii’s Faceless which each pick up nominations in four categories, while A Samurai in Time, 11 Rebels, and Last Mile are nominated in three.
The Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, has announced the winners for the 66th edition which honours films released in 2023. This year’s big winner was Godzilla Minus One which picked up best film, actor, and supporting actress while Yuya Ishii took the Best Director award for his films The Moon and Masked Hearts.
Presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the Blue Ribbon Awards has announced its nominations for the 66th edition honouring films released in 2023. This year’s front runners are Yuya Ishii’s The Moon and Daishi Matsunaga’s Egoist which each pick up five nominations while Ishii also scores four for Masked Hearts.
Best Film
Masked Hearts – raucous comedy from Yuya Ishii in which a struggling film director returns home.
Ichiko – stage play adaptation starring Hana Sugisaki as a mysterious woman who suddenly disappears.
Egoist– a fashion editor reflects on the nature of love after falling for a personal trainer in Daishi Matsunaga’s deeply moving romantic drama.
Monster – latest from Hirokazu Koreeda starring Sakura Ando as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing changes in her son’s behaviour.
The Dry Spell– a literal drought becomes a metaphor for bureaucratic heartlessness in Masaya Takahashi’s empathetic social drama.
Godzilla Minus One – a kamikaze pilot finds himself haunted by the manifestation of his war trauma in Takashi Yamazaki’s entry into the classic franchise.
Mom, Is That You?! – touching drama from Yoji Yamada starring Sayuri Yoshinaga and Yo Oizumi as mother and son.
(Ab)normal Desire – Yoshiyuki Kishi’s adaptation of the novel by Asai Ryo starring Goro Inagaki and Yui Aragaki which explores the effects of a fetish on the lives of two former classmates.
The Moon – drama from Yuya Ishii starring Rie Miyazawa as a formerly successful writer who begins working at a facility for the severely disabled.
One Last Bloom – boxing drama in which a former contender who lost a match to due to an unfair decision begins training a man who suffered something similar.
Perfect Days – a man in late middle-age quite obviously living in the past begins to wake up to the possibilities of change in Wim Wenders’ Tokyo-set drama.
Bad Lands – fast paced crime thriller from Masato Harada starring Sakura Ando as a conwoman in over her head.
September 2023 – drama depicting the pogroms against Koreans which took place after the 1923 Kanto earthquake.
Do Unto Others – mystery thriller directed by Tetsu Maeda in which a caregiver becomes prime suspect in a series of unexplained deaths.
As Long as We Both Shall Live– a young woman with chronically low self-esteem learns to love herself after bonding with a taciturn nobleman in Ayuko Tsukahara’s adaptation of the light novel series.
The Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, has announced the winners for the 65th edition which honours films released in 2022. Kei Ishikawa’s A Man takes the Best Film prize but Chie Hayakawa walks away with Best Director for Plan 75 which also picks up Best Actress for Chieko Baisho.
Presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the Blue Ribbon Awards has announced its nominations for the 65th edition honouring films released in 2022. This year’s favourite is Kei Ishikawa’s A Man which picks up six nominations, while there is also a strong showing for Ryuichi Hiroki’s Motherhood and mystery drama Missing. Like last year, the physical awards ceremony has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic though the winners are expected to be announced in late February.
Best Film
A Man – latest drama from Kei Ishikawa starring Satoshi Tsumabuki as a lawyer who is drawn into a mystery while investigating a former client’s deceased husband.
Kingdom 2: To Distant Lands – sequel to the popular blockbuster set in Warring States-era China.
Small, Slow But Steady – An aspiring boxer begins to lose the will to fight in Sho Miyake’s empathetic character study. Review.
Missing – a young woman finds herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer while looking for her missing father in Shinzo Katayama’s dark mystery drama. Review.
Silent Parade – long-awaited latest instalment in the Galileo franchise starring Masaharu Fukuyama.
Dr. Coto’s Clinic – sequel to the TV drama from the 2000s revolving around a doctor on a small island.
Plan 75 – an elderly woman finds herself pushed towards voluntary euthanasia by a society driven only by productivity in Chie Hayakawa’s dark dystopian drama. Review.
