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Yoriko Mizushiri's 'Futsū no Seikatsu' Animated Short Wins at Berlin Int'l Film Festival

Yoriko Mizushiri's "Futsū no Seikatsu" ("Ordinary Life") animated short film won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. Director Satoko Yokohama's Seaside Serendipity (Umibe e Iku Michi) live-action film adaptation of Gin Miyoshi's manga of the same title, also received the Special Mention in the Generation Kplus category.

No Japanese film was featured in this year's feature film competition.

Mizushiri's Otawamure animated film won the VR Animation Competition prize at the World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb event in 2021, and her "Fuan na Tai" ("Anxious Body") short won the Jury Mention in the Official Short Films category of the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The Seaside Serendipity film will premiere in Japan in late summer. Miyoshi's Umibe e Iku Michi manga launched in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Beam magazine in 2009. Kadokawa published three compiled book volumes of the series.

Atsushi Wada's "Bird in the Peninsula" animated short premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2022, and Makoto Shinkai's Suzume (Suzume no Tojimari) anime film had its international premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival the following year.

Sources: 75th Berlin International Film Festival's website (link 2), Eiga.com (佐藤久理子)