What is Damah?

Damah (“Damah” in Hebrew means “metaphor” or “parable”) is an international short film festival that launched in 2001 in Seattle, Washington. In 2019, following a long run in Los Angeles and Hiroshima,. Japan (2000-2013), Damah was relocated to Tokyo, Japan’s capital. It is the goal of the festival to showcase filmmaker’s work on the big screen and to share their meaningful stories with audiences. Taking place in the heart of Tokyo and boasting an impressive panel of Hollywood jurors, Damah has emerged as one of Japan’s most exciting Short Film Festivals. More than ever we look forward to seeing your film, because at Damah, your story matters.

Mark Joseph

President & Co-Founder

The Jurors

Barry Cook

A computer graphics pioneer with over 35 years of experience in the film and animation industry. He has worked on films such as “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and “Aladdin” (1992), and has also co-directed notable films including “Arthur Christmas” (2011). For his feature debut “Mulan” (1998), he received the Annie Award for “Best Individual Achievement for Feature Directing.” Barry is currently writing the screenplay for the animated feature film “Race to be King”.
Kanjiro Sakura

A Japanese producer, who helmed a number of shows in Japan and internationally. His works include renowned films such as “Inception” (2010), “Wasabi” (2001), “Tetsujin 28” (2005), “Black Belt” (2007) , “Detective Mitarai’s Casebook: The Clockwork Current” (2016) and more.
Mark Joseph

An award-winning producer who has been involved in some of the biggest films in history, including “The Passion of the Christ” (2004), “The Chronicles of Narnia” (2005), “Ray” (2004) and “Holes” (2003). He was a producer on “Max Rose” (2013) starring Jerry Lewis and “The Vessel” (2016) starring Martin Sheen, and is currently producing the films “Reagan” starring Dennis Quaid and “Dark Horse” starring Tim Allen.
Howard Kazanjian

Legendary award-winning producer of “Star Wars-Episode VI-Return of The Jedi” (1983) and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981), and is a former Vice President of Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Joe Eszterhas

Hungarian-born screenwriter. His films “Flashdance” (1983) and “The Ice Smile” (1992) among many others were big hits and brought him international fame. In 2006 he produced “Your Tears Flow in Hungary” in his native Hungary.
Janet Scott Batchler

Writer and director, known for “Pompeii” (2014), “Batman Forever” (1995) and “My Name is Modesty” (2004) among others. She has collaborated often with her husband, Lee Batchler in many of her works.
Ralph Winter

Award-winning producer of the films “X2: X-Men United” (2003), “Fantastic Four” (2005), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” (2016) and others.
Gerald R. Molen

Academy Award-winning producer of “Schindler’s List” (1993) and has also produced the films “Jurassic Park” (1993), “Rain Man” (1988) and “Minority Report” (2002) among many other notable films.