| 4th Okinawa International Movie Festival | |
| Opening: | |
| Closing: | A Simple Life |
| Location: | Okinawa Island, Japan |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| Awards: | Golden Shisa Award (A Simple Life) |
| Date: | March 24 – 31, 2012 |
| Website: | http://www.oimf.jp |
The 4th Okinawa International Movie Festival was held from March 24 to March 31, 2012[1] and took place at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan City and Sakurazaka Theater in Naha, owned and run by Japanese director Yuji Nakae. Total attendance was 410,000.
The fourth Okinawa International Movie Festival also included 'Okinawa Contents Land', in which 50 companies from around Asia showcased their products and services.[2] Other events included the Pachinko Movie Awards for gamblers, a fashion show led by model and singer Anna Tsuchiya, live music and comedy from Okinawan artists Rimi Natsukawa and Begin, and the Okinawa Elementary School Movie Festival, which nurtures filmmakers of the future.[3]
26 films were screened in competition, The Golden Shisa Award going to A Simple Life by director Ann Hui from Hong Kong.
The official selection of films was broken into two categories, Laugh and Peace, each with 13 entrants. The former focuses on comedy films, while the latter includes dramas and documentaries with elements of comedy. Organizers focused on Asian films for this edition of the festival.[2] Before each screening, every film was introduced by one of Yoshimoto Kogyo's comedians.[4] 102 films in total were shown.[5]
The following films were selected as In Competition for the Laugh Category:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country/countries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All's Well, Ends Well 2012 | 八星抱喜 | Hing Ka Chan & Janet Chun | Hong Kong | |
| Ah! Minister | あぁ...閣議 | Daiya Goriki | Japan | |
| The Bridal Night and The Lotus Root! | 初夜と蓮根 | Masahiro Yamaguchi | Japan | |
| Endless Stage | 営業１００万回 | Koichi Hamatani | Japan | |
| Go Ahead of the Limit | ロケみつＴＨＥ ＭＯＶＩＥ このさきのむこうに | Hiroshi Arimoto | Japan | |
| Nasi Lemak 2.0 | 辣死你妈 | Malaysia | ||
| Hi-Zai | ハイザイ 神さまの言うとおり | Shuhei Fukanaga | Japan | |
| Penny Pinchers | 티끌모아 로맨스 | Kim Jung-hwan | South Korea | |
| Private Benjamin | The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin ' | Philippines | ||
| SuckSeed | SuckSeed ห่วยขั้นเทพ ' | Chayanop Boonprakob | Thailand | |
| Tabakoi: The Love Story that Begins with Cigarettes | タバコイ ～タバコで始まる恋物語～ ' | Michinari Nakagawa | Japan | |
| Bridesmaids | United States | |||
| Ready | রেডি ' | India |
The following films were selected as In Competition for the Peace Category:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blazing Famiglia | 莫逆家族 バクギャクファミーリア | Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Japan | |
| Dream in the Rising Sun | ヒノマル♪ドリーム | Yuji Gobuichi | Japan | |
| Love Is Not Blind | 失恋33天 | Teng Hautao | China | |
| Joyful Reunion | 饮食男女2012 (Yin Shi Nan Nv 2012) | Jui-Yuan Tsao | Taiwan, China | |
| A Letter to Momo | ももへの手紙 | Japan | ||
| Potechi | ポテチ | Japan | ||
| Signal | シグナル 月曜日のルカ | Masaaki Taniguchi | Japan | |
| A Simple Life | 桃姐 (Tao Jie) | China, Hong Kong | ||
| Working Holiday | ワーキング・ホリデー | Koichi Okamoto | Japan | |
| The Artist | The Artist | France | ||
| Attack the Block | United Kingdom | |||
| Café de Flore | Canada | |||
| Hysteria | United States, United Kingdom |
The following films were screened out of competition:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grap Freeter Toki | グラッフリーター刀牙 | Kenichi Fujiwara | Japan | |
| Empty | からっぽ | Shogo Kusano | Japan |
The Laugh Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix went to Thai musical drama SuckSeed directed by Chayanop Boonprakob.
The Peace Category Uminchu Prize Grand Prix was won by A Simple Life directed by Ann Hui.