First 'Beautiful Japan Cultural Grand Prix' to be Held in Hiroshima Prefecture in May 2006.

Tokyo, Japan, Dec 5, 2005 - (JCN Newswire) - Entertainment content planning company Pride One Entertainment Co., Ltd. today announced that the 1st Beautiful Japan Cultural Grand Prix will be held in Hiroshima Prefecture in May 2006. The contest will feature "Japan's Beautiful Seasons" and "Prefectures (Regions) of Japan" as its themes, and will be open to works in a wide range of cultural categories including photographs, paintings, haiku poetry, and films.

The contest will be hosted by the Beautiful Japan Cultural Grand Prix Executive Committee, made up of experts from a wide range of artistic fields, participating on a volunteer basis, including Hideo Haga, one of Japan's leading photographers, painter Jyosaku Maeda and haiku poet Shugyo Takaha, under the leadership of film director Nobuhiko Obayashi, a native of Hiroshima Prefecture, as Honorary Chairman. Entries for the Grand Prix will be accepted from January 10 to March 31, 2006. The winners will be announced in Hiroshima Prefecture, in May.

The contest will be held four times a year, to coincide with the four seasons, on each occasion taking a different Japanese prefecture as its theme. Following on from Hiroshima Prefecture, the themes for contests to be held in 2006 will be "Shimane Prefecture", famed for its association with Lafcadio Hearn, and "Hyogo Prefecture", home of Himeji Castle.

Honorary Chairman of the Grand Prix Executive Committee Nobuhiko Obayashi says: "The central aim of the Beautiful Japan Cultural Grand Prix, to be held for the first time in 2006, is to offer up a "prayer" for world peace in each location where it is held. This idea can also be seen as characteristic of the people of Japan, who have accepted religions from all over the world, without partiality. In this sense, I feel it is highly significant that Hiroshima has been chosen as the venue for the 1st Grand Prix."

Michael W. Maksimuk, photographer and Professor at Meiji University, who will be in charge of the foreign photographs category, says: "This contest is planned and managed by Pride One Entertainment, a company in which young people currently studying at university play a leading role. Their concept "Imagine: Each and Every Culture as One!" hints at the birth of a new era. Their youthful enthusiasm has attracted domestic and foreign corporate sponsors."

Film producer Yasushi Akutagawa, who is Chief Producer of the Grand Prix, says: "In an important sense, Hiroshima is the point of origin of postwar Japan. I feel that holding a contest whose aim is to bring Japanese culture to a worldwide audience in this city, a contest in the planning of which young students have played a central role, is of great significance. As it will bring together and present works in many different areas of the culture of Japan, which so fascinated Lafcadio Hearn, I believe this contest will appeal to people with an interest in Japanese culture all over the world."

Nobuhiko Obayashi

Born in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. As a youth, obtained an 8 mm film camera and began creating his own films. First 16 mm work, "Tabeta Hito", received Judges' Special Award at the Belgian International Experimental Film Festival in 1963. From about this time became involved in the production of the first TV commercials and to date has made more than 2,000 TV commercials, many featuring foreign stars such as Charles Bronson and Catherine Deneuve. Made his debut in theatrical films with "House" in 1977 and has gone on to create many cinematographic works, becoming one of Japan's best-loved directors. http://www.triple-domain.com/obayashi (in Japanese)

Hideo Haga

Born in 1921. Graduated from Keio University Faculty of Letters. Founding member of the Photographic Society of Japan (1950). A major figure on the Japanese photographic scene, he continues as a photographer, to record festivals, people and folk arts in Japan and around the world. http://www.hgpho.to/home-E.html

Jyosaku Maeda

Born in Toyama, 1926. Graduated from Musashino Art School, 1953. Took Grand Prix in 1st International Youth Arts Exhibition, 1957. Thereafter shifted his focus from abstract paintings to the representation of mandalas, creating many works in this field. http://www.technogallery.com/nec-c-site/artgrafix/m_p/ (in Japanese)

Shugyo Takaha

Born in Yamagata Prefecture, 1930. Spent childhood years in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Chairman of the Association of Haiku Poets and advisor to The Haiku International Association.

(haiku: Japanese verse form that expresses all views of life in 17 syllables (5-7-5); introduced to the wider world by Lafcadio Hearn in the 19th century, haiku has become popular in English and many other languages around the world.)http://www.haiku-hia.com/rireki_takaha_en.html

About Pride One Entertainment

Pride One Entertainment's business activities center on entertainment content planning, publicity, public relations, and advertising agency work. Its six directors, who are all currently university students, are involved in the creation of films and the planning, production and management of TV programs, commercials, theatrical productions, and concerts. For more information, please visit http://www.prideone-entertainment.com/

Source: Pride One Entertainment

Contact:

Ryutaro Morikawa
Beautiful Japan Cultural Grand Prix Executive Committee
Pride One Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web (in Japanese): http://www.prideone-entertainment.com/

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