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Award-winning Works

Award for Career Achievement

Stephy Tang Lai Yan for『As It Burns』directed by Lee Po-Cheung

Best Leading Actress Award

Jazmin Esquivel for『Hija』directed by Martín Desalvo

Best Leading Actor Award

Nick Stahl for『What You Wish For』directed by Nicholas Tomnay

Best Director Award

Tereza Nvotová for『Nightsiren』directed by Tereza Nvotová

Best Writing Award

Amir Kilger & Dani Rosenberg for『The Vanishing Soldier』directed by Dani Rosenberg

Best Cinematography Award

Mahesh Aney for『Shoebox』 directed by Faraz Ali

Grand Prix in Documentary

『My Everest』directed by Carl Woods

Grand Prix in Short Film

『The View From the Bottom of the Lake』directed by Mori Michiko

Grand Prix in Feature Film

『What You Wish For』directed by Nicholas Tomnay

Theater Enya Award

『Kill Me』directed by Yernar Nurgaliyev

Karatsu Citizen Special Award

『Finding Her Beat』directed by Dawn Mikkelson & Keri Pickett

Special Jury Award

『Christmas Raengmyeon』directed by Kim Been

Special Jury Award

『Curral de Moinas』directed by Miguel Cadilhe

Golden Sun Award

『PADRE PROJECT』directed by Takeuchi Go

ABOUT US

We hold a film festival with the aim of bringing films and visual culture from around the world to Japan from here in Karatsu, and deepening multicultural coexistence and international exchange through images. At the same time, we hope to develop Karatsu as a cultural tourism city, and we will implement the Karatsu Omotenashi Project for our guests, delivering the charm of Karatsu to the world. During the festival period, we will be holding screenings of video works submitted from all over the world, stage greetings from directors, late shows, acting workshops, and awards for screened works.

  • Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Production Technology
  • Special Jury Award, Golden Sun Award
  • Grand Prix Short Film, Grand Prix Feature Film, Grand Prix Documentary
  • Theater Enya Award,Karatsu Citizen Special Award

Event Schedule

Thursday, November 23rd to Sunday, November 26th, 2023

Screening venue:
Theater ENYA, Oteguchi Center Building Karatsu Citizens Exchange Plaza Workshop venue: Yoshitsune’s mansion (Gofukumachi shopping street)

Latest event schedule

Special Guest

Stephy Tang

Leading actress in Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival nominated film “As it Burns”
“As it Burns” will be screened from 5pm on Thursday, November 23rd, and there will be a stage greeting after the screening.
This film was produced in Hong Kong in 2023 and will be shown in Japan for the first time!

Profile
She debuted as a member of the singing group “Cookies” in 2002, and began singing and creating videos in 2005. In the same year, she took off as a solo artist and released her first platinum album, “Coloring Steffy.” In 2007, he released the song “Light Bulb”, which became the champion song of three stations. Her solo concert “Stephy Therefore I am 2023” will be held on November 12, 2023 and will be a success. Since her debut, she has played lead roles in more than 30 movies, and in 2018 she won the Hong Kong Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress for the movie “Karate”, and was twice nominated for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards. She has also acted as the heroine of many TV dramas, and in 2020 won the Folklore TV Viewer Award for Best Actress for the TV series “Boys Volleyball Girls.” Currently, the total number of followers on SNS such as Instagram and Facebook exceeds 1 million.

KRSIFF2023 Screening Films

37 film productions from 19 countries gather in Karatsu!
Premiere films will also be screened!

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Long time no sleep
Love will Tear us apart
MALEUS
Padre Project
She’s talking in island
Shoebox
The Human Trial
The Nana Project
The people’s bankers
Thick and Thin
Tsu
Feature and Documentary Film Introduction

Workshop

Let's have fun with parents and children! Animation video workshop

Randy Schmidt ランディ・シュミッド

Teacher：
Randy Schmidt

Date and time November 25th (Sat) 10:00 (about 120 minutes)
Venue “Yoshitsune’s House” (Gofukumachi Shopping Street)
Target audience 3rd grade elementary school students and above *Participation by parents and children, as well as participation by adults only *Capacity: 25 people
Participation fee 500 yen per person

Content
Learn the basics of animation videos and actually create original videos based on lecture videos and role models provided by the instructor. Please feel free to join us even if you can’t speak English.

