Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2015 (SSFF & Asia), the biggest short film event in Asia, took place in Tokyo from June 4th—14th, featuring a packed program of screenings, talks, and seminars. This year, director Reza Fahimi’s “Cloudy Children” was awarded the Grand Prix, selected from 4,967 entries from 108 countries.

One of the venues for SSFF & Asia 2015 was INTERSECT BY LEXUS. During the festival, seven short films were screened at INTERSECT’s Short Film Theater, set up especially for the event in the ground floor Garage exhibition space.

LEXUS' association with short films began in 2013 with the launch of Lexus Short Films, a series of new works created by emerging international film artists and produced in partnership with The Weinstein Company. SSFF & Asia 2015 also marked the third year with LEXUS as sponsor as part of its endeavors to cultivate a new generation of new film talent in Asia.

INTERSECT also hosted the festival’s opening ceremony after-party, which saw celebrities, well-known actors, and film industry peers celebrate the start of the seventeenth SSFF & Asia.

Greeted by Lexus International President Tokuo Fukuchi and SSFF & Asia President Tetsuya Bessho, the party in the second floor Bistro brought together a wide range of people in Tokyo to share in the achievements of the festival.

Left: Short Film Theater at INTERSECT Garage
Right: SSFF & Asia 2015 opening ceremony after-party


INTERSECT also served as the venue for two SSFF & Asia talks with Tetsuya Bessho and guests.

For the first talk, Bessho was joined by LiLiCo, who is Festival Ambassador for SSFF & Asia and also a popular film commentator. The pair kicked off with a universal question: What kind of film do you go to see on a date? The light-hearted discussion then moved on to examine the special charms of the short film format.

“Short films can move and entertain you in a surprisingly economical space of time,” said LiLiCo. “And because they are short, it means you can watch the ones you like over and over again.”

The talk included a screening of one of the films featured in the Short Film Theater lineup at INTERSECT, director Eric Kissack’s comedy western “The Gunfighter” (2014, USA, 9:00). After watching the film, LiLiCo and Bessho then discussed its unique central idea where the characters can hear the narrator speaking.

The popular talk had a strong turnout, with many guests standing at the back to watch.

Tetsuya Bessho and LiLiCo


Bessho's guest for the second talk was Jung Woo-sung, the Korean actor, director, and member of the jury for SSFF & Asia 2015. It was busy Jung Woo-sung’s first visit to Japan in two years and he used the occasion to reflect on his own successful film career.

“Since entering my forties I feel like I have acquired greater emotional depth as an actor,” he said. Jung is also enamored with the short film format. “You can convey a message with real punch in a shorter amount of time. The format cultivates artists who want to experiment and try to do new things.”

The second half of the talk comprised a screening of “Market Hours” (2014, USA, 14:11). This drama directed by John Goldman is part of the Lexus Short Films series and tells the story of how Randall, a security guard at an urban market, redeems himself for his failures at work.

The engaging film certainly impressed Jung: “It shows you how you need courage to love someone,” he said.

The screening of “Market Hours” from the Lexus Short Films series

Tetsuya Bessho and Jung Woo-sung