Hello, this is Izumitani from Ehime Film Commission.
On June 26, 2025, the NPO Japan Film Commission General Assembly was held, at which I announced my transition out of the presidency, effective June 30. I’ll write more about that in a separate post.
After the assembly and symposium, my final duty as president was to present the awards at the 11th Japan FC Awards ceremony.
The Japan FC Awards celebrate the achievements of film commissions across the country. The program began ten years ago, at a time when FCs were evaluated purely on how many productions they attracted. But our contributions go beyond that — we help bring regional character to the screen, support local economic activity, and promote areas in ways that last well beyond a production’s release date. The awards were created to recognize this broader value, and to send a message to every FC in the country: keep going.
The evaluation criteria are: – Outstanding discovery of filming locations – Achievement in large-scale production or creative problem-solving – Effective use of supported productions for regional promotion – Effective use of supported productions for regional revitalization
Here are this year’s recipients:
Grand Prize — Saga Prefecture FC “International Recognition Through a Malaysian Co-Production” Saga FC invested in sustained outreach to Malaysia, patiently building a relationship with the first Islamic-world production team to shoot in Saga. The resulting film, From Saga, With Love, incorporated scenes specifically crafted to highlight the region. The impact was immediate and measurable: Malaysian overnight stays in Saga grew to 197.9% of the previous year’s figure — and 125.3% of pre-COVID levels.
Excellence Award ① — Shodoshima FC Drama and Film: Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san (Teasing Master Takagi-san) Over 500 extras from on and off the island participated, including scenes filmed at an active junior high school during the school year. The project fostered such a close relationship between production and community that some families sought career advice from crew members afterward. Shodoshima FC coordinated everything from tribute promotional posters to location tour packages, collaboration merchandise, and commemorative transit passes.
Excellence Award ② — Toyama Prefecture Location Office Film: Shotai (Faceless) Filming in an active care facility required negotiating highly unusual permissions — structural set construction, glass-breaking action sequences, smoke effects, and artificial snow in a working space. The FC also personally distributed location maps to approximately 35 theaters nationwide. A nationwide first-run advance screening was coordinated in Toyama, with simultaneous press access for local television and newspapers, creating a concentrated regional media moment.
Excellence Award ③ — Ibaraki FC Film: Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work!) The visual concept called for locations that looked like the interior of a human body — an abstract challenge that Ibaraki FC met by proposing deliberately industrial, utilitarian spaces. The film also shot its “human society” scenes within the prefecture, spanning four municipalities and five locations. A tie-in exhibition was held at five venues across the prefecture, and the 20-day shoot generated approximately ¥17 million in local economic impact.
Excellence Award ④ — Kakunodate FC, Daisen Oomagari FC, Akita Location Support Network, Kashiwa City (Chiba) Films: Muroi Shinji: Not Defeated/ Muroi Shinji: Stay Alive
The decision to film in Akita was driven by lead actor Toshiro Yanagiba’s deep personal connection to the prefecture. Promotional efforts included life-size character panels at locations throughout the prefecture, message videos from Yanagiba himself, and radio programming featuring location guide tours. Audience attendance at Akita cinemas was significantly higher than the national average, demonstrating the direct economic impact of locally rooted production.
Congratulations to all this year’s recipients.