Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026 Announces Official Judges for "Animation Division" | Musician/Writer Ayaka Wada, Animation Director Yusuke Hirota, and Tomoyuki Sugiyama
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2026 has announced its official judges for the Animation Division: musician and writer Ayaka Wada, animation director Yusuke Hirota, and Digital Hollywood founder Tomoyuki Sugiyama. This division, sponsored by Digital Hollywood, selects works that are candidates for nomination at the Academy Awards.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 23:10
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Digital Hollywood Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Masanori Fujii), which operates schools, universities, and graduate schools for IT and digital content professionals, sponsors the "Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia" (abbreviation: SSFF & ASIA), an Academy Award-accredited and Asia's largest international short film festival, and operates its "Animation Division."
The three official judges for the "Animation Division," whose Grand Prix winner becomes a candidate for nomination in the following year's Academy Awards Short Film category, have been decided as Ayaka Wada (musician, writer), Yusuke Hirota (animation director), and Tomoyuki Sugiyama (Digital Hollywood founder, Doctor of Engineering).
They will evaluate the works from multiple perspectives, leveraging their experience as artists and film directors.
Since 2011, Digital Hollywood has collaborated with the "Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia" (abbreviation: SSFF & ASIA), an Academy Award-accredited and Asia's largest international short film festival, to develop the CG Animation Division.
In 2021, it secured a recommendation slot for the Academy Awards Animation category, and from 2022, the division's name was changed to "Animation Division," expanding to include all genres of animation, such as CG, stop-motion, and hand-drawn.
In 2023, the Grand Prix winner of the Animation Division, "Bridge of Hope" (directed by Izumi Yoshida), won the George Lucas Award (Grand Prix).
This year, 23 works were selected from 503 submissions from 56 countries and regions worldwide.
The Grand Prix winner of the Animation Division will be announced at the award ceremony on June 10th and will receive a prize of 600,000 yen.
Animation Division Official Judges
Ayaka Wada (Musician / Writer)
Born on August 1, 1994, from Gunma Prefecture. A poet and word artist. In 2019, she graduated from "Hello! Project" and "ANGERME," where she served as the 6th leader. Through her experience in an idol group, she speaks about idols, idol labor issues, etc., from a feminist and gender perspective. In her music activities, she is responsible for lyrics, vocals, and recitation in the alt-pop band "Ayaka Wada and Omnibus" and the dub-ambience abstract band "LOLOET." She completed her master's degree in art history at Jissen Women's University Graduate School and also writes, lectures, and appears in media about museums and exhibitions. Her books include "It's Good to Be an Idol" (Ohta Publishing).
Yusuke Hirota (Animation Director)
Graduated from Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology. After completing the Digital Hollywood Undergraduate CG/VFX course, he joined STUDIO4℃ in 2001. He debuted as a CGI director for Katsuhito Ishii's TV anime "Piroppo" (01) and served as CGI director for numerous films, TV anime, CFs, and game movies, including "Animatrix - BEYOND" (03), "Genius Party - BABY BLUE" (07), and "Genius Party Beyond - MOONDRIVE" (08). He also directed the OP for "Berserk Golden Age Arc Trilogy" (12-13) and served as director for "Harmony" (15). "Poupelle of Chimney Town" (20) was his first feature film as director. After that, he served as CGI supervisor for "ChaO" (25), and his second feature film as director, "Poupelle of Chimney Town ~The Promised Clock Tower~," will be released on March 27, 2026. This film was nominated for the Generation Kplus section at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.
Tomoyuki Sugiyama (Digital Hollywood Founder / Doctor of Engineering)
After completing his master's degree at Nihon University Graduate School of Science and Technology, he worked as an assistant at the same university, engaged in architectural acoustic design using computer simulations. In 1987, he moved to the United States and served as a visiting researcher at MIT Media Lab, chief researcher at the International Media Research Foundation, and full-time lecturer at Nihon University Junior College. In 1994, he founded Digital Hollywood. In 2004, he opened the graduate school, and in 2005, Digital Hollywood University, serving as president until March 2026. His major books include "Cool Japan: The World Wants to Buy Japan" (Shodensha) and "Digital Stream: Redesigning the Future" (New Edition/E-book, Digital Hollywood Publishers).
