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CEO and Executive Producer Yoshiki Ishii participated as a jury member in the Film Craft category of Dubai Lynx 2024. Dubai Lynx is the sister festival of Cannes Lions, held in Dubai this year from March 5th to 6th. It is the largest communication awards festival in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa.) Ishii arrived on-site on the morning of March 2nd and spent two full days on March 3rd and 4th, participating in the judging process.

Comments from Ishii on attending

It was my first time visiting Dubai, which was an intriguing city. Despite being a major metropolitan area, it retains a local vibe, with the desert just under an hour’s drive from downtown. At the Dubai Lynx judging venue, producers, creative directors, production producers, animation directors, and commercial directors gathered from around the world. The jury for the Film Craft category, which I participated in, consisted of two members from New York, one from Chile, one from New Zealand, one from Spain, one from the Netherlands, and myself from Japan. The jury was composed of four women and three men, showcasing diversity in race and gender, reflecting current trends.

The judging process was a fascinating experience. Preliminary judging began in February, with judges completing their assessments online by February 27th. We checked all the entries, scored them, and then spent two days in a conference room at a Dubai hotel discussing them.

On the first day, we created a shortlist, and on the second day, we decided on bronze or higher from the shortlist, followed by silver, gold, and the grand prix. Various perspectives emerged during the discussions, guiding the judging process. Since Japanese entries were generally not submitted, there was no need to advocate for Japanese projects or discuss cultural backgrounds, which made things easier in some aspects. However, it also highlighted the challenges and difficulties of winning an award, giving us an awareness that judging responsibilities couldn’t be taken lightly.

I was deeply focused during the judging process, so I was admittedly very tired during lunch breaks and after the judging was completed. However, during the judging, there were moments reminiscent of my film school days in America, discussing favorite films like “Isn’t that shot from Kurosawa’s Rashomon amazing?” or “The composition in Ozu’s Tokyo Story is fantastic.” These moments, where film lovers purely discussed cinema, made for a very meaningful and valuable time.

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