Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2013

I'm extremely excited about the award, especially because it was my first time in Japan, even my first time in Asia, and to see that such a small and personal film, despite its very specific and european theme, somehow still speaks to the japanese audience and to the Jury of the Short Shorts Film Festival is incredible. It shows that film is indeed a universal and powerful language.

I'm very grateful for this experience and incredibly proud to have received such a prestigious Award.

Once upon a time there was a kid, almost in the same age as the main character of a very famous film called "The Runner" directed by a very great director called "Amir Naderi" in the days when Iran and Iraq were in war. She was totally in love with the film and wished to become a film director. 28 years after, she made her short film about those days and the film was accepted in more than 15 film festivals all around the world and finally one of the greatest short film festivals called "Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia" gave it the best Asian international prize .

Guess by whom? Mr Naderi!!!!! He was there as a jury!!!! Unbelievable!!! Being in a fantastic Asian festival in Japan ,which I had never been before and winning that great prize and someone special hand it to you...

YES
A dream may come true one day and the final ceremony of Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia was the day for me.

"Kotobuki/To U" is a small story and not such a big production, but I think the performance and the emotions that the characters had are real – in the process of making this film, that all I was hoping for, so that it reaches to at least some audience – even a person. After the screening of this film, I had some audience came up to me and told me, "It (the character in the film) was me". That moment, I felt that, what we did made sense.

Winning this award does not make my film any better, but I am grad to have this film recognized so that more people could possibly see it and that would be the least I could do for all the people who helped me with making this film, without much compensation (often none of it) but just a belief in me and my passion.

In fact, this is the very first festival that I attend and screen my film. It happened to be right after I graduated from my grad school and it is a very encouraging start in my start as a filmmaker outside of school. I hope to keep making films, to tell stories truthful to life.