The Palma Versus International Short Film Festival (PVISFF) is a nonprofit, charitable, nongovernmental organization dedicated to discovering and promoting creativity in film art and culture.
The festival is held every March.
The main venue is Kineka Omori, Japan's first cinema complex and a theater with a distinguished history. Japan maintains a remarkable culture of screening independent films in theaters, a practice unparalleled worldwide. However, the novel COVID-19 has forced many theaters to close. This has significantly impacted the future of independent film. Therefore, the PVISFF was founded to support theaters.
Recently, we have become concerned about the decreasing number of foreign films being screened in Japan. Consequently, introducing foreign films to Japan has become one of our primary objectives.
Starting in 2025, we partnered with U-NEXT, Japan's largest streaming service. Through streaming distribution, we will introduce overseas films to Japan while also converting the generated revenue into payments for creators.
PVISFF continues to raise its international profile by holding annual programs in theaters and on streaming platforms. These programs introduce Japanese audiences to short films from around the world and emphasize the vital role of theaters in independent cinema.
The festival remains unaffected by trends and accepts all types of films. The festival's core principles are "pure," "ambitious," "live-action," "multi-genre," and "no age restrictions."
The festival's high-quality, intellectually stimulating programming and dedication to pioneering new frontiers in filmmaking promote cinema both domestically and internationally, establishing a unique and respected reputation.
With over 3,000 submissions annually and tickets selling out within three days, PVISFF continues to evolve within Japan's underground film art scene!
PVISFF is comprised of the following awards.
1) Palma Bolex : The Grand Prix
2) Palma Eclair: The Second Prize
3) The Best Director award
4) The Best Actor Award
5) Best Audience Award
6) Cinema Scope Award: New face award.
7) Vista Vision Award: Given to a film with various unpredictable elements.
Furthermore, there is a section called "URA PALMA" in PVISFF, and we hide and show the works that treated the taboo work which we cannot show in the present age.
