The Tokyo International Film Festival “Ethical Film Award,” Chosen by Elaiza Ikeda and the Student Jury, Offers a Glimpse into Society Through Film

The three films nominated for the 3rd Ethical Film Award each explored questions surrounding "love," while portraying very different social issues. The Grand Prix went to Casa Blanca ("White House"), directed by Brazil's Luciano Vidigal – a warm, socially conscious coming-of-age drama following three teenagers whose deep friendship grows as they care for a grandmother nearing the end of her life. The other two nominees approached society through starkly different lenses: "Allah Is Not Obliged," depicting civil war and the reality of child soldiers in West Africa, and "Kika," portraying a single mother entering the sex industry. The diversity of viewpoints made the criteria for judging an important question in itself.

During deliberations, Ikeda encouraged the students to "protect your own sense of how the film made you feel." At the awards ceremony talk session, student jury member Yuka Tsumura reflected: "When Ms. Ikeda told us, 'What's personal is also social,' I realized it was okay to evaluate from my own private perspective, which really took the pressure off."

Student jury member Rimi Sudo added: "It was the first time I watched films not for their overall vision or direction, but for the message they were trying to convey. It felt refreshing, and viewing films through an 'ethical' lens enhanced my experience."

On "Casa Blanca," unanimously selected as the winner, student jury member Soichiro Uozumi commented: "Although it deals with themes like young caregiving and poverty, its kindness doesn't feel imposed – it was present naturally."

Explaining that the insight the work brought her was the deciding factor for the award, Ikeda added: "In the other two films, characters are starved of love or have lost sight of it, prompting the question, 'What is love?' But 'Casa Blanca' starts from a foundation of love that carries the entire film and fills the audience with warmth. Maybe it resonated even more because I live in Tokyo, where I barely know the faces of my neighbors."

Toward the end of the talk session, Ikeda said, "Today reaffirmed for me how film can touch people's hearts." Tsumura, who has already accepted an offer of work in the film industry, added with renewed conviction, "I want to give people the chance to reconsider their relationships with others and with society through film."

Rather than ranking films on superiority, this year's Ethical Film Award reasserted the value of what each viewer finds within the work, demonstrating how film can prompt us to see social issues as "our own" and rediscover connections.

After the talk session, we asked the student jury members to reflect on what they gained from serving on the jury.

Uozumi "In the end credits of 'Casa Blanca', the message 'This film created 600 jobs' appeared, which made me realize how powerful film can be. Living in Japan, I hadn't really thought of cinema as an industry with such economic impact. And while I love high-budget titles, I also want diverse, smaller films – stories that reflect a director's philosophy – to keep being made. That's why initiatives like the Ethical Film Award and cultural sponsorship by companies are crucial."

Sudo "Watching 'Casa Blanca' made me aware of my own biases. Hearing words like 'caregiving' and 'young carer,' I assumed caregiving must be a heavy sacrifice. But watching the boy gently stroke his grandmother's hair, I realized kindness can flow naturally from affection rather than duty. Cinema opens windows into worlds we don't know and gives us fresh perspectives – that's magic."