Apply

Let's learn the basics of acting! A direct story from a movie actor! acting workshop

Yusuke Kitaguchi

Teacher：
Yusuke Kitaguchi

Date and time November 25th (Sat) 13:30 (about 120 minutes)
Venue “Yoshitsune’s House” (Gofukumachi Shopping Street)
Target audience All ages and genders Anyone interested in acting is welcome *Capacity: 20 people
Participation fee 1,000 yen per person

Content
An acting workshop by Yusuke Kitaguchi, who is active as an actor and film director. Please come dressed in comfortable clothes and bring a notebook and writing utensils.

Apply

Panel of Judges

Born in 1961. Born in Wisconsin, USA. He is a film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His directorial debut, ``Richard Nixon,'' starring Sean Penn, was screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and garnered attention. He is also known as the screenwriter of hit films such as ``13 Love 30'' (2004) and ``Letters from Juliet'' (2010), and has received high praise both in the United States and abroad. His latest film, Small Town Wisconsin, won Best Feature Film and Best Director at the 2020 Rising Sun International Film Festival.
Niels Mueller
Niels Meuller
Japanese artist living in Los Angeles. He is active in a wide range of fields including painting, music, clothing art, and performance art. He is so talented that his works are permanently preserved at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. His music has collaborated with former Devo drummer Alan Mayers, and a song with the Detroit band Adult has been released on the British label Mute Records. The 2021 film "Who is Lun*na Menoh?" was completed and won the Best Documentary Award at the CAAM Film Festival in San Francisco.
Lun*na Menoh
Lun na Menoh 瑪瑙ルンナ
A film director, screenwriter, and producer from Northern California, United States. He currently resides in New Zealand. He won an Emmy Award as a production member of the CBS reality television series The Amazing Race. His cooking show, ``Gordon Ramsay: Secret Blue Sky Kitchen,'' began airing on National Geographic in 2019 and has become a hit in Japan. His latest feature film, From Hell to Hollywood, won the Audience Award at the Kansas City International Film Festival.
Jon Kroll
Jon Kroll ジョン・クロール
A producer who has run a production company in West Hollywood that produces advertisements aired in Japan for over 30 years. He has started an independent record label and has always had a passion for the artistically creative world of video, music, etc. He always works closely with fascinating and talented artists who create exciting and imaginative worlds.
Reiko Kondo
Reiko Kondo 今東礼子
Born in California, USA. After graduating from UCLA film school, he worked at 20th Century Fox Film Company (currently 20th Century Studios) before moving to Tokyo. He has been a staff cameraman, editor, and producer for CBS for 17 years, working on breaking news and mini-documentaries. He moved his base to Tokyo, covered all of Asia, and won an Emmy Award in 2022 for his news program. Creates stop motion and computer animation with his son Dylan.
Randy Schmidt
Randy Schmidt ランディ・シュミッド
Writer and poet from Los Angeles. He worked as a curator at the literary arts center ``Beyond Baroque,'' a buyer at the Hollywood bookstore ``Book Soup,'' and as the owner of the publishing company ``Tam Tam Books,'' he introduced most of the works of French author Boris Vian to the United States. . Tosh, a biography of his childhood with his father Wallace Berman, was published in 2019, and includes appearances as a child actor in Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider and an experimental short film by Andy Warhol. talk about He is currently writing a script for the film.
Tosh Berman
Tosh Berman トッシュ・バーマン
Video journalist from the United States. She has lived in Japan for over 10 years. After a career at CBS News, NHK News, and VICE News, he has worked in a wide range of fields as a freelance journalist. He won a Webby Award in 2017 for his documentary about honey hunters in Nepal. His subsequent film, Horimono: A Japanese Tattoo Pilgrimage (VICE), was screened at international film festivals around the world. The most recent documentary, ``The B-29 that Fell into the Mountain of Prayer ~ 76 Years of War Memorial'' (NHK World), depicts the B-29 that crashed into Mt. Omine, a sacred place for Shugendo in Japan during World War II. Approaching 29 mysteries.
David Caprara
David Caprara デイヴィッド・カパララ
In 2006, while studying at Waseda University, he made his debut as an actor in the movie ``Camus Doesn't Know''. He studied formal acting at Harry Wood and worked as an actor and director. His first short film ``BAD TRANSLATOR'' was selected for the first Yao 80 Film Festival. In the 48hfp global competition to create a short film within 48 hours, the film was selected as the top 15 from over 120 cities and was screened at the Short Film Corner at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. His first feature film, ``Futari no Higan'', was nominated in the New Directors category at the São Paulo International Film Festival, which is said to be one of the largest in South America.
Yusuke Kitaguchi
Yusuke Kitaguchi
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Karatsu Hospitality

