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Tokyo Story

A black and white pinhole digital short movie about Tokyo. An homage to Japanese film director Ozu Yasujiro and his original 1953 "Tokyo Story"

  • Edward Levinson
    Director
  • Edward Levinson
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Other
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 13 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 25, 2014
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Shooting Format:
    35mm digital SLR
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Olympus Gallery Tokyo
    Tokyo
    November 27, 2014
    Tokyo Premiere (1 week screening)
  • Olympus Gallery Osaka
    Osaka Japan
    December 5, 2014
    Osaka Premire (1 week screening)
  • LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2015
    LA
    May 31, 2015
    (contest - No physical screening)
    Honorable Mention for “Best Cinematography” from the LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2015
  • Open Door Short Film Showcase 2015
    Online
    November 11, 2015
    Official Selection, Golden Key Award "Experimental"
  • Best Short Competition
    Online Competition
    Award of Recognition
Director Biography - Edward Levinson

Edward Levinson is an American fine art and editorial photographer specializing in pinhole photography and living in Japan since 1979. He extended his visual quest into film (digital capture) in 2012. His short "Tokyo Story" received an Honorable Mention for “Best Cinematography” from the LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS 2015. It also received awards from the "Open Door Showcase" and "Best Shorts Competition". “Tokyo Story” was chosen as an Official Selection and was screened at [AVIFF Cannes 2018] "Manhattan Mashup" received an Award of Recognition in the Experimental Category from The IndieFEST Film Awards on Oct 30, 2017. "Kyoto - Five Ways has was an Official Selection at Tokyo Lift-Off Online Film Festival 2019 and received an Honorable Mention at “Experimental Forum” a film festival competition in Los Angeles. His photo book "Timescapes Japan" received First Prize Award in one of the book categories of the "Prix de la Photographie Paris 2007". His memoir, "Whisper of the Land", was published in 2014 by Fine Line Press and he has published two books of essays in Japanese with Iwanami Shoten. A small photo book "Moments in the Light" was published in 2017, commemorating his photo exhibition, which was part of the Month of Photography in Tokyo. 2019 photo book publications include "Spots of Light - Tokyo", "Mind Games", and "Silhouette Stories" (Solo Hill Books) as well as "Balloon on Fire", his book of haiku and photos (Cyberwit.net).

“Tokyo Story” has received the following Awards (as of July 2016):
- Honorable Mention for “Best Cinematography” from the Los Angeles Film Review Independent Film Awards 2015 and “Official Selection” for 2015.
- “Official Selection” Award from “Open Door Short Film Showcase” 2015 in the category “Experimental” and also receives a “Golden Key Award”.
- “Award Of Recognition” from “Best Shorts Competition” 2015
- “Official Selection” and Screening at “Tokyo Lift-off Film Festival” 2016
- “Official Selection” and Screening at "AVIFF Cannes" 2018
My second short "city" film Manhattan Mashup" won an "Award of Merit" from the IndieFEST Film Awards
My third short "Kyoto Five Ways" was an Official Selection at Tokyo Lift-Off Online Film Festival 2019 and received an Honorable Mention at Experimental Forum a film festival competition in Los Angeles.
My fourth short “city” film “Paris de Light” was an Official Selection at the Bridge fest 2020 monthly online film festival and received an Honorable Mention in the Short Film category for May 2020.
(Awards and Selections as of June 4. 2020)

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Director Statement

Tokyo Story was shot in bits and pieces over a year and a half. Shot directly in black and white, modern Tokyo takes on a look reminiscent of 50 years ago. Its a vision of the city from the point of view of someone who lives in the countryside but is enthralled with the all Tokyo offers.

I lived in Tokyo for eight years before making my move to the countryside on the Boso Peninsula. Yet, I have always remained enthralled by the dynamic image and culture of Tokyo and visit there often. I have done extensive shooting on a variety of still photo series about Tokyo since the 1990’s, and in creating this film I found myself visiting many of the same locations and enjoyed coming up an artistic interpretation that is new for me but which also builds on all I have done before.