Okinawa International Movie Festival
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Main stage at the 3rd Okinawa International Movie Festival, 2011
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| Location | Okinawa Island, Japan |
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| Language | International |
| Website | http://www.oimf.jp |
The Okinawa International Movie Festival is an annual Film Festival held in Ginowan City and Naha City on the Japanese island of Okinawa Island. The festival was founded by Japanese century-old comedy-entertainment giant Yoshimoto Kogyo in 2009 and focuses on comedy films from around the world, with the theme of "Laugh & Peace".
It is held each year at the Okinawa Convention Center and Sakurazaka Theater with indoor and outdoor screenings of film premieres and recent movies from Japan and abroad. It also hosts fashion, music and trade shows and has been likened to a Japanese matsuri in atmosphere.
The most prestigious award given out at the Okinawa International Movie Festival is the Golden Shisa Award for the best film, selected by a jury.
The 8th Okinawa International Film Festival was held from April 21, 2016 until April 24, 2016.
The concept for the festival was inspired by a visit to Cannes Film Festival by Yoshimoto Kogyo CEO Hiroshi Osaki. While watching the premiere of Hitoshi Matsumoto's Dai Nipponjin he considered that the cost of making a film was higher than of putting on a festival, and so to allow people to enjoy watching films, perhaps his company could arrange their own.
Yoshimoto Kogyo, which was started by Sei and Kichibei Yoshimoto in 1912 with a rakugo theater in the grounds Tenmangu Shrine in Osaka, had been expanding throughout the 2000s with hundreds of new comedians graduating each year from New Star Creation, Yoshimoto's entertainment school. In addition it had spread out to manage athletes, producers and musicians, and two theatres in each of Tokyo and Osaka.
With Busan Film Festival director Kim Dong-ho as a patron for the Okinawa International Movie Festival, he was able to give valuable advice while other staff brought expertise from Tokyo International Film Festival. The 1st Okinawa International Movie Festival took place over four days from March 19–22, 2009 at the American Village at Mihama Chatan-cho in Okinawa City.
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