Mazda's RX-7 Documentary Wins Big at Tokyo Film Festival
Mazda's documentary film "Goodbye RX-7: Saying Farewell To A Dear Friend" has triumphed with two category wins at the 4th annual International Auto Film Festa - Powered by Dunlop (IAFF) prize-giving ceremony in Tokyo, Japan. The short ten-minute film took home the coveted Grand Prix trophy as well as the Team Ukyo prize, presented by ex-F1 driver Ukyo Katayama.
The RX-7 film beat 519 entries from 73 countries to win the top prize. To commemorate the award, organisers will screen all 19 finalist short films in a loop daily at the MAZDA TRANS Aoyama studio in central Tokyo from 12 to 17 May 2026. RX-7 film director Rinichi Ogawa said, "It was a great experience making a movie about Naoko Nishimoto, a lady turning 80 who has decided to hand in her driver's license, and therefore give up her precious RX-7 after spending 25 memorable years with the car. Very emotional story."
Only last week, Dunlop Tires joined the film festival as its title partner, creating the new festival name International Auto Film Festa - Powered by Dunlop. "Dunlop supports the International Auto Film Festa, which aims to showcase the appeal and potential of automotive culture through film, and has decided to sponsor this film festival," said Dunlop CEO Akito Makino.
IAFF founder Yoshiyuki Shimizu said, "All of the winning films reminded us that cars are not merely a means of transportation, but are deeply intertwined with people's emotions, culture, and lives. In particular, director Ogawa's RX-7 film, which achieved the first-ever double win, had a powerful ability to resonate with many people regardless of nationality."
Japanese director Kenji Yokokawa won the newly created Dunlop Tyre Award for "A Day in Rothenburg, Germany in 1:87 Scale." In contrast, British director Sam Hancock claimed the Best Cars of the Year trophy for "Driven: Maserati 300S: Masterpiece in Motion." Among the two Japanese media awards, Luxembourg director Lukas Grevis won the Auto Bild Japan trophy for "A Drive Through Time"; the Luxembourg embassy's Deputy Head of Mission, Anne Moes, attended in Grevis's place to say a few words on his behalf. Romanian directors George Vegh, Ganaeaard, and Horia Cucuta won the final ProNews trophy for "Mannequin," an eye-opening animated film that tells the story of a family of crash-test dummy mannequins.