Motherhood – drama from Ryuichi Hiroki revolving around the suicide of a teenage girl.
Fragments of the Last Will – wartime drama from Takahisa Zeze in which a soldier longs to return home to his wife.
Wandering – drama from Lee Sang-il in which a student takes in a neglected little girl only to be accused of kidnapping.
The Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, has announced the winners for the 64th edition which honours films released in 2021.This year’s big prize went to Kazuya Shirashi’s Blood of Wolves sequel Last of the Wolves, while Miwa Nishikawa picked up Best Director for Under the Open Sky, and Junichi Okada took Best Actor for his role in action comedy sequel, The Fable: A Contract Killer Who Doesn’t Kill.
A Madder Red – latest from Yuya Ishii starring Machiko Ono as a widowed single mother struggling under a highly stratified society in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aristocrats – two women involved with the same man eventually find interclass solidarity in Yukiko Sode’s empathetic critique of a highly stratified and fiercely patriarchal society.
A Morning of Farewell – melodrama from Izuru Narushima starring Sayuri Yoshinaga as a doctor who returns to her hometown and begins working in a local clinic.
The Lone Ume Tree – ’60s New Wave icon Mariko Kaga stars as an ageing woman caring for her autistic son but worrying what will happen when she is no longer able to look after him.
It’s a Flickering Life (God of Cinema) – Yoji Yamada’s adaptation of the novel by Maha Harada starring Kenji Sawada as an ageing movie obsessive with a gambling problem looking back on his younger self (Masaki Suda) and broken cinematic dreams
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko – a resentful teenage girl comes to realise that she really does love her larger than life mum after all in Ayumu Watanabe’s anime adaptation of the Kanako Nishi novel.
Intolerance – drama from Keisuke Yoshida starring Tori Matsuzaka as a supermarket manager whose attempt to catch a teenage shoplifter ends in tragedy while her father (Arata Furuta) relentlessly pursues vengeance.
Under the Open Sky– a pure-hearted man of violence struggles to find his place in society after spending most of his life behind bars in Miwa Nishikawa’s impassioned character study.
And, the Baton Was Passed – comedy from Tetsu Maeda (A Banana? At This Time of Night?) revolving around the close relationship between a high school girl and her step dad.
Drive My Car – a theatre director begins to overcome his sense of inertia after bonding with a young woman hired to drive his car in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s deeply moving drama.
We Made a Beautiful Bouquet – romantic drama from Nobuhiro Doi (Flying Colors) starring Masaki Suda and Kasumi Arimura as a young couple who meet after missing the last train home.
Masquerade Night – sequel to the hugely popular Masquerade Hotel starring Masami Nagasawa and Takuya Kimura.
In the Wake – mystery drama from Takahisa Zeze starring Hiroshi Abe as a detective hot on the trail of suspect Takeru Satoh
Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai – historical drama from Masato Harada starring Junichi Okada as Shinsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo
A Family – Michihito Fujii’s contemporary yakuza epic starring Go Ayano
A Balance – an idealistic documentarian’s journalistic ethics are strained when she uncovers scandal close to home in Yujiro Harumoto’s probing social drama.
Belle – Mamoru Hosoda reinterprets Beauty and the Beast as a grieving young woman becomes an in-app idol star but is also threatened by the presence of a mysterious dragon.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final – concluding chapter of Keishi Ohtomo’s manga adaptation starring Takeru Satoh as the former assassin turned wandering protector.
Presented by the Association of Tokyo Film Journalists, the Blue Ribbon Awards has announced its nominations for the 64th edition honouring films released in 2021. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s international festival hit Drive My Car picks up five nominations as does Michihito Fujii’s A Family with both Hayato Isomura and Hiroshi Tachi nominated in the supporting actor category, while Yuya Ishii’s A Madder Red and Kazuya Shirashi’s Last of the Wolves also make a strong showing. Like last year, the physical awards ceremony has been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic though the winners are expected to be announced in mid-February.
