tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251350452024-03-18T10:33:39.019+09:00Nishikata Film ReviewA journey through Japanese Visual CultureCathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comBlogger808125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-36582172073638353562024-02-15T16:52:00.001+09:002024-02-15T16:52:27.998+09:00MOVOP Animation Screenings & Exhibition<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ysYQ5ixqokGp69jwBZvvDpTfLoaG7ImBK-BGg8X7InMQf6nLiMPjYaeWpPGV1YFCA2RUK1XZLhJaHbEy44y_E2YgRovBL8V-XBnjsYhpGoq3TUUVg9rdfd6h6YCHHiQvd6_WGvDTp6nEGLB8UpL4XSbgX6cCFJ6uS1YhDb33jkvl8b4DGyft/s941/MOVOP%20screening%20event.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="941" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ysYQ5ixqokGp69jwBZvvDpTfLoaG7ImBK-BGg8X7InMQf6nLiMPjYaeWpPGV1YFCA2RUK1XZLhJaHbEy44y_E2YgRovBL8V-XBnjsYhpGoq3TUUVg9rdfd6h6YCHHiQvd6_WGvDTp6nEGLB8UpL4XSbgX6cCFJ6uS1YhDb33jkvl8b4DGyft/w640-h406/MOVOP%20screening%20event.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">MOVOP is a collective of young animators under 30 who want to re-evaluate contemporary animation practices. The members of the collective include Fukumi NAKAZAWA (中澤ふくみ), Lina MACHIDA (まちだりな), Nana KAWABATA (川畑 那奈), Riku TAKAHASHI (高橋李空) / DOKUZEN, MARU AKARI, Hiroki KURASAWA (倉澤 紘己), and Aiko OKAMURA (岡村 あい子). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> MOVOP is a neologism combing the English expressions ‘move up’ (上にあがる) and ‘move on’ (進む) and the Czech word ‘<i>potok</i>’ meaning brook or stream (小川). The letter ‘O’ between the letters M/V/P is also meant to evoke the gaps between frames that create the illusion of movement in animation.
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The collective seems to be pushing back against the trend for animation to be completely online and digital. In their declaration, they talk about making things with their own hands and to create an archive of their works in physical form. They also want to create real spaces for young animators to engage in debate and discussions about animation practices with their peers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In November, they published the inaugural edition of their e-zine on their website. I first heard about MOVOP because of physical postcards and flyers their distributed at the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival in November.
The first weekend of March, MOVOP will be holding their first screenings and exhibition at <a href="https://digitiminimi.com/" target="_blank">Digiti Minimi</a> and co-hosted by <a href="http://tampen.jp/" target="_blank">Tampen</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqVaak-tyUrtL-MvpQTmyloMlIK88lR3wmM71z0agrs5IbivNtRwLrpS_HFCyeRJqCBatqnCYVGuVyjxXbkp96xUL2Ic3jBzL9eqmnxcHJ-OZKBcy5oQDMFy2h8VZpaWJ432pc9f0CCiKmGR0ewfbq0SRsjg895HFrtZf3JFUp8MksR6w2wsk/s3709/MOVOP%20Program%20A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3709" data-original-width="2682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqVaak-tyUrtL-MvpQTmyloMlIK88lR3wmM71z0agrs5IbivNtRwLrpS_HFCyeRJqCBatqnCYVGuVyjxXbkp96xUL2Ic3jBzL9eqmnxcHJ-OZKBcy5oQDMFy2h8VZpaWJ432pc9f0CCiKmGR0ewfbq0SRsjg895HFrtZf3JFUp8MksR6w2wsk/s320/MOVOP%20Program%20A.jpeg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><b>Program A </b></div><div><br /></div><div> <b>Kukkiri to Boyata</b> / くっきりとぼやけた </div><div> dir. Lina MACHIDA / まちだリな, 5’23”, 2024 <span style="color: red;">New work! </span></div><div><br /></div><div> <b>w_lk </b></div><div>dir. Riku TAKAHASHI / 高橋李空 / DOKUZEN, 2’58” </div><div><br /></div><div><b> The Day It was an Excursion </b>/ えんそくだったひ </div><div> dir. Hiroki KURASAWA / 倉澤紘己, 5’49”, 2023 </div><div><br /></div><div><b> Deforming after Transforming </b>(変形して奇形する) </div><div> dir. Fukumi NAKAZAWA / 中澤ふくみ , 8’47”, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b> lier</b> </div><div>dir. MARU AKARI, 1’, 2024 <span style="color: red;">New work! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b> The Ship of Synapse</b> </div><div>Riku TAKAHASHI / 高橋李空 / DOKUZEN, 2’, 2023 </div><div><br /></div><div><b> Weather Map</b> </div><div>dir. Nana KAWABATA / 川畑那奈 ,9’09", 2021
</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko7pgqttKKC0gOjhm2z5TQcZ9am2R86dlgbSAk0vrMAWF-SaeaOxl_8ZayThyeLCKJ3ptymdNlADtWVOMAtuzZmxmNG4TG6lErBYvdSy6V4-t1t-v4i-3THkWLX308fpPMSFqsh2cPO7yllbGzXB4lZA9gJwu8pZ1UyVkm99eX6RjmNOu4ge1/s3709/GF8ikIvbcAANa-MOVOP%20Program%20B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3709" data-original-width="2682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko7pgqttKKC0gOjhm2z5TQcZ9am2R86dlgbSAk0vrMAWF-SaeaOxl_8ZayThyeLCKJ3ptymdNlADtWVOMAtuzZmxmNG4TG6lErBYvdSy6V4-t1t-v4i-3THkWLX308fpPMSFqsh2cPO7yllbGzXB4lZA9gJwu8pZ1UyVkm99eX6RjmNOu4ge1/s320/GF8ikIvbcAANa-MOVOP%20Program%20B.jpeg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><b>
Program B</b> <div><br /></div><div><b>Mimimi and the Aliens</b> (みみみとうちゅうじん) </div><div>dir. Hiroki KURASAWA / 倉澤紘己, 5’55”, 2024 <span style="color: red;">New work!</span> </div><div><br /></div><div><b> kagra </b></div><div>
