The 49th Japan Academy Prize awards ceremony, a celebration of Japanese cinema, was held in Tokyo on March 13th, and the film "National Treasure" (directed by Lee Sang-il), starring Ryo Yoshizawa, won the Best Picture award. In addition, it won the most awards, taking home 10 awards in total, including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Lighting, Best Sound Recording, Best Editing, and Best Music. This marks the first time a film has won 10 awards since "The Eighth Day" at the 35th Japan Academy Prize (2012).
Director Lee said, "I will probably never forget the joy of being able to stand here with everyone from 'National Treasure,' and there are colleagues here with whom I have fought together on other projects, and I believe there are also colleagues here with whom I will fight in the future, so I would like to move forward with Japanese cinema with all of us once again."
Ryusei Yokohama, who won the Best Supporting Actor award for the film, said, "I'm so glad that this film has reached so many people, and that even people who don't usually go to the movies have said, 'I saw a national treasure.' It's given me a lot of confidence, and it's really encouraging to know that if you make something good, people will definitely see it. I believe that all I can do is live my role to help develop the Japanese film industry, so I hope you'll continue to support me."
Yoshizawa, who won the Best Leading Actor award, said, "I am truly happy. Since the release of this film, I have received a tremendous amount of feedback from people, more than I have ever experienced before. An actor the same age as me told me, 'Watching this film made me realize that being an actor is a really cool job,' and that really stuck with me. I think this film conveyed that whether you are a person who makes a living in the world of entertainment or not, people are moved when they see someone seriously dedicating themselves to something."
Furthermore, Director Lee said, "So many people have seen the film, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude not only to us, the filmmakers, but also to everyone involved in bringing the film to the world—the publicity team, the sales team, the theater staff, and above all, the audience—who worked together to make this film a success."
"National Treasure" is based on the novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, known for works such as "Parade" and "Park Life." Set in postwar Japan during the period of rapid economic growth, the story follows Kikuo (Yoshizawa), the protagonist who, despite being born into a yakuza family, is taken in by the family of Kabuki actor Hanjiro Hanai (Watanabe), and meets Hanjiro's heir, Shunsuke (Yokohama). It is an epic story of two men from completely opposite backgrounds who dedicate their lives to their art, risking their lives for it.
Released on June 6, 2025, the film had attracted 14.39 million viewers and grossed over 20.3 billion yen by March 8 of this year. It broke the record held by "Bayside Shakedown 2: Blockade the Rainbow Bridge!" (2003, 17.35 billion yen), which had stood for 22 years, and became the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of all time. It surpassed "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (directed by Chris Columbus) and rose to 8th place, tied with "ONE PIECE FILM RED" (directed by Goro Taniguchi) (according to Kogyo Tsushinsha).
◇The winners of the Outstanding Works Award are as follows:
"National Treasure," "Treasure Island," "Bomb," "First Kiss," "TOKYO Taxi"
◇The winners of the Grand Prize are as follows (titles omitted):
Best Director Award: Lee Sang-il, "National Treasure"
Best Screenplay Award: Sadako Okudera, "National Treasure"
Best Actor Award: Ryo Yoshizawa, "National Treasure"
Best Actress Award : Chieko Baisho for"TOKYO Taxi"
Best Supporting Actor Award: Jiro Sato, "Bomb"
Best Supporting Actress Award: Misato Morita for "Night Flower"
Best Animated Film Award: "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1 - Akaza Returns"
Best Foreign Film: "The Pope's Election" (Kino Films)
Popularity Award / Actor Category: Hokuto Matsumura
Topic Award / Film Category: "First Kiss 1ST KISS"
