Nihon Chokuhan to Hold "Short Drama Planning Contest" with 10 Million Yen Production Fund as Part of AYET Project

Nihon Chokuhan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Akiteru Mizutani; hereinafter referred to as Nihon Chokuhan), as part of its initiative to evolve from a comprehensive mail-order company to a "comprehensive service (WEB3.0)" company focused on "Entertainment, Global, and DX," announces the application guidelines for the "Short Drama Planning Contest." This contest will be held in collaboration with the international short film festival "Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia" (hereinafter referred to as SSFF & ASIA) and "LIFE LOG BOX," a creator platform for the WEB3.0 era linked to the festival.

This contest aims to discover, support production, and develop IP for excellent projects by widely soliciting planning and original story ideas for video works, in collaboration with Mr. Yasushi Akimoto and professional editors. Applications are scheduled to open on Friday, July 10, 2026, with a production fund of 10 million yen to be provided for selected projects. Furthermore, credit as the original planner and royalties based on commercial profits are also planned.

<Summary of Comments on the Day>

General Producer Yasushi Akimoto commented in a video message:

In the AYET (project) initiative with the UCLA blockchain development team and Nihon Chokuhan, we expect to create opportunities for young talent to participate in video production, and through collaboration with SSFF & ASIA, these opportunities will be provided. We look forward to many applications.

Akiteru Mizutani, President and Representative Director of Nihon Chokuhan, who spoke at the event, also mentioned the following:

The AYET project aims to promote Japanese content overseas and foster global creators. By creating IP through the formation of new units and the creation of derivative 2D characters, and by releasing video works while involving domestic and international communities, we want to create a space where creators can thrive internationally.

Finally, Tetsuya Bessho, Representative of SSFF&ASIA, expressed his enthusiasm:

This project, which began with a wonderful connection. We will cooperate with all our might," he responded, adding, "We will leverage our expertise as an international film festival and also utilize the WEB3.0 creator platform LIFE LOG BOX to strongly support this endeavor.

Contest Overview

This contest is an initiative where Nihon Chokuhan widely solicits video work plans and supports the discovery of excellent projects by leveraging the expertise of SSFF & ASIA as an international film festival.

Applications are scheduled to open on Friday, July 10, 2026, with a production fund of 10 million yen to be provided for selected projects. Furthermore, credit as the original planner and royalties based on commercial profits are also planned.

Name: Short Drama Planning Contest

Organizer: Nihon Chokuhan Co., Ltd.

Support: SSFF & ASIA (WEB3.0 Creator Platform "LIFE LOG BOX")

Application Start: Scheduled for Friday, July 10, 2026

Production Support: 10 million yen production fund

Application Target: Planning and original story ideas for short dramas

Benefits: Credit as original planner, royalties based on commercial profits planned

*Application conditions, selection methods, rights conditions, royalty details, etc., will be announced sequentially in the future.

<About SSFF & ASIA>

Actor Tetsuya Bessho, also a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), founded the American Short Shorts Film Festival in 1999 with the desire to introduce "short films," which he encountered in the United States, to Japan as a new visual genre. In 2001, the name was changed to "Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF)," and in 2004, it was certified as an Academy Award-qualifying film festival. In the same year, with the aim of disseminating new visual culture from Asia and nurturing emerging young filmmakers, the "Short Shorts Film Festival Asia (SSFF ASIA, co-hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government)" was born, and the festival is now held under the general name "SSFF & ASIA."

Furthermore, to commemorate the festival's 20th anniversary in 2018, the Grand Prix winner was awarded the "George Lucas Award" named after director George Lucas. In January 2019, "Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood" was held as a 20th-anniversary event. From the 2019 festival onwards, four outstanding works from the International Competition, Asia International Competition, Japan Competition, and Non-Fiction Competition, and from 2022, five works including the Animation Competition's outstanding work, became eligible for nomination for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film the following year. SSFF & ASIA will continue to support young creators through its film festival.

https://www.shortshorts.org

<About LIFE LOG BOX>

LIFE LOG BOX is a video operation platform for the web3 era, linked with SSFF & ASIA, which has a network of over 100,000 creators worldwide. It enables anyone to create and distribute content as a creator, supported by the proliferation of smartphones, SNS, and video distribution services. Centered around a storage service for deposited data, it offers services that allow creators to thrive. Creators, fans, and companies worldwide can list portfolios for distributing creator and work information, viewing rights, etc., which connect to an NFT marketplace that returns profits to creators.

https://lifelogbox.com/ja/

<Company Profile>

Nihon Chokuhan Co., Ltd. Location: Ito Yu Building Toranomon 3F, 3-20-5 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Representative: Akiteru Mizutani, President and Representative Director Established: October 1977 (Nihon Chokuhan brand launch) Business Activities: Comprehensive services (mail order / content planning / advertising and sales promotion support, etc.) URL: https://corporate.666-666.jp