dir. Riku TAKAHASHI /高橋李空 / DOKUZEN, 2’58” </div><div><br /></div><div><b> melt</b> </div><div>dir. MARU AKARI, 30”, 2020-2023 </div><div><br /></div><div><b> Carrots Don’t Wait </b>(ニンジンは待ってくれない / Ninjin wa Matte kurenai) </div><div>dir. Lina MACHIDA / まちだリな, 7’36”, 2023</div><div><br /></div><div><b> The Point of Permanence </b>(永久点 / Towa-ten) </div><div>dir. Nana KAWABATA / 川畑那奈, 10’04”, 2024 <span style="color: red;">New work! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b> #_ hashtag underber </b></div><div>dir. MARU AKARI, 6’, 2022 </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKOxZvoBoZ9I7cJeSUM3IUK12N2zw8a-ydPNX5lWMz1mYakc3SNhLAvW2viFAoxG3h_M3SlqpdvFAc6oC5Ug0ypkMySK7Sheold-z9gQA1j7WWQ5_lFP6JnIE_Bz2BMcAQCQC9Utl7ykdamUN0L_oJCpURPT_hezr9N9rJ5QLJ-Bmr_qgaifT/s3709/MOVOP%20ex.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3709" data-original-width="2682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKOxZvoBoZ9I7cJeSUM3IUK12N2zw8a-ydPNX5lWMz1mYakc3SNhLAvW2viFAoxG3h_M3SlqpdvFAc6oC5Ug0ypkMySK7Sheold-z9gQA1j7WWQ5_lFP6JnIE_Bz2BMcAQCQC9Utl7ykdamUN0L_oJCpURPT_hezr9N9rJ5QLJ-Bmr_qgaifT/s320/MOVOP%20ex.jpeg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b> Exhibition </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>
Aiko OKAMURA (岡村あい子)</b> </div><div>Yume-utsutsu 『夢現』 </div><div>Jiga『自我』 <span style="color: red;">New work! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fukumi NAKAZAWA (中澤ふくみ)</b> </div><div>Kandokoro wo Zurasu『勘どころをずらす』 <span style="color: red;">New work! </span></div><div>New work!
Tadaka ga Yonde iru『ただかが呼んでいる』 </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">On the Saturday at 14:00 there will be a Guest Talk Event with Yū ISEKI (井関悠), the curator of the Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito, artist Hirotoshi IWASAKI
(岩崎博俊), and dancer / choreographer Nobunashi KON (のばなしコン). On Sunday at 14:00 there will be a Talk Event with member of MOVOP.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>Tickets are available via the Peatix app: </div><div><a href="https://movop-event.peatix.com/view">https://movop-event.peatix.com/view</a> </div><div> For more information visit the MOVOP website / social media:
<a href="https://movopanimation5.wordpress.com/">https://movopanimation5.wordpress.com/</a> </div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/movop_">https://www.instagram.com/movop_</a> </div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/movop_">https://twitter.com/movop_
</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Cathy Munroe Hotes</div><div id="rikaichan-window" lang="ja" style="all: revert !important;"></div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-8570194905044479042024-01-08T22:37:00.003+09:002024-01-08T22:46:18.984+09:00NIAFF 2023 Archive/アーカイブ: Dwarf Studios’ Talk /「ドワーフ」トーク<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmKF6440KxnEYUcdtLglnsNWPh3DOILW4do3z45qKxL-GU0oB_iiUCgZRvhSzFXbUmhnnwbVUQRXCrzpLGxhHhAGUsMxsR4BYMbAvtIuKibQrmE9sPTsojYj5FavNehUw6aq-trDZLsaJ5P7M2ki7DD2Z3S3MSDyg0tcgM5YEi5AvJVHaE5eb/s1040/hidari%20poster.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="1040" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilmKF6440KxnEYUcdtLglnsNWPh3DOILW4do3z45qKxL-GU0oB_iiUCgZRvhSzFXbUmhnnwbVUQRXCrzpLGxhHhAGUsMxsR4BYMbAvtIuKibQrmE9sPTsojYj5FavNehUw6aq-trDZLsaJ5P7M2ki7DD2Z3S3MSDyg0tcgM5YEi5AvJVHaE5eb/w640-h340/hidari%20poster.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">In addition to its feature film competition, the <a href="https://niigata-iaff.net/" target="_blank">Niigata International Animation Film Festival</a> (NIAFF) also shines a spotlight on the latest trends in the animation industry. One exciting development in the past two years has been the production journey of the innovative stop motion animation <i>Hidari</i> (2023), which has taken social media by storm. One of the stop motion studios involved in its production, <a href="https://dw-f.jp/#!page1" target="_blank">Dwarf</a> (<i>Domo-kun</i>, <i>Komaneko</i>, <i>Pokemon Concierge</i>), was also celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the centre of the <i>Hidari </i>project is director <b>Masashi KAWAMURA </b>(川村真司) of <a href="https://whatever.co/" target="_blank">Whatever Co</a>, an ambitious entrepreneur who grew up watching the words of creators Ray Harryhausen, Kihachirō Kawamoto, and Phil Tippett. He had a dream of creating a feature length stop motion samurai epic, so he partnered with Dwarf and <a href="https://tecarat.jp/" target="_blank">Tecarat </a>(<i>Gon, the Little Fox</i>, <i>Pukkulapottas and Hours in the Forest</i>) to take his creative vision to the next level. The stop motion is done at Dwarf and <b>Takeshi YASHIRO</b> (八代健志) of Tecarat designs and carves the wooden puppets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They completed a short film as a pilot for the feature film project and this screening at NIAFF helped them get the word out about their crowdfunding campaign to get the funds to make the dream of a full feature length tale a reality. Check out the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@teamhidari" target="_blank">official YouTube channel</a> to set how they made it. The pilot has gone on to win awards at festivals around the world.