Best Film
A Madder Red – latest from Yuya Ishii starring Machiko Ono as a widowed single mother struggling under a highly stratified society in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aristocrats – two women involved with the same man eventually find interclass solidarity in Yukiko Sode’s empathetic critique of a highly stratified and fiercely patriarchal society.
A Morning of Farewell – melodrama from Izuru Narushima starring Sayuri Yoshinaga as a doctor who returns to her hometown and begins working in a local clinic.
The Lone Ume Tree – ’60s New Wave icon Mariko Kaga stars as an ageing woman caring for her autistic son but worrying what will happen when she is no longer able to look after him.
It’s a Flickering Life (God of Cinema) – Yoji Yamada’s adaptation of the novel by Maha Harada starring Kenji Sawada as an ageing movie obsessive with a gambling problem looking back on his younger self (Masaki Suda) and broken cinematic dreams
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko – a resentful teenage girl comes to realise that she really does love her larger than life mum after all in Ayumu Watanabe’s anime adaptation of the Kanako Nishi novel.
Intolerance – drama from Keisuke Yoshida starring Tori Matsuzaka as a supermarket manager whose attempt to catch a teenage shoplifter ends in tragedy while her father (Arata Furuta) relentlessly pursues vengeance.
Last of the Wolves – no longer an earnest rookie, a corrupted Hioka attempts to keep the peace in Heisei Hiroshima in Kazuya Shirashi’s Blood of Wolves followup.
Under the Open Sky– a pure-hearted man of violence struggles to find his place in society after spending most of his life behind bars in Miwa Nishikawa’s impassioned character study.
And, the Baton Was Passed – comedy from Tetsu Maeda (A Banana? At This Time of Night?) revolving around the close relationship between a high school girl and her step dad.
Drive My Car – a theatre director begins to overcome his sense of inertia after bonding with a young woman hired to drive his car in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s deeply moving drama.
We Made a Beautiful Bouquet – romantic drama from Nobuhiro Doi (Flying Colors) starring Masaki Suda and Kasumi Arimura as a young couple who meet after missing the last train home.
Masquerade Night – sequel to the hugely popular Masquerade Hotel starring Masami Nagasawa and Takuya Kimura.
In the Wake – mystery drama from Takahisa Zeze starring Hiroshi Abe as a detective hot on the trail of suspect Takeru Satoh
Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai – historical drama from Masato Harada starring Junichi Okada as Shinsengumi Vice-Commander Hijikata Toshizo
A Family – Michihito Fujii’s contemporary yakuza epic starring Go Ayano
A Balance – an idealistic documentarian’s journalistic ethics are strained when she uncovers scandal close to home in Yujiro Harumoto’s probing social drama.
Belle – Mamoru Hosoda reinterprets Beauty and the Beast as a grieving young woman becomes an in-app idol star but is also threatened by the presence of a mysterious dragon.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final – concluding chapter of Keishi Ohtomo’s manga adaptation starring Takeru Satoh as the former assassin turned wandering protector.
The Blue Ribbon Awards, presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, has announced the winners for the 63rd edition which honours films released in 2020. Fukushima 50, a tense dramatisation of the efforts to mitigate the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, takes Best Film while Ryota Nakano takes home Best Director for The Asadas, Masami Nagasawa picks up Best Actress for her second consecutive year reprising her role in The Confidence Man JP, and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi takes Best Actor for his role as a transgender woman. Owing to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there will be no physical ceremony for this year’s awards.
Best Film
Fukushima 50 – Setsuro Wakamatsu draws inspiration from Ryusho Kadota’s nonfiction book to pay tribute to the workers who stayed behind during the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Best 10
Presented in no particular order.
True Mothers – heartbreaking drama from Naomi Kawase in which a young couple adopt a baby only for the birth mother to resurface
The Asadas – latest from Ryota Nakano starring Kazunari Ninomiya inspired by the life of photographer Masashi Asada.
Underdog – boxing drama from Masaharu Take.
