"The Sun That Doesn't Set" takes top prize at 33rd annual Japanese Academy Awards

by Chris MaGee

It wasn't just the Oscars that got handed out this past weekend. On Friday night Japanese films stars from in front of and behind the camera assembled in Tokyo for the 33rd Japan Academy Awards. Although the winner for Best Picture went to Setsuro Wakamatsu's "The Sun That Doesn't Set", which chronicled the international investigation of the 1985 JAL Flight 123 air disaster, the real winner of the night was Daisaku Kimura's mountaineering epic "Mt. Tsurugidake" which went home with six trophies including Best Director for Daisaku Kimura, Best Supporting Actor for Teruyuki Kagawa, Best Score for Shinichiro Ikebe, Best Cinematography for Daisaku Kimura (makes sense due to his nearly 40 year career as a cinematographer), Best Lighting Direction for Takayuki Kawabe, and Best Sound Recording for Kenichi Ishidera. Strangely enough the "next 'Departures'" "Dear Doctor" only snagged two awards, Best Screenplay for Miwa Nishikawa who adapted her own novel to the screen, and Best Supporting Actress for Kimko Yo's portrayal of a frazzled and deluded nurse.

Check out the full list of winners below courtesy of Tokyograph, and for those of you who like to check out the gowns and the glitz and the red carpet goings on then check out MSN Japan's gallery of photo's here.


Best Picture: The Sun That Dosn't Set
Best Animated Picture: Summer Wars
Best Director: Daisaku Kimura (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Screenplay: Miwa Nishikawa (Dear Doctor)
Best Actor: Ken Watanabe (The Sun That Doesn't Set)
Best Actress: Takako Matsu (Villon's Wife)
Best Supporting Actor: Teruyuki Kagawa (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Supporting Actress: Kimiko Yo (Dear Doctor)
Best Music: Shinichiro Ikebe (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Cinematography: Daisaku Kimura (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Lighting Direction: Takayuki Kawabe (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Art Direction: Yohei Taneda, Kyoko Yauchi (Villon's Wife)
Best Sound Recording: Kenichi Ishidera (Mt. Tsurugidake)
Best Film Editing: Takao Arai (The Sun That Doesn't Set)
Best Foreign Language Film: Gran Torino