Japan Academy Film Prize Announces Animation Nominees

Organisations from all over the world get involved with the hubbub of the film awards season. This week it's the turn of the Japan Academy Film Prize to reveal their nominations. The Animation Of The Year category has been largely dominated by Studio Ghibli and Mamoru Hosoda since its introduction ten years ago. This year however, neither has a film in the running so it will be a chance for another filmmaker to get the glory.

And that filmmaker will almost certainly be Makoto Shinkai, as Your Name is among the nominees. As it's currently Japan's second highest-grossing film of all time and a critical success too, it has to be considered the front-runner by some way.


The other nominees are In This Corner Of The World, A Silent Voice, One Piece Film Gold and Rudolph to Ippaiattena. While the other films may be familiar name the latter (Rudolph The Black Cat) is a CGI film based on a popular kid's book. You can see the trailer below.




Elsewhere, Zootopia picked up a nomination in the category for best foreign film (where it rubs shoulders with the unlikely mix of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Martian, Sully and The Revenant) adding another nomination to its ever growing tally.

Unlike in other awards ceremonies, in the JAFP, all nominees are given  "awards of excellence", and then an overall winner will be awarded at the ceremony on March 3rd.

[source]