Youkame no Semi Wins Picture of the Year

The awards ceremony for the 35th Japan Academy Prize was held on March 2 in Tokyo. The film Youkame no Semi won the most awards across ten categories, including Picture of the Year and Director of the Year for Narushima Izuru.

Adapted from the novel by author Kakuta Mitsuyo, Youkame no Semi follows the story of a woman who struggles to escape her past after she was kidnapped as a child. Lead actress Inoue Mao and supporting actress Nagasaku Hiromi both won awards for their performances in the movie.

The Best Actor award went to Harada Yoshio, who passed away last July, for his role in the movie Oshika-mura Sodoki. The Best Supporting Actor award went to Denden for the movie Tsumetai Nettaigyo. In the Animation of the Year category, the award went to Kokuriko-zaka Kara (From up on Poppy Hill), while The King's Speech won in the Outstanding Foreign Language Film category.

Posted in: Japan