"Plays the air." was the best work this year, standing out among all of the other entries. This 20-min short is significant not only for this year but also for the future as it promises the advent of the new superior world of video expression. And, I could feel a similar promise from the festival as a whole this year. The creator of "Plays the air." is a 23-year old woman. If she continues to create works of the same quality in the future, I am sure that her name -Seiko Uchida- will be remembered as one of the prominent contemporary video artists. Let us celebrate this discovery of another talented artist. TVF is wonderful, video is wonderful!

I experienced many curious and interesting things this year. In one evening last spring, I gave a lecture on video-making to about 200 students of a junior high school in Fukui Prefecture who came to Tokyo on a shugaku ryoko school excursion. The way students spend an evening during a shugaku ryoko used to be a pillow fight, but this seems to be in the past. They arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon, and after visiting Odaiba checked into a hotel and had a bath and dinner. Then there was my lecture. The original plan was to give a one and a half hour lecture, and I was worried how I could keep their attention for such a long time. But, to my surprise, everyone enthusiastically listened to my lecture, and the following Q&A session lasted for as long as two hours. They say that the school is promoting video-making as actively as essay writing and art creation, and that all the students are producing videos in teams. This policy encourages students to express themselves, increases conversations among them, and helps them to lead a bright and cheerful school life without generating dropouts. The following day, they went to meet the University of Tokyo students to exchange videos, and went back home after visiting Asakusa.

I also recently saw videos submitted for a high school student video festival held at a university where I teach. These works were also splendid. The entrants for this kind of festival used to be those who wish to be professionals, but the students who took part in this festival are neither such professionals-to-be nor even video enthusiasts. They just produce videos as casually as a diary or a daily report. Similar to the "Mystery of Chinese Character Tests" created by high school students for TVF, these works are journalistic expressions unique to each filmmaker. And, by taking advantage of the charms of personal dialogs, present a rich content that makes up for the deficiencies of Japan's information society. I like this kind of work, and this is the reason I teach at three universities. Although "Plays the air." stands out slightly from the rest of the pack, all of these works show how high the current creative level is.

With this as background, TVF chose Seiko Uchida. And we decided to screen out "Clogs, Shoes, Zori Sandals" created by Minoru Ikeda, one of the long-time regular TVF entrants, although Ikeda's work was, I thought, also one of the best works in the 29-year history of TVF. Like Hitoshi Sato, another regular entrant, the name Ikeda will remain long in the TVF history. A work by Jon Alpert, who has been regarded as symbol of TVF, was also screened out this year, and the meaning of his failure this year is important. "Plays the air." found its place with its new values, while being praised as a great achievement comparable to famous works of literature born out of a long tradition.

There were three finalists for the Video Grand Prize this year, including a journalistic work by an Argentine filmmaker and a drama created by a Japanese artist. Our discussion about which work to choose for the prize lasted endlessly, and we finally reached the conclusion that all three works were winners. I was satisfied with this decision; when works are equally prominent in techniques and differ only in terms of values, they should all win the prize.

TVF was innovative when launched 30 years ago because it was positioned not as a competition but as a festival. I usually take about three months to view and screen submissions every year, but as the number of entries is sharply increasing, the current screening system has almost reached its limit, particularly in terms of time. We should probably not rely on Victor Company of Japan so heavily, but examine a way to run the festival independently. As the number of participating countries has reached 50, and as there was even an entry from UNESCO, TVF is now a kind of event that should be organized by the United Nations. The City of Yokohama is interested in supporting the next festival, which I think is very interesting. We should consider how we can use award-winning works for society.

I have heard that TVF has become a gateway to success for Asian video artists. This is probably the reason why the number of drama, journalistic, and animation works is increasing. While the number of entries from Europe decreased, there were many entries from Asian countries. Entries from China in particular increased sharply, and China became the top country in terms of the number of entries, leaving Japan far behind. It had been my belief that it is difficult for China to share the concept of "citizen's video", focusing on the freedom of people to say whatever they want. The sharp increase in Chinese entries is due to the spread of home video cameras, and this may give us the impression that video expressions have become popular quickly throughout the country. But, as a matter of fact, the majority of the entries were from college students. It seems that the Chinese government is placing emphasis on video production education. "Is a Smile 0yen?" created for Tokyo Vision, the Internet TV station established by Chinese students studying in Japan five years ago, examines Japanese culture by focusing on Japanese smiles, which the filmmaker thought are pleasant.

