Over 25,200 viewers in 6 days / first Nippon Online Award presented

Download pdf

The 20th Nippon Connection Film Festival, which took place from June 9 through 14, 2020, draws a positive conclusion for its first digital edition. After six days, the online edition of the largest Japanese film festival worldwide ended with a record of over 25,200 viewers. In total, Internet users from around 40 countries watched the festival films and the cultural supporting program online. 

The film program with over 70 short and feature length films from Japan was made available online for the first time via the streaming platform Vimeo to a worldwide audience. More than 15,200 Video on Demand views of the films, most of which were shown as German, European or international premieres, were called up. The daily program Nippon Connected offering concerts, performances, lectures, panel discussions and workshops was seen live by about 10,000 viewers. Numerous artists, musicians and filmmakers from all over the world were connected: from Vancouver to Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa. Interviews, video messages and recordings of the live events are available on the festival's YouTube channel.

Director Tokachi Tsuchiya received the first Nippon Online Award for his documentary film An Ant Strikes Back. By voting online the audience could decide who should receive the award. All feature films in the Nippon Visions and Nippon Docs sections were nominated. The winning film accompanies the employee of a moving company in his fight against the humiliating working conditions in his company. The prize, a subtitling for the next film, is donated by the Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy (JVTA) from Tokyo. 

The Nippon Connection Online team has taken a new and challenging path this year due to Corona restrictions and moved its program online in less than three months. Thanks to the support of partners, sponsors and the great response of the audience, the team was able to create a successful online edition and is overwhelmed by the high demand and positive feedback. The festival organizers nevertheless hope that the next edition can take place again in the cinemas and venues in Frankfurt am Main. The date is already set: From June 1 to 6, 2021, the 21st Nippon Connection Film Festival once again invites you to discover the multi-faceted culture of Japan.

The Festival

The Japanese film festival Nippon Connection is organized by a 70-person team of the non-profit association Nippon Connection e.V. and is mainly organized by volunteers. It is under the patronage of Peter Feldmann, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, Angela Dorn, Hessian Minister for Science and Art, and the Japanese Consulate General in Frankfurt am Main.