抹茶と生花

Karatsu Matcha & Ikebana Experience

Date and time: November 24th (Friday) 14:00-17:00
Venue: Yoshitsune’s House (Gofukumachi Shopping Street)
Participation fee: Free

Contents: Matcha tea will be served by the Urasenke branch in Karatsu, and a flower arranging experience called “Nageri” will be held by the Ikenobo branch in Karatsu. Why not enjoy an experience where you can fully enjoy Japanese culture while taking a breather? Each session takes approximately 30 minutes.

Click here for details
女性ガイドとともに唐津城を散策する3人の男女

Karatsu town walking guided tour

Date and time:
①November 24th (Friday) 10:00-12:00
②November 25th (Saturday) 10:00-12:00

Participation fee: Free

Contents: An all-in-one guided tour of Karatsu’s charms. This is a guided tour that takes you around Karatsu’s famous spots, such as Karatsu Castle, Karatsu Kunchi’s Hikiyama Exhibition Hall, and the former Takatori Residence. Includes translation guide. It takes about 2 hours.

Click here for details

Karatsu Izakaya/YATAI Experience

Date and time:
① Izakaya experience: November 24th (Friday) from 6:30pm
②YATAI experience: November 25th (Saturday) from 6:30pm

Venue: Daihachisha/Karatsu Elevated Line Lower Yatai Street

Participation fee:
① Izakaya experience: 3,000 yen (including food and drinks)
②YATAI experience: Food and drinks to be paid by yourself

Contents: A local guide will take you to Karatsu’s delicious IZAKAYA and YATAI. If you would like to enjoy interacting with people involved in the film industry and local residents, please feel free to join us.

Click here for details

Come on everyone! Karatsu Shopping Street

Date and time: November 23rd (Thursday) to 26th (Sunday)
Venue: Target stores in Karatsu Shopping Street

Contents: Introducing shops in the shopping district that offer special benefits for film festival guests and visitors. Enjoy the city together with the film festival♪

Click here for details

Buy Tickets

General ticket

General ¥1,000/Students・Seniors ¥800
Screening venue: THEATER ENYA or Oteguchi Center Building Civic Exchange Plaza

Movie Go! Ticket (pack of 5 tickets) ¥3,500
Purchase 5 tickets at once for a discount from the regular price.
Up to 5 tickets can be shared with a companion.

How to Buy

Tickets for the above will be available in-store at the THEATER ENYA and GALLERY KARAE on the ground floor of KARAE starting November 10. Please refer to the access below for the location. Reservations can also be made by phone.

Workshop

Animation video production workshop for parents and children (capacity 25 people) ¥500

Acting workshop (capacity 20 people) ¥1,000

How to Buy

Please pay in cash on the day of the workshop at the venue. You can apply and participate on the day, but advance reservations are recommended as space is limited. For more information, Please click here.

Festival Pass

Festival Pass (limited to 20 tickets) ¥15,000
This pass allows you to enjoy unlimited viewing of screenings and participation in workshops for 4 days. However, reservations for movie viewing and workshops will only be accepted on the same day. Available only to the person in question.
*We will prepare a festival pass to hang around your neck.