Similar to China, Japan also sees an increase in the number of young people who wish to become professional video artists. Universities offering media courses and related subjects are also increasing, and many people are now studying media literacy and are involved in video production. I have heard that TVF award-winning works are often shown at these educational institutions. The "Mystery of Chinese Character Tests" is a journalistic work highlighting contradictions in education from the viewpoint of high school students who are in the middle of entrance examination "hell." This is a wonderful work, and I believe it has the power to break through the dead end of Japanese education. The number of dramas, both Japanese and foreign, is increasing every year, but it is generally difficult for them to win prizes. To win a prize, a work must be very unique. "Plays the air." created by a Japanese artist, is a drama portraying, unlike movies or TV, the natural daily life of the heroine without any exaggerations through well-thought-out, delicate camera work. We want to nurture talented people--this is the mission of TVF.

I was watching the works devotedly as if I were possessed by something. For 10 days before the final screening session, I was concentrating all my nerves on the works to make my final decision. However, unlike past years, I was lost for words after viewing all of the works. Consequently, I could not make up my mind as to which work I should recommend for the Video Grand Prize. It is not because, needless to say, there were no good works. But, I was just hesitant about choosing one particular work.

I was first amazed that the standard of the short drama works was very high. "Passenger", "Three Novice" and "Please, Someone..." were created in an unhurried "movie-like" way, which I thought was quite pleasant. There were also many Korean dramas, and they, as well as Chinese documentaries, helped me to visually understand the current trends in each country.

The documentary works were powerful as usual. "Fear no Evil" gives deep insights into one aspect of the Islam issue. The 16-year old children should be given more hope. "I Will Leave School" poses a problem relevant also to me as I am a teacher. A series of recent teacher bashings, which led to the government's decision to revise the Fundamental Law of Education, are probably the major reason why these teachers are being deprived of their consciences. How can the US government justify the realities reported in "Baghdad ER"? Politicians can watch baseball games after quitting work, but young soldiers must always remain on the deadly front line of the war. However, there is a possibility that this video might aggravate hatred among Americans for Iraqis. "Return to the Mother Country" proves how the failure of the government to enforce effective policies can lead to the worst imaginable results. It is painful to see someone losing hope in the last scene.

When the people reported in the documentaries are so intriguing, it is difficult to discuss the techniques of the works as the first and foremost issue. "When Life Shines--A Japanese Doctor Living in History" and "Meixiang" are such works. When I saw them, I even felt bitter about the use of music in the films. Why didn't the filmmakers compose the films with only the real sounds of each location? But, the people appearing in films cannot choose the way films are presented, and this is why the responsibility of filmmakers is heavy.

If all the works were like "The Flying Saucer and My Friends" and "New Theory", I would be really happy. The possibility of one minute and the youthful energy presented by "The Baby-Trees" and "Black no Sugar" are also irresistible. I could meet many new film artists this year as well. These new artists always give me a light of hope and expectations that a new wave will come.

I am amazed that it has already been more than 10 years since I became a judge for this festival. To be honest, I was involved in this festival only as a peeper or a spectator at the beginning. However, as the years passed, I began to realize that the vast number of submissions to the festival all reflect the present times and the current viewpoints of the world, and felt a kind of awe for the width and depth of those works. Ever since, I have felt a strong sense of gratitude for this opportunity, as well as heavy responsibility as a judge, and found myself absorbed in the videos.

As regards the entries this year, I felt that the number of works, both Japanese and overseas, with sharp insight, high quality, and powerful messages has increased compared to the earlier festivals. This is probably because the techniques available for free and personal video expression have been built up over years, and we are beginning to see them at their best.

It seems to me that the entries at this festival are gradually and clearly being divided into two types, and, to my delight, that each is being strengthened in terms of accuracy and power to communicate. The first type is a group of works that are in pursuit of the filmmaker's internal world, and the other type comprises journalistic works. These types are clearly divided regardless of genres (documentary, drama, poesy, animation, etc.), and are easy for me to distinguish. However, no matter which type each work may fall into, all of the works ultimately have a common theme.

The themes of many of the works submitted this year were "stagnation and frustration," directly reflecting the current times. Under these common themes, these works deal with a variety of subjects, such as wars and disputes between nations and races, environmental problems, spirals of life, and helpless love for living creatures. I felt strongly that the works sharply record all of these events as "what's happening now," and that they will no doubt be great powerful in the future.

I am at a loss as to which to choose every year. I am sure that I could not give a clear answer if asked by someone about why a particular work missed a prize. There were so many significant works I want many people to see and learn from, such as "Double Income." There were also many entries from outside Japan. I am pleased that outstanding video records have begun to be created by independent individuals throughout the world, as exemplified by "Meixiang" and "Last Water" from China. I hope that works like "Grebes", "Rats" and "Kunenoki Elegy" will be entered from abroad in the future.

