The 68th Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony was held in Tokyo on February 17th, where director Yoji Yamada appeared to receive the Best Director award for the film "Tokyo Taxi." This is Yamada's third time receiving the award, 48 years after winning it for "Yellow Handkerchief" in 1977.
At the 68th Blue Ribbon Awards, "National Treasure" (directed by Lee Sang-il) won the Best Picture award, and Director Yamada expressed his joy, saying, "The Best Director award should have gone to Lee, but I think they probably gave it to me as a token of appreciation for all the hard work I've done over the years. I feel very lucky to receive this award at my age. I would like to share this joy with all the staff. Thank you very much."
Director Yamada first won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director in 1966 for "Nostalgic Wanderer" and "If You're Lucky," and said that it is an award that he feels "very attached" to. "Sixty years ago, movies were powerful. There weren't many animations being made yet. They say that sales of Japanese movies have increased (in 2025), but that's animation. The fact is that feature films aren't doing so well, and there's a strong feeling that we can't continue like this. Receiving this award in this situation is encouraging for us. People in the film industry will be going through difficult times from now on. We have to do our best, we have to recover somehow," he said.
He also touched on director Lee's "National Treasure," saying, "A film is constructed from drama. If the drama is not captured clearly, the film will be weak. Lee's film accurately captures the drama and has a solid foundation. The audience's emotions are unwavering. ("National Treasure") is a long film, but the reason you can watch it without getting bored is because the drama is captured so clearly." He added that he has "great respect" for director Lee.
In response to Yamada's words, Director Lee expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am very happy," and added that he has watched and learned from Yamada's work. "He has been making films for over half a century, and yet he remains sensitive to new things. I am in awe of his sensibility."
"TOKYO TAXI" is a human drama set in Tokyo, based on the French film "Paris Taxi" (2022), depicting the "joys of life." The "one-day journey" of taxi driver Usami Koji (Kimura Takuya) and Takano Sumire (Baisho Chieko), who is heading to a nursing home, has a major impact on the hearts and lives of the two people who meet by chance.
The Blue Ribbon Awards are a film award established by the Tokyo Film Critics Association, which is made up of film journalists from seven sports newspapers in Tokyo. The awards ceremony was attended by the winners of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Newcomer, and Best Newcomer. Makiya Yamaguchi and Yumi Kawai served as hosts.
◇The awards are as follows (titles omitted):
Best Picture: "National Treasure" directed by Lee Sang-il ▽ Best Director: Yamada Yoji "TOKYO Taxi" ▽ Best Actor: Tsumabuki Satoshi "Treasure Island" ▽ Best Actress: Hirose Suzu "Unrequited Love World," "Distant Mountain Light," "Yukite Kaherenu" ▽ Best Supporting Actor: Sato Jiro "Bomb" ▽ Best Supporting Actress: Morita Nozomi "Night Flower" ▽ Best Newcomer: Shibuya Ryuta "Night Flower" ▽ Best Foreign Film: "Pope Election"
