Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
The judges' scores have been combined with the audience's choices, and after careful scrutiny, it's our pleasure to announce the Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: Tokyo Network Round Shorts
APART
Director/Writer/Producer: Luca Pirero
Writer: Karl Martin
Producer: Nils Eidvall
Country of Origin: Sweden
Genre: Short Narrative
Synopsis: A Swedish woman, just a few hours before her retirement party, discovers that her adopted son of Indian origin has become a right-wing extremist. Later on during the party, the adopted son provokes a political argument among the guests, forcing the adoptive mother to break the silence.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Narrative, Best Actor (Cecilia Campbell)
Bluebottle Theory
Director/Writer/Producer: John J. Sanders, Luke O. Roberts
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short
Synopsis: An Ever wanted to take the shot? Drew does. Every bloody day. Bluebottle Theory is a darkly comic noir-style nine-minute thriller with a twist.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Art Direction
The Terrorist
Director/Writer: Meena Rathor
Writer: Mina Juni Stenebraaten
Producer: Eleonor Anselme
Country of Origin: Norway
Genre: Short
Synopsis: When three room mates welcome a new housemate into their apartment, tensions rise as suspicions about his true nature grow. Through humor and satire, the story unravels preconceived notions and explores the absurdity of fear and prejudice in unexpected ways.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Director
Sing with me
Director: Yuichi Nakamura
Writer: Yu Sakudo
Producer:Keikou Martz Hyo
Country of Origin: Japan
Genre: Short
Synopsis: Chris has an elder brother Mike, who is about to make his debut as a professional singer. Once they both aimed to debut as a duo professionally, but it did not happen due to the decision of the record company. Chris, however, continued to write songs for his brother to support his solo debut.
But Chris was killed by an accident, making the grieving Mike unable to sing and putting his debut in doubt. What appeared to mourning Mike was...
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Acting Ensemble, Best Cinematography
BRIDGE -My Little Friends
Director: Kazuyuki Ishihara
Writer: Takahiro Nagano
Producer: Makoto Mizusawa
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Animation, Experimental, Short
Synopsis: "I'll bring Shiro to you.I promise!" Jin, the cat, made this promise to Mugi, who is deeply sad about losing her beloved dog, Shiro.
Jin loves Mugi very much and, after hearing the story of the "Rainbow Bridge" from his owner Aki, he decides to take Mugi to meet Shiro at theRainbow Bridge! Can Jin heal Mugi's sadness? With the help of nearby pigeons and squirrels, Jin's great plan is now underway!
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Animation
She is BAD
Director/Writer: Salomon Simhon
Producer: Mayte Calzacorta
Country of Origin: Mexico
Genre: Music video
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Music Video, Best Post-Production
Tokyo Toy Boy
Director: Esli Balatova
Producer:Anon Banken
Country of Origin: Belgium
Genre: Documentary, Student, Short
Synopsis: In a world of loneliness, Tokyo Toy Boy searches for a reason to keep going.
Through an intimate portrait, the documentary explores the battle between self-destruction and a better day tomorrow. Kazuho, a 24-year-old former host boy in the shady neighborhoods of Tokyo, bears the scars of a lost generation. Tokyo Toy Boy follows Kazuho's inner struggle. Between the urge for death and the hope for tomorrow, he quietly fights on and shows the struggles of young adults worldwide.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary
Winners: Tokyo Network Round Features
#TwoMoms
Director/Producer: SATOKO NAGAMURA
Country of Origin: Japan
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: This documentary follows four female same-sex couples in Japan as they build their families through assisted reproductive technology. Each couple faces discrimination and legal challenges, and the film portrays the common joys and struggles of becoming parents, as well as the additional trials of being an LGBTQ+ family in modern Japan. Uniquely, this film is shot by a lesbian mother who is also navigating her own journey through parenthood. It invites viewers to reflect on the hidden diversity of families within Japanese society.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
THE BLUE LOTUS
Director/Writer/Producer: TOWFIQUE ELAHI
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Genre: Feature
Synopsis: Nila doesn’t know her self-identity. She doesn’t know whether she was a foundling child or sold out to the brothel at her child age. After eloping from the brothel, she finds a job in a garment factory in Dhaka with the help of one of her customers whom she trusted. She wants to give birth her unexpected unborn child and start a new normal life forgetting the past. Does the male dominated society allow her to live a normal life who was a prostitute once?
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Narrative
Bora
Director/Writer: Zuzana Marianková
Director: Marek Najbrt
Writer: Zdeněk Jecelín
Producers: Michal Reitler,Tomáš Grombíř,Ondřej Zima,Silvie Michajlova
Country of Origin: Czech Republic
Genre: Crime
Synopsis: Participants of Encounter with Death“ course arrive to Porer lighthouse. They expected self-knowledge, instead there comes a shock. A strong storm cuts the participants off from the world, and in the morning they find one of them stabbed to death. Due to the storm, the land is out of reach and the isolation which was supposed to be a part of the therapy, turns into a trap. Death is much closer than they ever dared to imagine.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Web Series/Episodic
16th Annual Lift-Off Season Awards
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.