Film Production graduate Kyoko Nagata’s new film The Shortest Dream recently won four prestigious awards at a new and important Vancouver film event, the Vancouver Student Film Festival, establishing her as a filmmaker who’s worth keeping an eye on.

From Japan to Vancouver

Kyoko’s story began when she traveled from Japan in the summer of 2004 to study at Vancouver Film School’s Film Production program. After graduation, Kyoko immediately put her producing skills to work on a new short film.

With lots of ups and downs and the occasional breakdown, Kyoko – with her director Jee-Won Sul, also a VFS grad – created an effective short drama titled The Shortest Dream. “It’s a story about a Japanese writer and a Korean widow who live in 1950s New York,” Kyoko says. “ With painful memories of war and friction between two nations, this unlikely pair shares a forbidden attraction. Their connection builds within these brief moments only to be challenged by their difficult reality formed by the ravages of war and circumstance. ”

Four Awards for Filmmaking Excellence

The Shortest Dream was Kyoko’s first attempt at producing a film. “It was hard for me because I’m not the greatest at communicating with others.” Despite this, she stepped up to the challenge and guided the production and its crew to success.

“As a result of the director’s talent and the crew’s hard work, we won 4 major awards at the 1st Vancouver Student Film Festival: SchoolCreative Award for Best Actress, Fuji Film Award for Best Cinematography, ProVision MPIC Award for Achievement in Direction, and Candlelight Motion Pictures Award for Best Student Film of 2005.”

Kyoko Nagata graduated from the Film Production program in the summer of 2005. She has worked on two other independent films as script supervisor, art director, and sound mixer. Kyoko plans to travel home to Japan and return to Vancouver soon after.