The three works awarded the Video Grand Prize were all rated highly for the novel way they were filmed. As in "Fledge" last year, the success of all these works lies in the open and frank relationship between the filmmaker and the person portrayed, and this relationship made the works interesting and sometimes terrifying. As for "Mystery of Chinese Character Tests", for which I will make more detailed comment separately, the educational authority should provide a specific solution to the urgent request of the students for "Chinese character tests suitable for the IT era." "Plays the air." is excellent because the life of the young girl is portrayed in such a natural way that we almost forget it is a film. But, I could not agree to the way the girl lives. "Fear No Evil" is also a serious documentary recording 16-year-old Muslims speaking frankly in daily natural settings, and expressing how they feel as Muslims at a dead end.

As for animations, "Bio City" was interesting thanks to its very unique, mysterious scenes. If these insects and animals appeared in the real world we live in, it might have become another interesting story. In "Where Are They Gone?", I was impressed by the fine facial expressions of the girl. The story was also good, and the film shows even the simplest form of expression can tell a lot. "Earthworms" is a professional work that is not a simple personified story but carries some realism to make us believe that the father and child of earthworms may be like this. "Bike Diary" is unique in the way the animation is inserted. The expression technique standards of prized "The Tired City" and "Somewhere" are also high.

There were no works of genius that skillfully transformed the internal world of the filmmaker to video--a communicable form of media--this year. However, there were some works that gave me a surprise, and impressed me very much. They were films created on the basis of a totally new interviewing method.

The "Mystery of Chinese Character Tests", produced by high school students in Nagano Prefecture, deals with a problem that might have already been covered by general TV media, but is still totally new and outstanding. The greatest secret of this success lies, I believe, in the unique interviews we can see in the film.

The high school students meet a very wide range of people including an official of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, a member of the prefectural board of education, and teachers, and these efforts of the high school students are truly admirable. However, the thing that struck me most was the very human attitudes of the interviewees. Some were, if I may say, very embarrassed or even almost hysterical. "If legal action were taken, what would be the result?", "As a teacher, I have always wanted as many students as possible to enter high school"--Before becoming critical of the comments of the interviewees, I was impressed by--and even felt it amusing to see--their very human ways of living. Although the theme of this film is Chinese character tests, the film actually sheds light on one aspect of Japanese education, and through the clever and kind interviews, clearly reveals what the reality is.

"Fear no Evil" is an outstanding film created by an Argentine team. The film pierces our hearts by clearly showing us--through the daily lives of boys and girls in a town where terrorists are fighting each other and causing destruction--that terrorism is affecting not only the handful of people concerned but also many boys and girls in general. It was amazing to see that a type of interview that could not be realized in TV mass media had been developed to this high level in the world of video.

The total number of entries at the TVF this year was nearly 3,600, the largest ever in the history of the festival. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of the entrants.

I was particularly amazed that there were as many as 1,600 entries from China. I am really grateful for their participation. Apart from the number, the Chinese entries were also generally impressive in terms of quality. I am sure that audiences will be impressed by how skillfully they capture society, and express their insight in a way makes them deserve to be called "citizen's videos."

"Meixiang" (Quinglin Shen) and "Last Water" (Weike Jin) were very touching films. Meixiang is a 21-year-old teacher who teaches two children in a remote mountainous area, and I was deeply moved by her devotion to her work. The desperateness of the mother and child living in drought-stricken Chongqing was also moving. The scene in which the boy collects water left in PET bottles thrown away along a highway tells us how hard life can be.

"Shall We Sing?" (Reina Higashitani) will have a great impact on businesspeople working abroad. In the film, businessmen from different companies form a chorus group and devote their precious time to communicating with local people through music. I hope that as many people living abroad as possible will see this film.

"When Life Shines" (Yuki Eguchi) portrays a young male doctor who finds his mission in Myanmar and is committed to helping Myanmarese people through medical services. The words of doctor Yoshioka: "I believe in the fundamental desire of human beings to help other people," are heavy and resonate in my mind.

The large number of entries at TVF 2007 shows how broadly the base of video culture has expanded. The entries this year also show that the entrants are becoming increasingly younger. To our surprise, the works created by young people in their teens and 20s now account for 60%. These young artists turn their sharp eyes to particular issues around us, and express themselves freely. I think that we are beginning to see TVF's concept of "citizen's video" at its best.

TVF 2007 will be held in Yokohama thanks to the support of the City of Yokohama. Collaboration with local community videos, educational videos, and many other types of video will be realized at the new venue. It is my belief that this collaboration will help to further nurture "citizen's videos" to new heights.