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DpefYPLH67A?si=wiKyVGS8tiVki5G2" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The story is the legend of Jingorō Hidari (左 甚五郎), the Japanese equivalent of a Renaissance man who was a sculpture, carpenter, painter, architect, storyteller, and artist. As he name, “Hidari” (left) indicates, he was lefthanded and had a missing right arm. There are many tales as to how he lost his right arm, often involving jealous rivals. Yashiro’s puppet of Hidari has a giant, wonderfully intricate left hand that the animators use in many creative ways for fight scenes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://niigata-iaff.net/2023/programs/hidari/" target="_blank">Talk Event at NIAFF 2023</a> featured Kawamura, Yashiro, and the acclaimed Dwarf Studios director <b>Tsuneo GŌDA</b> (合田 経郎) and producer <b>Noriko MATSUMOTO</b> (松本紀子). They also brought the puppet of <i>Hidari </i>for audiences to see the amazing detail that went into its design. The NIAFF archive clip starts with a slideshow of the <i>Hidari </i>event, then shows excerpts from the Dwarf Studios discussion about the magic of the technique of stop motion (<i>komadori </i>in Japanese) with two of the studios most well known original characters, Domo-kun and Komaneko on the display table. If you do not understand Japanese, please use the captions auto-translate function on YouTube for the language of your preference.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xOqUCuWR74Q?si=YXaUVShskhMJcrp7" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the run up to the second instalment of NIAFF in March 2024, the festival is sharing highlights of last March’s festival every Tuesday on its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NIAFF-promotion" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a>. Subscribe to see more. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> 2024 Cathy Munroe Hotes
</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-31896203966438263222024-01-08T16:44:00.001+09:002024-01-08T16:44:32.449+09:00NIAFF 2023 Archive/アーカイブ: Director Rintaro's Talk / りんたろう監督トーク<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeZr1p1gQjafhQ9eF7QzkRw1cusMqmev1zfomNaAZEzaPEcD8JjKFUO4A3kiyFEnadK3msapZVPyADHuYNL_L1HfW6fTCe3KOVPx2NrfPLCaRzyd30gjgNgDjwcdS7zqyLCRmYLYYsDPCTzux-cyDvtfUmkBLI3VeKAALnDd5vrr3DpIkJgvX/s523/Rintaro%20Nezumi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="523" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeZr1p1gQjafhQ9eF7QzkRw1cusMqmev1zfomNaAZEzaPEcD8JjKFUO4A3kiyFEnadK3msapZVPyADHuYNL_L1HfW6fTCe3KOVPx2NrfPLCaRzyd30gjgNgDjwcdS7zqyLCRmYLYYsDPCTzux-cyDvtfUmkBLI3VeKAALnDd5vrr3DpIkJgvX/w400-h212/Rintaro%20Nezumi.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Renowned animator <b>Rintarō </b>(りんたろう, b. 1942) premiered his latest animation at the debut <a href="https://niigata-iaff.net/" target="_blank">Niigata Animation Film Festival</a> (NIAFF) in March 2023. It seems fitting that he should have been a guest at the first NIAFF, because he started off his career as an in-betweener on the first colour anime feature length film <i>The White Snake Enchantress </i>(白蛇伝/<i>Hakujaden</i>, 1958), also known in English as <i>Legend of the White Serpent</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the reasons that Niigata was chosen as a location to host an animation festival for feature length films is that Niigata is the birthplace of two animation pioneers who worked on <i>Hakujaden</i>: Hiroshi ŌKAWA (大川博, 1896-1971) and Kōji FUKIYA (蕗谷虹児, 1898-1979). Ōkawa (sometimes transliterated as OHKAWA), who has been called “<a href="https://www.nippyo.co.jp/shop/book/7186.html" target="_blank">The Man Who Aimed to Become Disney</a>” by historian Nobuyuki TSUGATA, was the producer of <i>Hakujaden</i> and Fukiya contributed to the early technology used at Tōei Animation during the making of <i>Hakujaden</i>. In honour of their achievements, NIAFF awards the OHKAWA/FUKIYA PRIZE for technical contributions to animation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSP5btfwXKO4IPYuL867mFDg2KkP9Y1TGnKGhrwnADFT06hRtylPY-arkAblV3cxxA8mMaI0HIABTO5x9PHtuWSeCPdsmxPCCHWtsdr3aP88JTZcviQU8yC3iW-4ic4JOTLKpUl5bqQf5FL9nHQzDw0GwJf-GJ8RIF8QjTHmsZXTuGl2rEYGX/s1807/poster_niigata%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1807" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSP5btfwXKO4IPYuL867mFDg2KkP9Y1TGnKGhrwnADFT06hRtylPY-arkAblV3cxxA8mMaI0HIABTO5x9PHtuWSeCPdsmxPCCHWtsdr3aP88JTZcviQU8yC3iW-4ic4JOTLKpUl5bqQf5FL9nHQzDw0GwJf-GJ8RIF8QjTHmsZXTuGl2rEYGX/s320/poster_niigata%202023.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rintarō calls his work a <i>manga eiga</i> – an earlier term for animation – literally “cartoon film” and it takes its inspiration from early Japanese cinema and animation history. <i>Manga Cinema dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka: Nezumikozo Jirokichi</i> (山中貞雄に捧げる漫画映画『鼠小僧次郎吉』, 2023) is an adaption of the story of the legendary Edo period thief and folk hero, sometimes called Jirokichi the Rat in English. It is based on the script of <i>Nezumikozō Jirokichi Zenpen: Edo no maki </i>(鼠小僧次郎吉 前篇 江戸の巻, 1933), the first of a trilogy of films written and directed by <b>Sado YAMANAKA </b>(山中 貞雄, 1909-1938). Yamanaka was a pioneering film director whose brilliant career was cut short when he was drafted into the army and died in Manchuria. All but 3 of his early films, including this trilogy were lost, and with this work Rintarō and his team, including character designer <b>Katsuhiro ŌTOMO</b> (大友克洋) and composer Toshiyuki HONDA (本多俊之), sought to pay homage both to Yamanaka and to the art of silent cinema.
