March 12, 2013

The Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese government announced the 30 winners of the 63rd Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) Art Encouragement Prizes on March 12, 2013. This year's winner of the MEXT Art Encouragement New Talent Prize in the Media Arts category is director Hiroyuki Okiura for his work on his second directorial effort, A Letter to Momo.

The jury commented the award as follows:
"It can no longer be ignored that the outstanding craftsmanship and tireless efforts of many professional artists in the animation industry in this country have greatly contributed to the spreading of the Cool Japan image abroad. Hiroyuki Okiura is undoubtedly a major presence among them. He took the challenge of conceiving, writing and directing his own work. And by making full use of the two hours of the movie's runtime, he succeeded in convincingly portraying the coming of age of the young protagonist, Momo Miyaura. There's enough to thrill any film producer around."

The MEXT Art Encouragement Prizes began in 1950, and the Rookie Award was added in the 1960s. This is the fifth year in which prizes were awarded in the Media Arts category, which focuses on newer expressions of art through media such as animation, manga, and video game art.

Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs official website (Japanese only):
http://www.bunka.go.jp/

© 2012 "A Letter to Momo" Film Partners