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Uzumasa Limelight, Giovanni's Island, Rurouni Kenshin Win Fantasia Awards
posted on by Egan Loo
Ken Ochiai's live-action Uzumasa Limelight film won the Cheval Noir award for Best Film at the 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal last week, while Mizuho Nishikubo's Giovanni's Island (pictured right) and Keishi Ōtomo's Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (below) also garnered honors. Seizo Fukumoto earned the Best Actor Award for Uzumasa Limelight, and Miyuki Oshima won the Best Actress Award for Fuku-chan of Fuku-fuku Flats.
Giovanni's Island received the Satoshi Kon Prize for Excellence in Animation in the animated feature category, and it also tied with Bill Plympton's Cheatin' for the Audience Award in the animated film category. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno earned the Bronze Audience Award in Asian Film, under the Gold winner Miss Granny by director Hwang Dong-hyuk.
The festival gave Mamoru Oshii a lifetime achievement award before a special screening of the new HD master of his Ghost in the Shell film on July 17. The festival also hosted the international premiere of Ralph Ziman's live-action Kite film, the North American premiere of Toshiaki Toyoda's Crows Explode ( the third live-action film inspired by Hiroshi Takahashi's Crows fighting manga), the Canadian premiere of Hideo Nakata's Monsterz film, and screenings of Noboru Iguchi's Live, Eisuke Naito's Puzzle, and Daigo Matsui's Sweet Poolside films.
Sources: Sports Nippon, Variety
