Laureates of the Fukuoka Prize 2018 were announced today.
Convened today, the Fukuoka Prize Committee has given final approval to the laureates selected by the Prize Jury.
The laureates for the fiscal year 2018 are as follows :
Grand Prize 2018
- China / Film
Mr. Jia Zhangke is one of the most outstanding film directors of 21st century China. His films, set in provincial Chinese cities, and especially his native Shanxi Province, offer masterfully realistic presentation of ordinary Chinese people who have suffered from but have also managed to chart their own course through the social tensions caused by rapid economic progress, and particularly of the younger generation's hopes and claustrophobic frustrations. They have won high praise both in China and across the world.
Academic Prize 2018
- Japan / Economics, Area Studies (Thailand)
Prof. Akira Suehiro is one of the leading Japanese scholars of Asian economic studies. His academic works, founded on his studies of the Thai economy, have elucidated the industrialization process across whole Asia and the realities of the Asian economies, and he has taken a leading part in Asian studies in Japan. He has also contributed to the organization of Asian Studies and to training the younger generation of researchers.
Arts and Culture Prize 2018
- India / Music
Dr. Teejan Bai is a leading performing artist and a contemporary exponent of Pandavani, a narrative singing of the Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic. Although she suffered doubly in Indian society from prejudice both as a woman, and for her tribal background, with her rare artistic gift and powerful determination, she has kept singing. Her success has given courage and encouragement to women and those suffering from repression.