About
SSFF & ASIA 2025 Outline
- Title
- Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025 (SSFF & ASIA 2025)
- Dates
-
Online Grand Theater Thursday, April 24th – Monday, June 30th
*The streaming period varies depending on the film. Please check the individual streaming dates on the Online Grand Theater page.Opening Ceremony Wednesday, May 28 Venues in Tokyo Thursday,May 29th – Tuesday, June 10th Awards Ceremony Wednesday, June 11th - Screening Venues
- TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY, Omotesando Hills Space O, Akasaka Intercity Conference, WITH HARAJUKU, and more
*Schedules varies by venue. - Ticket
- Admission required for both in-person and online screenings. Some events are free of charge.
Ticket sales begin on Thursday, April 24 at 14:00
*Opening event starts at 18:00 on the same day - Organizer
- Committee for Short Shorts / Committee for Short Shorts Film Festival Asia
*All events, films and schedules are subject to change.
SSFF & ASIA 2025 Theme
creative active generative
While many of the films submitted to this year’s festival focused on family ties and the generation gap in each region, half of the films in the International category depicted the conflict in Israel and Palestine. We also saw trends in the entries, such as universal adolescence, trans youth perspectives from Generation Z and stories with dementia as a motif.
And AI-based entries, which have been growing over the past few years, numbered more than 240 this year. While more and more films are using AI technology as a tool for color correction, voice-overs, detailed graphics and effects, scripts and storyboards, fewer and fewer films are being produced entirely in AI, which had been a popular topic of discussion for the past few years.
The festival brings together the ‘creativity’ of filmmakers from all over the world, and aims to create a place where works and audiences, creators and companies can meet and create new chemical reactions in an ‘active’ way. The SSFF & ASIA’s current view and future vision are also expressed in the festival’s theme, ‘Generative’, which is to create a new era of creativity with new technologies that can be linked to ‘Generative AI’. The SSFF & ASIA will be developed under this year’s theme.
SSFF & ASIA 2025 SDGs
SSFF & ASIA has digitalized distribution of printed materials such as tickets and flyers from 2020. SSFF & ASIA has started to implement SDGs step by step.
In addition, we will continue to develop programs with themes like “Diversity,” “War and the Power to Live,” and “Save the Earth!” The festival will work to raise awareness of SDGs through programs like the “Ladies foe Cinema Project” and various awards for these and other SDGs themed programs.
What is Short Film?
Short film is a cinematic piece of work that ranges from lengths as short as 1 minute to as long as approximately 30 minutes. For the Official Competition of SSFF & ASIA, submitted works are restricted to less than 25 minutes. Despite its short length, there is a wide variety in these works such as drama, animation, and documentary and many of the stories are rich in wit and cinematic expression that can only be possible given the short length of the piece.
There are quite a few directors who started out their careers making short films such as George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg, and there are many short films that have famous actors appear in them as well. Furthermore, short films provide a format that cultivates the talent of up and coming filmmakers, and film festivals are a gateway for their success.
How would you like to witness the possibilities of future filmmakers at this film festival?
Background of the SSFF & ASIA
In 1999, actor Tetsuya Bessho, member of the Screen Actors Guild of America (SAG), has worked to introduce the then new genre, “short films,” which he first encountered in the United States, to film fans in Japan as the American Short Shorts Film Festival.
In 2001, the festival was renamed the Short Shorts Film Festival.
In 2004, SSFF was recognized as an Academy Award® accredited film festival.
In the same year, SSFF was established with the aim of promoting new visual culture from Asia and nurturing up-and-coming young filmmakers. The Short Shorts Film Festival Asia (SSFF ASIA, co-sponsored by Tokyo Metropolitan Government) was established and the festival is now known collectively as SSFF & ASIA.
To commemorate the festival’s 20th anniversary in 2018, the Grand Prix film was named the “George Lucas Award” in honor of director George Lucas.
In January 2019, the Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood was held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the festival. In addition, beginning with the 2019 festival, in addition to the International, Asia International, and Japan, the Non-Fiction Competition and this year, the Animation Competition Best Short winners have also become eligible for nomination at the Academy Awards the following year. SSFF & ASIA will continue to support young creators through the festival.