In this clip from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NIAFF-promotion" target="_blank">NIAFF 2023 Video Archives</a>, Rintarō talks to animation expert <b>Ryūsuke HIKAWA </b>(氷川竜介) about why he decided to do this project. Some of the highlights of the discussion are how much animation has changed so much since Rintarō first started in the industry, how young people today don’t know a lot about silent cinema – a medium that <b>Alfred Hitchcock </b>called the purest form of cinema, and his collaboration with Toshiyuki HONDA on the music for the film. Please use the captions auto-translate function for the language of your preference.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K7kRNwSLA3g?si=JFryPUyHa2oqczdP" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div id="rikaichan-window" lang="ja" style="all: revert;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the run up to the second instalment of NIAFF in March 2024, the festival is sharing highlights of last year’s festival every Tuesday on its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NIAFF-promotion" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a>. Subscribe to see more.
<i>Nezumikozo Jirokichi </i>is distributed internationally by <a href="https://www.miyu.fr/production/en/nezumikozo-jirokichi-2/" target="_blank">MIYU</a>.</div><div style="text-align: right;">2024 Cathy Munroe Hotes</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-13472385667566015642024-01-04T14:16:00.001+09:002024-01-08T16:45:10.301+09:00Niigata International Animation Film Festival 2024 <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob3yIWmomvGhndFCdd_4tWxQEYF4e0yWGMRpUTBsGUcQPd_mj6VLDUT3gHW5M1Vqu9wNTJxPCVK9Rt_4HikTyknyncQov6ozVJSdtpnkWKWONZGToA1UqGK6OZtPaewsZHFslFiI6PN5NkJ2pBdE4LJVjZ_M2P9syB12Kw50uWE7V-n2aoj8B/s330/NIAFF%20logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob3yIWmomvGhndFCdd_4tWxQEYF4e0yWGMRpUTBsGUcQPd_mj6VLDUT3gHW5M1Vqu9wNTJxPCVK9Rt_4HikTyknyncQov6ozVJSdtpnkWKWONZGToA1UqGK6OZtPaewsZHFslFiI6PN5NkJ2pBdE4LJVjZ_M2P9syB12Kw50uWE7V-n2aoj8B/s320/NIAFF%20logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">After a successful inaugural year, the <b>Niigata International Animation Film Festival</b><i> </i>(NIAFF) is returning in 2024 with an even more ambitious program of events. The festival will be held March 15 – 20, 2024. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What makes this animation festival special is its focus on feature length animation films instead of short films. There will also be Special Presentations such as invitational screenings with invited guests; a program featuring World Trends such as new production methods, female animators and a focus on Asia; a Retrospective and an All-Night Movie Marathon. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shortly before the New Year, the <b>Niigata Anime and Manga Festival</b> (<a href="https://niigata-animemangafes.com/" target="_blank">がたふぇす</a>/ GataFes) announced that their festival would be held concurrently with NIAFF on March 16 and 17. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLPjVNw1MTuntHBjTek5st85dmo4jIYe_9L-X0YVioK2ycVSx6MlhU3oxRbECC8AQA2ER6ceVQMS7_fzuOuVjC90sj49Gui4CLsQUrfVOhi1e2RY_IqJZTHYEf5dTbdze0TmerkYTiyuBcPRkhNNoDaQxghNuWHZON-7hXoAo62_jiAmn09xN/s1182/Niaff%20jury.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1164" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLPjVNw1MTuntHBjTek5st85dmo4jIYe_9L-X0YVioK2ycVSx6MlhU3oxRbECC8AQA2ER6ceVQMS7_fzuOuVjC90sj49Gui4CLsQUrfVOhi1e2RY_IqJZTHYEf5dTbdze0TmerkYTiyuBcPRkhNNoDaQxghNuWHZON-7hXoAo62_jiAmn09xN/s320/Niaff%20jury.jpeg" width="315" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the 28 November 2023, NIAFF announced that the 2024 Jury would be headed by <b>Nora TWOMEY </b>(Ireland). An Oscar-nominated director, Twomey in the co-founder and creative director of <a href="https://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/" target="_blank">Cartoon Saloon</a>. Her most renowned works include <i>The Secret of the Kells </i>(Tomm Moore/Nora Twomey, 2009) and <i>The Breadwinner </i>(Twomey, 2017). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Michael FUKUSHIMA</b> (Canada) joins Twomey on the jury. He is acclaimed for <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/search?q=michael+fukushima" target="_blank">his work as a producer</a> at the National Film Board of Canada (<a href="https://www.nfb.ca/" target="_blank">NFB</a>) from 1997 – 2021. His is currently serving as OCADU’s Experimental Animation Executive Producer-in-Residence. You can learn about his 1992 animated documentary about his father’s traumatic life experiences on my website here: <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2012/11/minoru-memory-of-exile-1992.html" target="_blank">Minoru: Memory of Exile</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rounding out the jury is <b>Yūichirō SAITŌ</b> (Japan), producer at <a href="https://studiochizu.com/" target="_blank">STUDIO CHIZU</a>, which he co-founded with acclaimed anime director Mamoru HOSODA. The works Saitō has collaborated with Hosoda on include <i>The Girl Who Leapt Through Time</i> (2006), <i>Summer Wars </i>(2009) <i>Wolf Children </i>(2012 and the Oscar nominated <i>Mirai </i>(2018). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BTUcoI4z-x4?si=SwBU8_Cslmbs2Lqm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I have joined the NIAFF team as their international press liaison, so keep an eye on my social media (@nishikataeiga on most platforms) for upcoming announcements. In the run-up to the festival, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NIAFF-promotion/videos" target="_blank">NIAFF’s official YouTube Channel</a> is posting the highlights from 2023 which I will also post here. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> 2024 Catherine Munroe Hotes</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-50144969624804224672023-08-20T04:46:00.002+09:002023-08-20T17:48:10.298+09:0090s Animation at “Into Animation 8”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgKPQAJ6DaE-PttkfXXgdkdCNDz4RBxGl-67NNkH3LhcH_NQBaujjRdBrVmgtdbL1nfXbmxe-pvPJdsf0FCw6fSYxoWCXw7mjXoZHNJo3BsYqaRLC2sQ12zkDQhR4xHgJ2zgPmMS2Yg6b69WShQP5RP4pnXZ_zvSDoXH0mqaouwQ0-2Gcb0T5/s405/90s%20japanese%20animation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="405" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgKPQAJ6DaE-PttkfXXgdkdCNDz4RBxGl-67NNkH3LhcH_NQBaujjRdBrVmgtdbL1nfXbmxe-pvPJdsf0FCw6fSYxoWCXw7mjXoZHNJo3BsYqaRLC2sQ12zkDQhR4xHgJ2zgPmMS2Yg6b69WShQP5RP4pnXZ_zvSDoXH0mqaouwQ0-2Gcb0T5/w400-h346/90s%20japanese%20animation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>90s Animation <div>90年代アニメーション <div><a href="https://into-anim.localinfo.jp/pages/7154766/page_202307241401" target="_blank">Into Animation 8 </a></div><div> </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I first discovered independent Japanese animation while living in Tokyo in the mid-2000s, and through my research have learnt a lot about current and early independent animation, but I haven’t yet had the opportunity to thoroughly research the animation practices of the 1980s and the 1990s in Japan. So, I was thrilled to discover that <a href="https://www.jaa.gr.jp/" target="_blank">JAA members</a> decided to hold a special screening of works form the 1990s at <a href="https://into-anim.localinfo.jp/pages/7154766/page_202307241401" target="_blank">Into Animation 8</a> earlier this month. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The selection was presented mostly chronologically, with pauses after every few films to introduce the <a href="https://www.jaa.gr.jp/jaa%e4%bc%9a%e5%93%a1%e7%b4%b9%e4%bb%8b/" target="_blank">JAA members</a> responsible for the animation. Each animator featured in this program has their own unique individual animation style. Highlights for me included Katsushi BOWDA’s renowned rhythmic stop motion work <i>Pulsar</i>, Yūko ASANO’s brilliant stop motion <i>The Life of Ants</i>, IKIF’s experiment with pixilation, <i>Stop Motion with the ZC1000</i>, Yukio HIRUMA’s mixed media self-reflexive work <i>Magical Product</i> and, of course, the beautiful calligraphy style of Azuru ISSHIKI with her 1992 work <i>Wind</i>. It was such a thrill to meet many animators whose work I had admired for years at Into Animation 8, such as Isshiki and Hal FUKUSHIMA, whose work <i>Manabu’s World</i> screened. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Something very particular to the 80s and 90s were the examples of VIBE IDs: short short animations for station identification that would appear on MTV or other channels after commercial breaks. In effect, they are animated logos for the TV stations. The 3 examples by Keita KUROSAKA are in his signature body horror / gore horror style and must have made a memorable impact on audiences at the time. Kōji YAMAMURA’s were also in a visual style unlike any other animators working in Japan at that time. Tatsuyoshi NOMURA’s well known short shorts from the time were also shown. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The screening closed with the youngest of the filmmakers Saku SAKAMOTO, whose work I first encountered at <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/" target="_blank">Nippon Connection </a>in 2008 as part of the <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/search?q=saku+sakamoto" target="_blank">Open Art Animation</a> selection. His film <i>The Fisherman</i> (2002) had made an impression on me and it was nice to see another early work by him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the screenings, we moved to the workshop room where Tokumine KIFUNE (IKIF), Yukio HIRUMA (Bunka Gakuen University), Tatsuyoshi NOMURA (Robot, Tama Art University), and Katsushi BOWDA (BOWDAS) held a roundtable discussion about animation in the 1990s. This included an overview of the technology that they had at their disposal for making animation, the rapid changes in technology, etc. There was also a discussion about how the JAA played a role in creating events for their works to be screened. The first of the INTO ANIMATION events was held in the 1990s and began to be held every couple of years up until the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the cycle. The event was moderated by Jun MIYAMORI (宮森潤), who had put together a terrific Excel timeline that he shared with us on screen. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Screened works: </b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp-cF67YOLnt9n6GTi8hWuE1h0sKvopXiy5I-3WeSBOKp17fqpRUlWlOzqTrGqfCI8rr5IUoaSLpUPoYv7MIv8HwoqiQRY44kp1RZvmFffav9JF_auRZvvAOEAebG9-1JwmPoXY_C6V9C9ClgCM7YalB23M33JbWEHC7M847Hoq4ndTZtDMxB/s266/bowda%20pulsar.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="266" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp-cF67YOLnt9n6GTi8hWuE1h0sKvopXiy5I-3WeSBOKp17fqpRUlWlOzqTrGqfCI8rr5IUoaSLpUPoYv7MIv8HwoqiQRY44kp1RZvmFffav9JF_auRZvvAOEAebG9-1JwmPoXY_C6V9C9ClgCM7YalB23M33JbWEHC7M847Hoq4ndTZtDMxB/s1600/bowda%20pulsar.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Pulsar </i></b>(1990) </div><div>パルサー / Parusā / 3’10” </div><div>dir. Katsuyoshi BOWDA / 保田克史 </div><div> <a href="https://www.bowdas-animation.com/ " target="_blank">https://www.bowdas-animation.com/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSjYgEF4eTX7uFAY2hbdxDf3kJXlLsz5-P67us9jArGaAq4Bw_ZdYPKJjP9zcSnTOZRzEr4KzuceBklQwOV1hmMhE4yrLBQEJqwTtt8njy-n6dUD7gZk-QzBq8S_vgTExVOmRz6n9SZDG7CK8mcEQXnwpRFuaL0ewvvFWDgPhyDgOsrICRnxt/s288/issiki%20wind.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="288" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSjYgEF4eTX7uFAY2hbdxDf3kJXlLsz5-P67us9jArGaAq4Bw_ZdYPKJjP9zcSnTOZRzEr4KzuceBklQwOV1hmMhE4yrLBQEJqwTtt8njy-n6dUD7gZk-QzBq8S_vgTExVOmRz6n9SZDG7CK8mcEQXnwpRFuaL0ewvvFWDgPhyDgOsrICRnxt/s1600/issiki%20wind.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br />Wind </i></b>(1992) </div><div> 風 / Kaze / 3’40” </div><div>dir. Azuru ISSHIKI / 一色 あづる </div><div><a href="https://asifa.jp/member/azuru-isshiki.html">https://asifa.jp/member/azuru-isshiki.html</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwc5lPbsHGXCIjLJOVB_HRt2bcm44GtR1ayGzwfz9EckORiUPi0y83knTYL2-29bK8ggSYPQcDysX1V9y8boOmBlr7JVNabBM2PeoDzX7ZjDr899XqvNlQfbVvwjYolYNxG3aogHXC6s4gzhtHmgQy5uv6N1Q9JOkfrHAzca5eB_0u7nPnpD_/s285/nomura%20stray%20sheep.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="285" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwc5lPbsHGXCIjLJOVB_HRt2bcm44GtR1ayGzwfz9EckORiUPi0y83knTYL2-29bK8ggSYPQcDysX1V9y8boOmBlr7JVNabBM2PeoDzX7ZjDr899XqvNlQfbVvwjYolYNxG3aogHXC6s4gzhtHmgQy5uv6N1Q9JOkfrHAzca5eB_0u7nPnpD_/s1600/nomura%20stray%20sheep.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />Stray Sheep Series </i></b>(3 short shorts) </div><div>ストレイシープシリーズ (3本 ) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i>Stray Sheep: Submarine</i> (1994) </li><li><i>Stray Sheep: Bath</i> (1995) </li><li><i>Stray Sheep: Merry-go-round</i> (1995) </li></ul></div><div><i><b>Midnight Restaurant</b></i> (1994) </div><div>ミッドナイトレストラン </div><div>2’00” </div><div>dir. Tatsuyoshi NOMURA / 野村 辰寿 </div><div><a href=" https://www.robot.co.jp/staff/tatsutocity/oshigoto/index.html" target="_blank"> https://www.robot.co.jp/staff/tatsutocity/oshigoto/index.html</a> </div><div><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CI0blmlMfeU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09aXzZyi3RmtUj-0DB8k74ZfuvGNaLb-bviX1pi2jqKdmD8-CBsHv7whDLp7Gi_oMZPTHo8ckpSqzaIN1goSY3916VIYkyQbotbZOc_bnbpPQGuXfksTGRow-qqdNdakTc3fFxQfLjzt0MdyQeTaAJJp0iFzCITO8Xq_aDzGWTsK9nZQM9KHY/s281/fukushima%20hal_manabekun.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="281" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09aXzZyi3RmtUj-0DB8k74ZfuvGNaLb-bviX1pi2jqKdmD8-CBsHv7whDLp7Gi_oMZPTHo8ckpSqzaIN1goSY3916VIYkyQbotbZOc_bnbpPQGuXfksTGRow-qqdNdakTc3fFxQfLjzt0MdyQeTaAJJp0iFzCITO8Xq_aDzGWTsK9nZQM9KHY/s1600/fukushima%20hal_manabekun.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Manabu’s World</i></b> (1991) </div><div>マナブ君の世界 / Manabu-kun no Seikai / 2’03” </div><div>dir. Hal FUKUSHIMA / 福島 治 </div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1y7Byg8-rwnCmjTK6nmcIw" target="_blank"> Hal’s Official YouTube </a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqaNlBIeooguoArfztNbTFxXN5c-Rk9_tpOZhNT1oM9crTFeqIP7P-Ir6-8GonQU27CsOkKLjLKG8lIYPyTIY_Xjjp3sYrgqJoSQIVzQo3nu1Mh3j4lQCpNwtRhEx-qmmjeVVicw6dbZvQ_82Ag0L6NYKIO0OtjFktO7eaO5VryyHJ86DfVAo/s303/hiruma%20magical%20product.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="303" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqaNlBIeooguoArfztNbTFxXN5c-Rk9_tpOZhNT1oM9crTFeqIP7P-Ir6-8GonQU27CsOkKLjLKG8lIYPyTIY_Xjjp3sYrgqJoSQIVzQo3nu1Mh3j4lQCpNwtRhEx-qmmjeVVicw6dbZvQ_82Ag0L6NYKIO0OtjFktO7eaO5VryyHJ86DfVAo/s1600/hiruma%20magical%20product.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br />Magical Product </i></b>(1992) </div><div>マジックロール・プロダクト / 6’12” </div><div>dir. Yukio HIRUMA / 昼間 行雄 </div><div> <a href="https://bwu.bunka.ac.jp/professor/yukio-hiruma/ " target="_blank">https://bwu.bunka.ac.jp/professor/yukio-hiruma/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B1_osa81vZw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tBTxTEibFEGfOI5MoYhuSuFAVb7_9fkJzybsHusDrEwp05276jrFgDcJ-0I2sqtU7V2jXJXqDqDu93dkZOMlu5xE0MgDuc7k9VAG6PbxEpgv1EoWQDYdkZEAChBPCm_fLeXg6b5qFJIsB95uEkNQy7acEppix_VOERUe50l3tcEd1HlwKwQq/s307/yamamura%20kipling%20jr.