Ito – Heisei love story inspired by the classic Miyuki Nakajima song, directed by Takahisa Zeze, and starring Nana Komatsu & Masaki Suda
Theatre: A Love Story – A self-obsessed writer slowly destroys the joy and hope of a woman he claims to love then turns it into art in Isao Yukisada’s dark romance
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train – record breaking movie of the hit TV anime in which a boy in the Taisho era tries to heal his younger sister after she is turned into a demon
Wife of a Spy – 8K wartime drama from Kiyoshi Kurosawa in which Yu Aoi tries to stop her husband Issey Takahashi from blowing the whistle after witnessing atrocity in Manchuria.
The Voice of Sin – Shun Oguri stars as a reporter investigating a 30-year-old unsolved case.
Fukushima 50 – Setsuro Wakamatsu draws inspiration from Ryusho Kadota’s nonfiction book to pay tribute to the workers who stayed behind during the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant.
Midnight Swan – ex-SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi stars as a transgender woman who takes in a little girl neglected by her parents.
Best 10 Runners up
Presented in no particular order
A Beloved Wife – An unsuccessful screenwriter is henpecked by his understandably irate sake-guzzling wife in this autobiographical take on a toxic marriage.
Kyou Kara Ore Wa!!: The Movie – big screen outing for the TV drama adaptation of the high school delinquent manga by Hiroyuki Nishimori directed by Yuichi Fukuda..
The Confidence Man JP: Princess – sequel in which the gang of scammers try their luck in Malaysia
Any Crybabies Around? – a young man flees his family in embarrassment after going viral for getting drunk and being naked at a festival only to return two years later to make it up to them.
Presented by film critics and writers in Tokyo, the Blue Ribbon Awards has announced its nominations for the 63rd edition honouring films released in 2020 which has admittedly been a difficult year though as the list of nominees demonstrates nevertheless a strong one for cinema. This year there will be no physical ceremony but the winners are expected to be announced in mid-February.
Best Film
True Mothers – heartbreaking drama from Naomi Kawase in which a young couple adopt a baby only for the birth mother to resurface
The Asadas – latest from Ryota Nakano starring Kazunari Ninomiya inspired by the life of photographer Masashi Asada.
Underdog – boxing drama from Masaharu Take.
Ito – Heisei love story inspired by the classic Miyuki Nakajima song, directed by Takahisa Zeze, and starring Nana Komatsu & Masaki Suda
A Beloved Wife – An unsuccessful screenwriter is henpecked by his understandably irate sake-guzzling wife in this autobiographical take on a toxic marriage.
Kyou Kara Ore Wa!!: The Movie – big screen outing for the TV drama adaptation of the high school delinquent manga by Hiroyuki Nishimori directed by Yuichi Fukuda.
Theatre: A Love Story – A self-obsessed writer slowly destroys the joy and hope of a woman he claims to love then turns it into art in Isao Yukisada’s dark romance
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train – record breaking movie of the hit TV anime in which a boy in the Taisho era tries to heal his younger sister after she is turned into a demon.
The Confidence Man JP: Princess – sequel in which the gang of scammers try their luck in Malaysia
Wife of a Spy – 8K wartime drama from Kiyoshi Kurosawa in which Yu Aoi tries to stop her husband Takahashi Issei from blowing the whistle after witnessing atrocity in Manchuria.
The Voice of Sin – Shun Oguri stars as a reporter investigating a 30-year-old unsolved case.
Any Crybabies Around? – a young man flees his family in embarrassment after going viral for getting drunk and being naked at a festival only to return two years later to make it up to them.
Fukushima 50– Setsuro Wakamatsu draws inspiration from Ryusho Kadota’s nonfiction book to pay tribute to the workers who stayed behind during the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Mother – Masami Nagasawa stars as an abusive mother who pushes her teenage son towards murder.
Mishima: The Last Debate – documentary focussing on Yukio Mishima’s address to the students at the University of Tokyo in 1969
Midnight Swan – ex-SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi stars as a transgender woman who takes in a little girl neglected by her parents.
Minoriyuku – drama about an apple farmer who was born with a stammer and dreams of becoming a comedian.
Mio’s Cookbook – Haruki Kadokawa period drama in which a woman who lost her parents in a flood discovers a talent for cooking.
Yowamushi Pedal – live action adaptation of the popular high school bicycle racing manga.
Windows on Worlds 