The 18th annual Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2016 (SSFF & ASIA), Asia's largest international short film festival and accredited by the Academy Awards, will be held from June 2nd to 26th. This year, approximately 200 films will be carefully selected from approximately 6,000 works submitted from over 100 countries and regions around the world and screened in seven categories and as part of other special programs. Screenings will be held at six venues: Omotesando Hills Space O, Laforet Museum Harajuku, Shidax Culture Hall, Andaz Tokyo Andaz Studio, iTSCOM STUDIO & HALL Futako Tamagawa Rise, and Brillia Short Shorts Theater. Condé Nast Japan, which has been the festival's media partner since 2013, will once again serve as this year's media partner. Condé Nast Japan, which distributes content through its magazine, website, social media, and e-magazine, will be providing information on the appeal and history of short films, introducing the films being screened, and providing event information for the festival. In addition, Condé Nast Japan will collaborate with SSFF & ASIA to distribute short films from around the world selected by Vogue Japan and GQ Japan on its special website. The festival also announced the lineup of films to be screened. Special screenings will include the Japan premiere of a short film starring Academy Award-winning actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Brie Larson. Martin Scorsese's "Audition," starring DiCaprio, tells the comical story of a meeting between DiCaprio and Robert De Niro at a casino while competing for the lead role. The two appear as themselves, and Brad Pitt also stars. Scorsese is also credited as co-director of "The Feelings," starring Brie Larson. Other films to be screened include "Ellis," which evokes memories of Ellis Island through an installation by JR, a globally acclaimed French artist, and narration by renowned actor Robert De Niro; "The Tenant," directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, one of Iran's most popular directors; "I Can't Speak Well," "Ave Maria," "I Met the Walrus," "Dangerous Stepping," "Mama(s)," "Two of Five + Coccix Encia," "A Journey of a Plastic Bag," "A Wreath of Daisies," "Little Shimajiro," "World Never Cease," and "7 Letters."

Also, on June 4th, "Short Film Day," there will be a screening event for a short film featuring the Yohji Yamamoto collection, the first directorial work by photographer Leslie Kee, and on June 5th, Omotesando Hills Space O will host a seminar by DJI, the world's largest drone company, entitled "Drone Creative Seminar - The Future of Video Creativity Brought by DJI." Tetsuya Bessho, representative of SSFF & ASIA, commented, "SSFF & ASIA has always been conscious of its role as a 'value-setting institution' within the film festival platform. Sensing the vibrant energy of short films in the fashion world, we have also awarded works such as 'Castello Cavalcanti,' a collaboration between Prada and director Wes Anderson, as 'Fashion Short of the Year' in 2014. In 2015, we established a 'Fashion Shorts Program' within the festival. Building on this partnership, we will work with Condé Nast, which disseminates cutting-edge information in fields such as fashion, culture, and lifestyle, to widely promote the value of epoch-making short films and video content."