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="307" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tBTxTEibFEGfOI5MoYhuSuFAVb7_9fkJzybsHusDrEwp05276jrFgDcJ-0I2sqtU7V2jXJXqDqDu93dkZOMlu5xE0MgDuc7k9VAG6PbxEpgv1EoWQDYdkZEAChBPCm_fLeXg6b5qFJIsB95uEkNQy7acEppix_VOERUe50l3tcEd1HlwKwQq/s1600/yamamura%20kipling%20jr.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>Kipling, Jr</i></b>. (1995) </div><div>キップリングJr. / Kippulingu Jr. / 14’00” </div><div>dir. Kōji YAMAMURA / 山村 浩二 </div><div> <a href="http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_kiplingjr.html">http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_kiplingjr.html</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3YoZ7MFPSd1ECgxwMd_TwfDXX7wtHvxli8qE-G2zZqrHsOBVhv9BMnMOQgJb7yjv2zgsM51X_j6huQsWZMg5bB7kJzCmOfKC8Mgs-9derViwdq0H_g6T14ZT5hwFBeCVzGnzs2UmhydvPKZBpiznRgvimRpkySo-55aQ06GM-xJs0iuyZ4G1/s306/kurosaka%20atama.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="306" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3YoZ7MFPSd1ECgxwMd_TwfDXX7wtHvxli8qE-G2zZqrHsOBVhv9BMnMOQgJb7yjv2zgsM51X_j6huQsWZMg5bB7kJzCmOfKC8Mgs-9derViwdq0H_g6T14ZT5hwFBeCVzGnzs2UmhydvPKZBpiznRgvimRpkySo-55aQ06GM-xJs0iuyZ4G1/s1600/kurosaka%20atama.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>ATAMA </i></b>(MTV Japan, 1994) </div><div><b><i>Flying Daddy </i></b>(MTV Japan, 1997) / パパが飛んだ朝 / <i>Papa ga Tonda Asa </i></div><div><i><b>DRAGON </b></i>(Vibe pics, 1999) </div><div>1’40” </div><div> dir. Keita KUROSAKA 黒坂 圭太 </div><div><a href="https://www.keita-kurosaka.com/">https://www.keita-kurosaka.com/</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYM9HBpH783lMpGKNiTUIYMTd4oSqSTjDsKg09e02KxUHw2i12XjWcBmfjtoI0o1d69iacSFRrmo5GtiGFYXGQS1OfxjC5lB8uCQRUeZMV60XaFGj5hg7A5LYcxyM25tdraZoI9hdjzWLu1MqUxvumMb57G9EGKf-gLZom0G1IrcEq1VWB24Z/s315/Yamamura%20VIBE.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="315" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYM9HBpH783lMpGKNiTUIYMTd4oSqSTjDsKg09e02KxUHw2i12XjWcBmfjtoI0o1d69iacSFRrmo5GtiGFYXGQS1OfxjC5lB8uCQRUeZMV60XaFGj5hg7A5LYcxyM25tdraZoI9hdjzWLu1MqUxvumMb57G9EGKf-gLZom0G1IrcEq1VWB24Z/s1600/Yamamura%20VIBE.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>VIBE-ID </i></b>(1999) </div><div> 2’24” </div><div>dir. Kōji YAMAMURA / 山村 浩二 </div><div> <a href="http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_vibe.html">http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_vibe.html</a> </div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/700026208?h=2b9e75b430" width="640"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/700026208">浅野優子『蟻の生活』(1994)【excerpt】</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/krautfilm">KRAUT FILM</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><p><span style="color: red;">Note: you need to be logged into Vimeo to see the above excerpt.</span></p></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvtw3GVehFTTOFJuuZ99JWBflM9sjUvAX8NzvyhbofneYKMBtMV_awNZapf0_ByhoR3rN3ydYiURKD24taQ23YDHShyTN5yIMnzdthe0S1tBNCslHvcHzk3s29G7Ol_eNZ25W60pIiK2fZvbBDqGsnA-NgQe4BjmXWVt03eEwszfOQDvcJqnQ/s272/Asano%20life%20of%20ants.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="272" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvtw3GVehFTTOFJuuZ99JWBflM9sjUvAX8NzvyhbofneYKMBtMV_awNZapf0_ByhoR3rN3ydYiURKD24taQ23YDHShyTN5yIMnzdthe0S1tBNCslHvcHzk3s29G7Ol_eNZ25W60pIiK2fZvbBDqGsnA-NgQe4BjmXWVt03eEwszfOQDvcJqnQ/s1600/Asano%20life%20of%20ants.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br /><br /></i></b></div><div><b><i>The Life of Ants </i></b>(1994) </div><div>蟻の生活 / Ari no Seikatsu
14’09” </div><div>dir. Yūko ASANO / 浅野優子 </div><div><a href="https://krautfilm.jp/projections/yuko_asano_selected_works/ " target="_blank">https://krautfilm.jp/projections/yuko_asano_selected_works/ </a></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoUSvbGO3X0hlgjmV5Io-Wi-Wcz5-Du58q3sl0plqv4-k-u7ueD-1sNH0zYXCMCBnSBRmDD29QEOqDJQpcTbYpXXsqaxcxwSsIgAWVmvJfIaPFZ6zKHItiW3hWLQiFNsCo4c4ykVTZoh23m9Zu8XBr9Si7J7P0utO0Tg4AgV-4dbEYNQsi9aV/s274/ikif%20komadori.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="274" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoUSvbGO3X0hlgjmV5Io-Wi-Wcz5-Du58q3sl0plqv4-k-u7ueD-1sNH0zYXCMCBnSBRmDD29QEOqDJQpcTbYpXXsqaxcxwSsIgAWVmvJfIaPFZ6zKHItiW3hWLQiFNsCo4c4ykVTZoh23m9Zu8XBr9Si7J7P0utO0Tg4AgV-4dbEYNQsi9aV/s1600/ikif%20komadori.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br />Stop Motion with the ZC1000 </i></b>(short version) (1993) </div><div>ZC1000で コマ撮りした (短縮版) / ZC1000 <i>de komadorishita </i>(<i>Tanshukuban</i>) / 10’00” </div><div>dir. IKIF (animation duo Tokumine KIFUNE 木船徳光 and Sonoko ISHIDA 石田園子)