Gold Pass (limited to 10) ¥25,000
Priority viewing of all screenings and priority participation in workshops. Advance reservations accepted for movie viewing and workshops. Available only to the person in question.
You can participate in a party exclusively for movie directors and related parties. *We will provide a gold pass to hang around your neck.

How to Buy

To purchase a festival pass, you must make a reservation and apply. Payment will be made on the day at the THATER ENYA counter in exchange for your Festival Passport. (Payment methods: cash, credit card, transportation IC, PayPay, etc. *Please note that we may not be able to accept payment depending on the payment method.)

Apply

Volunteer Recruitment

Volunteer applications are now closed. Thank you for all the applications!

The Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival is looking for volunteers. If you are a movie fan or are interested in international exchange, please feel free to apply to participate in the volunteer information session.

<Volunteer activity examples>
・Help with movie screening operations
・Help with workshops by instructors
・Support for Karatsu hospitality experience for foreign guests
・Band performance, calligraphy performance, etc. for foreign guests

<Volunteer information session >
date and time: October 28th (Saturday), November 11th (Saturday) from 13:00
Venue: KARAE 2nd floor MEME KARATSU rental conference room

Apply

Management Organization

Karatsu Culture Commission association

We are Karatsu Culture Commission, a general incorporated association.
In addition to operating the first movie theater in Karatsu in 22 years, “THEATER ENYA” , we also run the annual short film competition “Karatsu Enya Festival” and plans and promotes cultural tourism projects in Karatsu. In 2017, we produced ”HANAGATAMI”, directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi.

KARATSU CULUTURE COMMISSION

THEATER ENYA was selected as one of the 10 movie theaters in Japan in the Japan Foundation’s “JFF + INDEPENDENT CINEMA 2023” project to introduce Japanese film culture to the world, and a documentary movie introducing the movie theater is being distributed around the world.

INDEPENDENT CINEMA 2023 シアターエンヤ世界デビュー

Click here for the introduction site for “JFF+INDEPENDENT CINEMA2023” project “THEATER ENYA”

Rising Sun International Film Festival

We were established in Kitakyushu in 2021 with the aim of developing art and culture in Japan and disseminating films from around the world.

During the two years of activities in Kitakyushu City, more than 900 video works have been screened and more than 2,500 people have visited the film festival. Starting this year, we will be moving our base to Karatsu, and we would like to make this film festival a place where people from the film industry visiting from all over the world can enjoy interaction with local people!

*Representative Di Rocco resigned as co-representative of the Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival on November 7, 2023 due to personal reasons, and the general incorporated association Karatsu Culture Commission has taken over the secretariat. For inquiries about the film festival, please contact the office below.

Access & Contact

Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival Office
THEATER ENYA,1783 Kyomachi, Karatsu, Saga, 847-0045 Japan
TEL：0955-53-8064
MAIL：info@theater-enya.com

Vicinity Map

By Subway JR
It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Fukuoka Airport, Hakata, or Tenjin to Karatsu Station on the JR Chikuhi Subway Line. 2 minutes walk from North Exit of Karatsu Station.

By Bus
From Fukuoka Airport, Hakata, or Tenjin, take the Showa Bus Karatsu to Karatsu Oteguchi Bus Center (takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Get off at Karatsu Oteguchi Bus Center and walk for 3 minutes.

By Car
From Fukuoka Airport, Hakata, or Tenjin, it takes about one hour via Urban Expressway, Nishi-Kyushu Expressway, or Nijyo Hamatama Road.

＜Parking＞

There is no dedicated parking lot, but the “Nakamachi Parking Lot” is conveniently located adjacent to THEATER ENYA. Fees: 12hrs/¥ 500, 1 hr ¥200

Support

Saga Prefecture,Karatsu City, Karatsu Tourism Association, The Karatsu Chanber of Commerce and Industry, Karatsu Board of Education, Karatsu People Corporation,FM Karatsu Corporation 86.8MHz, Nakamachi Shopping Street Cooperative,Kyomachi Shopping Street Cooperative, Gofukumachi Shopping District Cooperative

Sponsor

KARATSU CULUTURE COMMISSION

© 2023 Rising Sun International Film Festival