Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (ショートショート フィルムフェスティバル ＆ アジア)

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia

ショートショート フィルムフェスティバル ＆ アジア

Also known as: SSFF & ASIA, American Short Shorts Film Festival
📝 Sign up as a festival representative to manage this page!

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia presents international short cinema in Tokyo, with live-action competitions divided into International, Asia International and Japan sections, alongside animation and non-fiction competitions. Its origins lie in actor Tetsuya Bessho’s American Short Shorts Film Festival in 1999; the Asian festival joins the event in 2004 with support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The Grand Prix carries the name George Lucas Award. The festival’s five principal Best Short awards provide an Academy Awards qualifying route, subject to the Academy’s rules.

The programme combines screenings with filmmaker talks and industry events, and extends to an online theatre and touring presentations. Cinematic Tokyo accepts films interpreting the city, including imagined depictions. The dates for the 2027 festival in Tokyo are 31 May–9 June 2027.

Country

Japan

Focus

Animation, Documentary

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Short

Dates

31 May 2027 — 9 June 2027

Awards and prizes

The Grand Prix is the George Lucas Award. For 2027, Best Short Awards in the International, Asia International and Japan live-action competitions, Animation and Non-Fiction competitions each carry JPY 600,000. The Asia International and Japan awards also carry the Governor of Tokyo Award title. The Cinematic Tokyo Best Short Award / Governor of Tokyo Award carries JPY 1,000,000. Awards are subject to change.

Festival rules

2027 short-film competitions accept films of 25 minutes or less, including credits. Live-action, Animation and Non-Fiction entries must be produced after 1 June 2025; Cinematic Tokyo has no production-year restriction. International and Asia International live-action entries must retain their Japan premiere from 1 August 2026 until the festival ends; Japan, Animation, Non-Fiction and Cinematic Tokyo do not require a Japan premiere. Animation must occupy at least 75% of the running time. Cinematic Tokyo requires Tokyo as a subject, including fictional or imagined depictions. LIFE LOG BOX category guidelines require English subtitles for films in languages other than English or Japanese. Entries are submitted online; selected films require an Apple ProRes screening copy, cleared rights and a music cue sheet. Selected films are also streamed at the online venue. Submission fees are non-refundable; category-specific terms apply.

Contacts

✏️ Edit this page!