Ordinary Life (film)


Ordinary Life is a 2025 short, 2D digital animated film written and directed by Yoriko Mizushiri. The French-Japanese co-production film depicts the succession of moments that we repeat over and over again in ordinary life but they are never the same, and everything changes and wavers.
It was selected in the Berlinale Shorts section at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its World premiere on 15 February and compete for Golden Bear for Best Short Film.

Synopsis

Life may seem repetitive, but each moment is unique and ever-changing. While the mind wanders, the body remains anchored in the present, constantly drawing us back to truly experience it. Fully feeling sensations through the body may be life's greatest joy.

Release

Ordinary Life had its World premiere on 15 February 2025, as part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, in the Berlinale Shorts 3.
The film was also part of Shorts Programmes, Animation at the 2025 Atlantic International Film Festival and screened on September 15, 2025.
The film also made it to Shorts Program 2: Animation at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival and was screened on October 24, 2025, where it won the Silver Hugo for Animation Short Film.

Accolades

From this year, the Berlinale Shorts CUPRA Filmmaker Award will be presented to a distinctive directorial talent within the festival's short film competition. This new accolade is sponsored by CUPRA and comes with a grant of.
AwardDateCategoryRecipientResult
Berlin International Film Festival23 February 2025Golden Bear for Best Short FilmOrdinary LifeNomitated
Berlin International Film Festival23 February 2025Berlinale Shorts CUPRA Filmmaker AwardOrdinary LifeNomitated
Berlin International Film Festival23 February 2025Silver Bear for Best Short FilmOrdinary LifeWon
Chicago International Film Festival25 October 2025Silver Hugo Award for Animated Short FilmOrdinary LifeWon
Mainichi Film Awards10 February 2026Ōfuji Noburō AwardOrdinary LifeWon