On August 13th, director Aoyama Shinji's movie, 'Tokyo Koen', received the Golden Leopard Special Jury Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival.

It is one of the world's longest running international�film festivals and has been�held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. �The top prize of the Festival is the�Golden Leopard awarded to the best film in the international competition.

During a post-festival press conference, the jury chairperson explained, "We specially established a new first prize in honor of Director Aoyama's movie and his achievements thus far."

Based on author�Shouji Yukiya's novel, the movie is a love story involving a college student, 'Koji' (Miura Haruma), and his childhood friend (Eikura Nana). �It illustrates the importance of close interpersonal relationships after facing the deaths of friends and loved ones.

After receiving the award, director Aoyama commented, "I've never dreamt of such an honor. I want this award to be helpful to Japan's recovery."

NHK reports on director Aoyama's impressive win in the video below.

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zV5fBsPXNY[/embed]

Source: NHK and Sanspo