(Photo: Naohiro Sato)
Introduction to "Animation Division" Screening Works
https://www.shortshorts.org/2026
The three official judges for the "Animation Division," whose Grand Prix winner becomes a candidate for nomination in the following year's Academy Awards Short Film category, have been decided as Ayaka Wada (musician, writer), Yusuke Hirota (animation director), and Tomoyuki Sugiyama (Digital Hollywood founder, Doctor of Engineering).
They will evaluate the works from multiple perspectives, leveraging their experience as artists and film directors.
Since 2011, Digital Hollywood has collaborated with the "Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia" (abbreviation: SSFF & ASIA), an Academy Award-accredited and Asia's largest international short film festival, to develop the CG Animation Division.
In 2021, it secured a recommendation slot for the Academy Awards Animation category, and from 2022, the division's name was changed to "Animation Division," expanding to include all genres of animation, such as CG, stop-motion, and hand-drawn.
In 2023, the Grand Prix winner of the Animation Division, "Bridge of Hope" (directed by Izumi Yoshida), won the George Lucas Award (Grand Prix).
This year, 23 works were selected from 503 submissions from 56 countries and regions worldwide.
The Grand Prix winner of the Animation Division will be announced at the award ceremony on June 10th and will receive a prize of 600,000 yen.
Animation Division Official Judges
Ayaka Wada (Musician / Writer)
Born on August 1, 1994, from Gunma Prefecture. A poet and word artist. In 2019, she graduated from "Hello! Project" and "ANGERME," where she served as the 6th leader. Through her experience in an idol group, she speaks about idols, idol labor issues, etc., from a feminist and gender perspective. In her music activities, she is responsible for lyrics, vocals, and recitation in the alt-pop band "Ayaka Wada and Omnibus" and the dub-ambience abstract band "LOLOET." She completed her master's degree in art history at Jissen Women's University Graduate School and also writes, lectures, and appears in media about museums and exhibitions. Her books include "It's Good to Be an Idol" (Ohta Publishing).
Yusuke Hirota (Animation Director)
Graduated from Keio University Faculty of Science and Technology. After completing the Digital Hollywood Undergraduate CG/VFX course, he joined STUDIO4℃ in 2001. He debuted as a CGI director for Katsuhito Ishii's TV anime "Piroppo" (01) and served as CGI director for numerous films, TV anime, CFs, and game movies, including "Animatrix - BEYOND" (03), "Genius Party - BABY BLUE" (07), and "Genius Party Beyond - MOONDRIVE" (08). He also directed the OP for "Berserk Golden Age Arc Trilogy" (12-13) and served as director for "Harmony" (15). "Poupelle of Chimney Town" (20) was his first feature film as director. After that, he served as CGI supervisor for "ChaO" (25), and his second feature film as director, "Poupelle of Chimney Town ~The Promised Clock Tower~," will be released on March 27, 2026. This film was nominated for the Generation Kplus section at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.
Tomoyuki Sugiyama (Digital Hollywood Founder / Doctor of Engineering)
After completing his master's degree at Nihon University Graduate School of Science and Technology, he worked as an assistant at the same university, engaged in architectural acoustic design using computer simulations. In 1987, he moved to the United States and served as a visiting researcher at MIT Media Lab, chief researcher at the International Media Research Foundation, and full-time lecturer at Nihon University Junior College. In 1994, he founded Digital Hollywood. In 2004, he opened the graduate school, and in 2005, Digital Hollywood University, serving as president until March 2026. His major books include "Cool Japan: The World Wants to Buy Japan" (Shodensha) and "Digital Stream: Redesigning the Future" (New Edition/E-book, Digital Hollywood Publishers).
(Photo: Naohiro Sato)
Introduction to "Animation Division" Screening Works
https://www.shortshorts.org/2026