SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL IN HOLLYWOOD to Take Place on January 17

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & Asia) have partnered to showcase Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood on January 17, 2019. The free one-day film festival will bring together premier film talent from Japan, including Cannes Film Festival judge Naomi Kawase and actor and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) member Tetsuya Bessho, at the historic TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. The two-part program aims to bring a sense of intrigue and cultural discovery to festival attendees through the art of short contemporary visual storytelling.

The festival opens with Master Class with Naomi Kawase: The Possibilities of Film, as celebrated Japanese female director Naomi Kawase presents her unique insight on the future of film and explores the short film format, followed by a discussion with Akira Mizuta Lippit, the Vice Dean and Professor of School of Cinematic Arts and Division of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California. This special program offers a rare classroom-like environment in a theatre, as it invites the audience to participate in a live dialogue with the director and is also set as the U.S. premier of her film Parallel World (2017).

The Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood film screening will follow as it features the U.S. premier of Daishi Matsunaga's "Canaria" (2018); "Benjamin's Last Day at Katong Swimming Complex" (2017) by Yee Wei Chai, 2018 SSFF & Asia's Grand Prix George Lucas Award winner; "Lies" (2015) by Naomi Kawase; and "The Human Face" (2017) by Aline Pimentel, multiple award-winning short documentary about Kazuhiro Tsuji, the first person of Japanese and Asian descent to win the Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar at the 2018 Academy Awards and starring film director Guillermo Del Toro, Oscar-winning artist Kazuhiro Tsuji, actor Gary Oldman, and artist Chet Zar. The program will be accompanied by introductions made by special guests representing respective films.

SSFA & Asia has grown exponentially since it was established to promote short films to the Japanese audience in 1999. The festival first debuted outside of Asia in Hollywood in 2002, and JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to bring this festival back with its founder, Tetsuya Bessho, to provide an interactive platform to share Japanese culture through the form of short films.

2019 SHORT SHORTS FILL FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Master Class with Naomi Kawase: The Possibilities of Film

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. | TCL Chinese 6 Theatres | Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Level 3

Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood

6:30 - 8:00 p.m. | TCL Chinese 6 Theatres | Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Level 3

• "Canaria" (2018) by Daishi Matsunaga
• "Benjamin's Last Day at Katong Swimming Complex" (2017) by Yee-Wei Chai
• "The Human Face" (2017) by Aline Pimentel
• "Lies" (2015) by Naomi Kawase

Free admission. Reserve tickets at www.japanhousela.com

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs - London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo - conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Kenya Hara is Chief Creative Director for the project, which seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland, with the 2nd floor featuring a gallery space and shop. The 5th floor hosts a Japanese restaurant, relaxing library, and event space, along with spectacular views of Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. The 2nd floor has been open since December 2017, and with the completion of the 5th floor, JAPAN HOUSE celebrated its grand opening in August 2018, offering the public a place of new discovery that transcends the physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Website: www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia was founded in 1999 by actor and director Tetsuya Bessho, with the aim of introducing Japanese audiences to short films. In 2004 it became an Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences-accredited festival. The festival has received over 10,000 short film submissions from over 130 countries since inception, and has attracted 400,000 participants the last 20 years. For more information, visit http://shortshorts.org/20th/en/index.html.

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