Message
Message from the Governor of Tokyo
It gives me great pleasure as Governor of Tokyo to welcome you to the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025, an event co-organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Over the years, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA) has grown to become one of Asia’s preeminent international short film festivals. And, this year marks the 27th edition of the festival. SSFF & ASIA provides audiences with the opportunity to enjoy films that contain messages condensed into a short time frame by filmmakers brimming with youth and talent. I am very proud that this festival continues to serve as a springboard to launch the career of many creators on to the world stage from Tokyo. The Cinematic Tokyo Competition brings together films of various genres that feature Tokyo as a theme. It is not necessary for competition entries to be set in Tokyo. Films that evoke the feel of the city or that of an imaginary Tokyo are also included, making various types of realizations related to the city possible. Tokyo boasts a sophisticated urban environment and a rich history and culture passed down from the Edo period. By continuing to hold this competition, over time the people of the world will come to know the diverse attractions of Tokyo in more vivid detail. Films produced as part of the Sustainable Recovery Project vividly depict the city, its residents and visitors, and other aspects of Tokyo as it works toward becoming a sustainable city. Through these films, I hope that audiences will not only enjoy the fascinating storylines, but also gain a true sense of how Tokyo is constantly evolving for a sustainable future.
We are living in turbulent times. In addition to the tense international situation and worsening climate change, dynamic shifts in the global landscape also threaten to bring about even greater waves of change. Even in such times of uncertainty, films provide a source of inspiration and enjoyment in life. They enrich our hearts and help us form a deeper connection with others. This, I believe, will greatly contribute to our strong advancement toward a brighter future. Through this festival, I hope that the dreams and hope generated by the films will provide momentum for realizing a society filled with diversity and inclusion. In closing, I would like to express my respect for the tireless efforts made by everyone involved, and extend my best wishes for the success of Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2025.
Koike Yuriko
Governor of Tokyo
Message from the President of Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Tetsuya Bessho
SSFF & ASIA is beginning again this year.
The theme is ‘creative active generative’.
For me, SSFF & ASIA is like my child. Every year, it is a generative place that produces children with their own personalities and various expressions. After Covid, the number of directors from abroad visiting Japan increased and the festival became a place where creators from all over the world gathered. They exchange information and inspire each other, and new and exciting seeds are born.
The guests who come to see the films and the companies and organisations that support us are also an essential part of the festival, and each actively participates and enjoys the festival.
Such a film festival is exactly what I wanted to achieve in terms of creativity.
I hope that more and more people from all walks of life will take part in the festival and that we can work together to make the 27th edition a wonderful one.
I hope to see you at the festival!
Message from Festival Ambassador
LiLiCo
SSFF & ASIA is a festival for everyone who loves short films.
But that’s not all. You can meet new talent before anyone else.
You can also get to know the culture and life of countries you didn’t know existed.
You are stimulated by various imaginations, and thanks to this, your own horizons and world view are broadened at once.
When I talk to the actors and staff who come from abroad every year, not to mention the Japanese creators, I feel their love and appreciation for films, and I can tell that they really enjoy the festival from the bottom of their hearts.
People connected by film. Everyone shines. Because it is an at-home film festival, everyone is close to each other. Even if the screening time of a film is short, the bonds that are formed here last for a long time.
SSFF & ASIA Social Media Navigators & Partners
ISO
Freelance writer from Nara Prefecture. Her work focuses on films, and she contributes mainly to theatre programmes, CINRA, Eiga.com and the monthly magazine MOE. She writes interviews and critical articles on films, as well as articles from a social perspective on the film industry and issues, and introduces films on J-WAVE’s PEOPLE’S ROASTERY and speaks at talk events.
DIZ cinema activist
A freelance film activist who works to spread the wonders of cinema to as many people as possible. She organises experiential film events such as the Wes Anderson World Exhibition and Welcome to Nightmare Alley, edits social networking plans for film and drama distribution services, writes copy and contributes reviews of various films, and works outside the box.
Filmarks
Launched in 2012 under the theme “Let’s meet good films.”, Filmarks is one of the largest film, drama and animation review services in Japan. The number of reviews has now exceeded 100 million. It has also started handling TV dramas since 2017 and TV animations since 2020.
Based on the function to check and post reviews of video works, the service can be used as a ‘record of works watched’, a ‘memo/reminder of works to watch’ and a ‘communication tool to enjoy sharing impressions and information on works’.
It also operates the project ‘Pre-ticket’, which will screen masterpieces in cinemas from 2021.