SSFF & ASIA Short Story Open Call Project: Subaru Hamaya's 'The Place Where Stories Are Born' Wins Grand Prize at the 12th BookShort Award!

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), an Academy Awards® accredited and one of Asia's largest international short film festivals, launched the BookShort Award project in 2014, inviting submissions of short stories on the theme of "derivative works." Since then, we have undertaken various initiatives centered on short stories, including open call projects in collaboration with various companies and local governments, production of short films based on short stories, and even publishing. And from August 2024, marking its 10th anniversary, the project has evolved from the "Short Story Open Call and Creation Project" to the "Short Film Original Story Open Call and Creation Project," expanding its scope to include scripts and manga. This time, for the 12th Short Story Open Call Project "BookShort Award," we received 932 entries through the online platform "LIFE LOG BOX," which supports creators. Today, we are pleased to announce that Subaru Hamaya's short story 'The Place Where Stories Are Born' has been selected as the Grand Prize winner. *The full text of the final nominated works, including the Grand Prize winner, is available on the BookShort official website. ■Grand Prize Announcement URL: https://bookshorts.jp/2025winner Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, is a land where ancient Japanese folklore and tales of yokai have been passed down—truly "the place where stories are born," as the title of this work suggests. While depicting mysterious and mystical events, this work does not assert them strongly but quietly blends them into everyday life, revealing a uniquely Japanese elegance and aesthetic sense. The extremely meticulous construction, from the flow of conversation and metaphorical expressions to the depiction of scenes, conveyed the very atmosphere of Tono, leaving a rich aftertaste as if one had finished watching a film. The work was highly praised for delicately portraying universal themes such as "aging," "prayer," and "inheritance" through an old woman and her surroundings, while rooting the narrative in local beliefs and memories. 12th BookShort Award Grand Prize: "The Place Where Stories Are Born" by Subaru Hamaya In a nursing home in Tono City, an elderly resident named Hana pleads, "I want my god." Tsumugi, a staff member who is acquainted with Hana, brings a wooden statue of a god from Hana's home altar, and the statue becomes an object of faith within the facility. During a night shift under the moonlight, Tsumugi overhears Hana's final conversation with the god. 12th BookShort Award Grand Prize Winner Profile ▲Winner: Subaru Hamaya Subaru Hamaya Literary Career 2017: Kitano Bungaku No. 74, Excellence Award (Iwate Nippo Co., Ltd.) 2018: Kitano Bungaku No. 76, Selected (Iwate Nippo Co., Ltd.) 2018: Hisui Literary Award, Final Selection (Itoigawa City) 2019: Sakigake Literary Award, Winner (Akita Sakigake Shimpo Co., Ltd.) 2019: The 17th Mysteries Newcomer Award, Final Selection (Tokyo Sogensha) 2020: Iwate Equestrian Culture Award, Winner (Iwate Keiba Kumiai) 2020: The 2nd iiiv Creator Award, Jury's Encouragement Award (KADOKAWA) 2020: The 19th Yasuo Uchida Mystery Literary Award, Final Selection (Kita City, Tokyo) 2021: Novel "Snakes, Bees, Centipedes Hide Treasure" Published (KADOKAWA) 2022: Kizen Sasaki Award, Novel Division, Winner (Tono City) 12th BookShort Award Final Nominated Works *Alphabetical order by title "Kodaki Fuji" by Yoichiro Morimizu Misa Yoshizawa, who learns of her pregnancy with a married man, goes to a campsite at the foot of Mt. Fuji, near Lake Shojiko, and tells him goodbye over the phone. Through her encounter with Hisashi, the camp owner, and her involvement with his son Yuto, who lives like a hermit in the forest across the lake, Misa's choice regarding the life she was about to choose begins to waver… "November 3rd, Tracking the Radiosonde" by Natsuki Umeda A radiosonde. It is a white balloon released daily into the sky for meteorological observation. Seiji, a young man, had a custom of tracking a radiosonde on the anniversary of his deceased mother's death each year, using a technique taught by his father. His recovery rate was 100%. However, this year was different. He ventures into the steep, foggy mountains, relying on the beeping beacon sound… "Nachtmusik" by Hiroya Shiga In high school, Uri dated Richard, a German exchange student. Their relationship naturally ended when he returned to Germany, becoming a fond memory for Uri, but they reunite after seventeen years. They meet in Shibuya, a town they often frequented back then. In a town changed from those days, Uri recalls what remained unchanged. "In Between" by Taro Kyakuhon (Script Taro) Junior high school student En Kirisaki witnesses her younger brother Matsuri kill the neighbor's dog. Although she is accused and assaulted by the dog's owners, sisters Rin and Ran, En desperately continues to protect Matsuri. "Mother and Journey" by Hoshimiya Keywords: