Documentary cinema has many sides. It can be incredibly introspective, letting the viewers look at themselves in the mirror of other people's emotions. It tells the unknown stories of ordinary heroes who were simply insufficiently attractive or eye-catching for the history and popular culture to take notice. It spotlights some of the most important social, political, religious and scientific problems. It reflects on the modern times, trying to predict upcoming failures and successes of the humankind. It crosses the borders of the film form, rouses reactions, inspires to do great things, seeks answers to existential questions about the future, the past, and the sense of everything. For some time now, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography PLUS CAMERIMAGE gives documentary filmmakers with something important to say the opportunity to voice their thoughts, at the same time underlining the significance of the visual aspects of documentaries. We are exhilarated to inform that Oscar winner Steven Okazaki will be the recipient of the Plus Camerimage Award for Outstanding Achievements in Documentary Filmmaking. At the same time he will chair this year's Jury of the Short Documentary Films Competition "IMAGE OF THE WORLD - WORLD IN IMAGES" under the patronage of DISCOVERY NETWORKS CEEMEA.

Steven Okazaki, photo by Hidemi Shinoda
Steven Okazaki is an American director, producer and screenwriter of Japanese origins. During his career, lasting for over three decades, he has been acclaimed as a filmmaker who is uncompromising in revealing the truth about the world. He devoted his skills to many subject-matters, though having Japanese roots, Okazaki dealt above all with American-Japanese relations in the 20th and 21st century. In White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki he told the story of the first nuclear bombings both from the point of view of their survivors, and some of its American participants. In Unfinished Business he challenged a shameful period of American history - the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The Oscar-winning short documentary Days of Waiting revolved around the same theme, this time, however, Okazaki presented a story of a white woman, Estelle Peck Ishigo, who had chosen life by her husband's side in the internment camp, in this way losing, like all the others, her civil rights and condemning herself to physical suffering. In his films Okazaki does not accuse, condemn or condescend, with an open mind he delves into the given subject-matter, widening the overall perspective and giving it a distinctly human touch. His films are personal journeys in which failures become a part of the experience and creative process. However, Okazaki cares very much for his audiences, declaring that if the viewers could not trust him, his efforts would be pointless.

Still from "White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki"
Still from "Days of Waiting"
Another important theme in his work is drug addiction. In Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street, his first documentary for HBO, he taped some disturbing and graphic images of young people sinking into the addiction, thus making each and every viewer to revalue their convictions. He continued this subject-matter in Rehab, a documentary telling a story of drug addled youth struggling with getting clean. In his work Okazaki also dealt with the problems of Hawaiians with big business, the existence of social borders for all HIV-infected, and many other important issues. Okazaki's works, however, have one more key aspect to them - a motif of memory. The protagonists of Black Tar Heroin had agreed to show their debasement hoping simply to warn other people. All those whom Okazaki has interviewed for White Light/Black Rain shared their memories for the sake of making a testimony about one of the most horrific acts of the 20th century. Okazaki promotes a certain attitude towards life - do not forget lessons of the past, take interest in the world around, be curious and value other humans.

Still from "Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street"
Okazaki takes his documentary filmmaker's mission quite seriously; he believes in cinéma vérité, telling a given story without unnecessary manipulation on the director's side. He does not like the snazzy documentary treatises which enforce a particular point of view, he perceives them as cynical. He opposes the conservative way of thinking about the documentary films' form which is still visible in many TV stations. He has faith in the author's way, and he never forgets about the visual side of his projects. Taking all that into account, we are extremely proud to honor Steven Okazaki with the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Documentary Filmmaking. At the same time we are more than certain that he will be a perfect chair of the Jury of the Short Documentary Films Competition "IMAGE OF THE WORLD - WORLD IN IMAGES" under the patronage of DISCOVERY NETWORKS CEEMEA.



Selected filmography:

• Unfinished Business; 1986; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• Living on Tokyo Time; 1987; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• Days of Waiting; 1991; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street; 2000; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• The Mushroom Club; 2005; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• Rehab; 2005; cinematography: Steven Okazaki
• White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ; 2007; cinematography: Masafumi Kawasaki
• The Conscience of Nhem En; 2008; cinematography: Steven Okazaki