Visual EXPO by BRANDED SHORTS Unveils Key Award Winners

Ahead of Tokyo Event: SEKAI NO OWARI, Microsoft, and The RealReal Recognized for Next-Gen Visual Storytelling

Public Impact and New Vision Awards highlight innovations in music, live performance, and AI, while nominees for the Personal Branding Award showcase Japan's characteristic digital creators.

TOKYO, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Visual Voice Inc. today announced key award recipients and nominees for Visual EXPO by BRANDED SHORTS, taking place in Tokyo on September 28–29, 2026. Marking a major evolution after a decade of BRANDED SHORTS—the dedicated branded movie section of the Academy Awards®-accredited Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA)—this landmark event launches as an expanded, expo-style celebration of visual communication.

Ahead of the festival, the organizers unveiled the winners of the Public Impact Award and New Vision Award, alongside five nominees for the Personal Branding Award.

Public Impact Award: SEKAI NO OWARI The Public Impact Award honors projects achieving extraordinary societal influence. This year's winner is "THE CINEMA," the sold-out 15th-anniversary dome tour by top Japanese band SEKAI NO OWARI, which drew 180,000 attendees. Conceptually designed as "the world's largest movie theater," the production seamlessly integrated live music with custom short films projected on massive screens, setting a new benchmark for immersive entertainment.

New Vision Award: Microsoft & The RealReal The New Vision Award celebrates innovative visual expressions, honoring two contrasting approaches to modern storytelling:

• Microsoft / Windows – Doppelmode (Dir. Mackenzie Sheppard): Set in a university library, this live-action film cast 25 real-life twin pairs (50 people) to capture the internal duality of student life. The precise choreography creates a compelling portrayal of human reality amid the rise of CGI.
• The RealReal – L'Ultimo Uomo Reale (Dir. Sebastian Strasser, Niklas Weise): Set in a surreal future where AI replaces humanity, a man questions if he is "the last real human". The film incorporates AI directly into its narrative, humorously exploring authenticity.

Personal Branding Award Nominees Celebrating creators who build engaging worldviews on social media, five Japanese digital creators were nominated: Kazu Languages (multilingual creator with 5M+ followers), Kaho (Kaho's Mountain Diary), KELO (Apollo Theater winning dancer), Heisei Joshi♡Megu (retro pop-culture creator), and maruta (film reviewer).

Event Overview The main Award Ceremony on September 29 at Akasaka Intercity Conference will also announce the Branded Shorts of the Year, HR Best Short Award, and Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner's Award.

• Dates: September 28–29, 2026 (Online through Nov 30)
• Tickets & Info: https://expo.brandedshorts.jp/en/
• Media Contact: Fuyumi Tanaka, 0354748201, [email protected]

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SOURCE Committee for Short Shorts Film Festival