A 10 x 8 metre wall of snow will form a pop-up drive-in movie screen for the Niseko Shootout Short Film Festival this Saturday night (13 March).

More than 18 Niseko-centric short films will be streamed live around the world from the festival, which will have Niseko’s Mt Yotei volcano looming as an epic backdrop to the event. Niseko is Japan’s premier international ski resort, famous for its abundant, dry powder snowfall every winter. Niseko Shootout Organiser Winse Heyward said there was more than enough snowfall this winter to form the giant screen. “To the end of February we’ve had about 15m of cumulative snowfall,” Heyward said. “They actually need to load excess snow in the village into trucks and drive it to snow dumps, so there was no shortage of snow around to make this screen. “It’s the first time we’ve done the Niseko Shootout Short Film Festival like this – previously we held it indoors at the Hanazono resort base centre and had more than 400 people attend. “Because of COVID we needed to think outside the box – necessity is the mother of invention and now we have this unique new event.” TEASER OF "LEARN TO SNOWBOARD" Crowd numbers at the event are limited to ensure COVID-19 safety. The event will be hosted by Radio Niseko Announcer and Niseko Tourism Director John Barton, and Niseko Tourism DMO Assistant Lily Vivas. This year’s films were submitted from within Japan and internationally from France, Scotland, Estonia, Australia, USA, Canada and more. TRAILER OF "LINE STALKER" To watch teasers or join the livestream go to Niseko Tourism’s Youtube channel. Stay up to date with Niseko Shootout by following Niseko Tourism on: Facebook & Instagram. View 2020-21 Niseko Shootout Winners photos at Niseko Shootout’s Instagram account. TRAILER OF "I AM NISEKO" Update: Watch the replay of the live broadcast event on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzUSH-I89Bg About Niseko Shootout Niseko Shootout is the official Niseko Tourism photography and film competition series. It incorporates winter and summer Instagram-based photo competitions, with photos hashtagged #nisekoshootout eligible to win; the 4-day winter Niseko Shootout ProAm photography competition; and the Niseko Shootout Short Film Festival. About Niseko Tourism: Niseko Tourism is the official destination marketing organisation for the Niseko area. It is a non-profit, member-based marketing organisation that was established in 2007 and now represents over 400 members in the region. It was selected as one of the 32 most important DMO's in Japan by the Japan Tourism Agency in August 2020. Contact: Niseko Tourism Email: [email protected] Phone: (+81)136-21-2551