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the nara international film festival in japan, one of the world's most renowned film festivals, closed on september 23. the short film "the poet" by chinese new female director sun kun won the highest award, the best short film "golden deer award" and the audience choice award, and took two of the three awards in the nara wave unit.

sun kun receives the award from the famous japanese actress mika mifune and the famous japanese cinematographer yu yamazaki

the nara international film festival is one of the most watched film festivals in asia and even the world. it is held every two years in nara, one of the most historic cities in japan. the internationally renowned director and cannes film festival award-winning director naomi kawase is the founder of the film festival. since its inception, the film festival has been committed to honoring emerging filmmakers. it is reported that the winners of the golden deer award and the audience choice award will have the opportunity to submit proposals for feature-length film projects for the next year and receive funding.

naomi kawase, founder of the nara international film festival, took a photo with the creative team of "the poet"

director sun kun graduated from university college london (ucl) with a master's degree in anthropology and documentary in 2019. since 2021, he has studied film production at the london film school and graduated with a first-class degree in december 2023. he has served as the director, executive director, and producer of many short film projects. "the poet" is sun kun's graduation work at the london film academy. it revolves around a female worker who works in a stone cutting factory and finds self and spiritual freedom through poetry. the film was shortlisted in the cornerstone unit of the cannes film festival and was invited to join the market unit manual, showing its potential on the international stage. through delicate narrative and rich emotions, the film shows the inner struggle and growth of the characters, which has won wide resonance from the audience.

poster of "the poet" directed by sun kun

at the award ceremony, japanese national treasure cinematographer yu yamazaki, who was one of the judges, said that he was deeply moved by the film. he praised the excellent performance of "the poet" in story, photography and editing, especially the last scene, when the heroine looked at the camera, the emotion she showed made him feel extremely shocked.

in his acceptance speech, sun kun said: "the recognition of the poet by the nara international film festival is not only an encouragement to me personally, but also an inspiration to everyone who pursues their dreams." it is worth mentioning that some of the main creative members of the poet, including actress li peixin, photographer leslie lin yuhan, and co-producer wang xianhe, also came to the scene. sun kun expressed his gratitude to the team: "without the team's efforts, this story could not be presented so vividly."

li jiawei, the producer of "the poet", said that the display of chinese women's efforts in finding themselves and their spirituality is based on a kind of cultural confidence. the joint efforts of the team have made "the poet" not only deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in terms of content, but also demonstrated a very high level in terms of spirit.

director sun kun gave his acceptance speech at the film festival

the poet is the first of sun kun's "hometown trilogy". the second short film in the trilogy, xiao xiao, has been selected as one of the top five in the 2024 shanyi women directors support program. it was filmed in her hometown of laizhou, shandong province in early september this year and is currently in post-production. this series of works aims to explore themes related to female identity and hometown background, further demonstrating sun kun's creativity and depth as a director.

naomi kawase, the founder and organizer of the nara international film festival, is an internationally renowned director known for her delicate narrative style and profound humanistic care. her works have won many international awards, such as "moe no suzaku" and "the twin trees of sara", which have promoted the influence of japanese films around the world. naomi kawase not only pays attention to social issues, but also is committed to supporting the development of young filmmakers. through the film festival, she provides emerging directors with opportunities to showcase their talents and help them speak out on the international stage. her vision and enthusiasm have made the nara international film festival an important platform for the new generation of artists, providing them with countless possibilities.

group photo of award-winning directors and the jury team of the nara international film festival

as the status of female directors in the global film industry continues to rise, sun kun hopes to stimulate discussions about female creativity through "the poet". at the same time, more and more chinese students are emerging at international film festivals, injecting new vitality into chinese films. in the future, sun kun plans to create more touching stories to bring a deeper emotional experience to the audience. she hopes that through her works, she can trigger a wider social dialogue and encourage more people to pursue their dreams and explore the possibilities of life.