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49th Japan Academy Film Prize Announces 'Excellence' Award Winners

The Japan Academy Film Prize Association announced on Monday the winners of the "Awards of Excellence" for the 49th annual Japan Academy Film Prizes. These winners go on as nominees for their respective category's "Best Awards." The Award of Excellence winners for Animated Film include the first Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle anime film, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, 100 Meters, Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise, and Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback.

The live-action film of Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters Per Second anime film received Awards of Excellence for Actor Hokuto Matsumura (role of Takaki Tono), Cinematography by Keisuke Imamura, Lighting by Kōshirō Ueno, and New Actor Noa Shiroyama (role of child Akari Shinohara).

The live-action film of KOTAKE CREATE's infinite-loop horror game The Exit 8 (8-Ban Deguchi) earned Awards of Excellence for Editing by Sakura Seya and New Actor Yamato Kochi.

Movies were eligible if they opened in Japan between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

The association will reveal the Best Award winners at a ceremony at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo on March 13.

Last year, Look Back won both the Best Animated Film award and the Creative Contribution award for its key and in-between animation staff.

Sources: Japan Academy Film Prize Association's website, Cinema Today