<a href="http://www.ikifplus.co.jp/ikif/ " target="_blank">http://www.ikifplus.co.jp/ikif/</a> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Wm_-_h-wwtqpqM1rjYmIgbUVoy2oxCUhNK6VDZwm1oIyQwEKXvHOdHOKhWIlfXq-K5VV4TqlJ3GYn1ffLVrr7zFIHsLjIqOzBGg1a7gcHyRMGjbYz97HHr0-UI958qlPnV83bEZZ0MfbjLMujb6u5MII-WA1Q7E6uEqmDLiWPB9Iun5HJ5N6/s371/Bowda_Real.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="371" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Wm_-_h-wwtqpqM1rjYmIgbUVoy2oxCUhNK6VDZwm1oIyQwEKXvHOdHOKhWIlfXq-K5VV4TqlJ3GYn1ffLVrr7zFIHsLjIqOzBGg1a7gcHyRMGjbYz97HHr0-UI958qlPnV83bEZZ0MfbjLMujb6u5MII-WA1Q7E6uEqmDLiWPB9Iun5HJ5N6/s320/Bowda_Real.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Kai dōryoku REAL</b> (1998)</div><div>快動力 REAL / 6’00” </div><div> dir. Katsuyoshi BOWDA 保田克史 </div><div><a href=" https://www.bowdas-animation.com/ " target="_blank"> https://www.bowdas-animation.com/ </a></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyLXLnzXcJFlI0csONfu_Dxu7NEV0znUc0FFUzFjKMdCyEmTDHd5e2ELRulPH6XZRP04lUcs35OZACsNvbRfNEsSsH7-9QJpR4jUaKycykYzanbj0WwEeAuYj5i8AMEslxUnpQA4Anok0xwMsJNxIhr3w1kPHvIlRek-q9yUXJmY_HxBdY5Dw/s305/Sakamoto%20Saku.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="305" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyLXLnzXcJFlI0csONfu_Dxu7NEV0znUc0FFUzFjKMdCyEmTDHd5e2ELRulPH6XZRP04lUcs35OZACsNvbRfNEsSsH7-9QJpR4jUaKycykYzanbj0WwEeAuYj5i8AMEslxUnpQA4Anok0xwMsJNxIhr3w1kPHvIlRek-q9yUXJmY_HxBdY5Dw/s1600/Sakamoto%20Saku.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><br /><br /></b></i></div><div><i><b>Maka fushigi </b></i>(2000) </div><div>摩訶不思議 / 10’26” </div><div> dir. Saku SAKAMOTO 坂本サク
<div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">©2023 Cathy Munroe Hotes</div></div></div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-67873535755092097592023-08-16T06:53:00.003+09:002023-08-16T16:17:51.207+09:00Katsuo Takahashi Featured Event: Exploring 3D Animated Films <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7F9e2wKcomwDtHoJHV_QVjbZvz5-Ek2OtAn88H5bWg0lGIdAwGl8kcJjVOggNk_n9b_EBJshw9syYr1sHC5KrNCrCE4tGV8IFZkA31alPuO5qTWDLoIV-vXyukyLvTpburPhmWDLEYtDBz9LDzFYnIui5vXsF1l_lBo5UgNZOIAGynEjjbIz/s484/takahashi1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="484" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7F9e2wKcomwDtHoJHV_QVjbZvz5-Ek2OtAn88H5bWg0lGIdAwGl8kcJjVOggNk_n9b_EBJshw9syYr1sHC5KrNCrCE4tGV8IFZkA31alPuO5qTWDLoIV-vXyukyLvTpburPhmWDLEYtDBz9LDzFYnIui5vXsF1l_lBo5UgNZOIAGynEjjbIz/w400-h268/takahashi1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Katsuo Takahashi Featured Event: Exploring 3D Animated Films </div><div>高橋克雄特集/立体アニメーション映画への模索 </div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@takahashikariko7539" target="_blank">Takahashi Official YouTube Channel </a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> As part of this year’s <a href="https://into-anim.localinfo.jp/pages/7154766/page_202307241401" target="_blank">Into Animation 8 </a>event at The National Art Center in Roppongi, <a href="https://www.jaa.gr.jp/" target="_blank">JAA</a> member Kariko TAKAHASHI (高橋佳里子) put together a retrospective in honour of her late father, the stop motion animator Katsuo TAKAHASHI (高橋克雄, 1935-2015). The event was hosted by celebrated stop motion animator, <a href="http://moricraft.la.coocan.jp/" target="_blank">Masaaki MORI</a> (森 まさあき, b. 1955). </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Born in Nagasaki, Katsuo Takahashi is considered a pioneer of stop motion animation and early children’s television programming in Japan. He founded his own studio called Tokyo Central Puppet Theatre (東京中央人形劇場) which later became Tokyo Central Productions (東京中央プロダクション). His work ranges from shorts for the NHK (Japan’s public broadcaster) to films commissioned by the Japanese government to promote Japanese culture and interests abroad. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrs0eBIs_0p6KVG67TTmG-31iyfsVVg1VFXbK--sp7bE6DyXWWjvS8YbD07omm7oiYEgDDD3XDm1jz8sVMUp1WsC_gmlUUiNAC9OeHM-noZFYsG5NoQzw6J9c0ltrkMTvDFOS6VG1AeXUZYc3Nvy138v1UWIfLsK3Ewy7yi5tQrOKp8YsiDjX/s467/takahashi2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="467" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrs0eBIs_0p6KVG67TTmG-31iyfsVVg1VFXbK--sp7bE6DyXWWjvS8YbD07omm7oiYEgDDD3XDm1jz8sVMUp1WsC_gmlUUiNAC9OeHM-noZFYsG5NoQzw6J9c0ltrkMTvDFOS6VG1AeXUZYc3Nvy138v1UWIfLsK3Ewy7yi5tQrOKp8YsiDjX/s320/takahashi2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The program gave an overview of Takahashi’s career, interspersed with discussions between his daughter and Mori. Mori recalled seeing some of Takahashi’s children’s television shows broadcast when he was a child. Kariko Takahashi shared behind the scenes details about the making of the programs and Mori shared his observations of the work from the perspective of a professional stop motion animator. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9iSv_QHpBeotTASs4GF1YT9AN_OBEZENtKPO4E0LdrkK6hyp_4jvH1Ix7Sfda3eR4lCHiGEzoQUBZ28jzAq0X45zbl62z4ykYSs3tWSe1MsjSgO5XGonpD-fy25iT-IpQhDXZCIdPK9Bzp9g9h0e0hEC-WedSAU63sUkrkqZDIuUO_CGvK95/s334/takahashi3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="327" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9iSv_QHpBeotTASs4GF1YT9AN_OBEZENtKPO4E0LdrkK6hyp_4jvH1Ix7Sfda3eR4lCHiGEzoQUBZ28jzAq0X45zbl62z4ykYSs3tWSe1MsjSgO5XGonpD-fy25iT-IpQhDXZCIdPK9Bzp9g9h0e0hEC-WedSAU63sUkrkqZDIuUO_CGvK95/s320/takahashi3.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some of the highlights included <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TokyoCentralProduction/photos/pb.100057257749909.-2207520000./2609372352682866/?type=3" target="_blank">a photograph of Takahashi with Norman McLaren</a> and others at the NFB in Montreal taken during the 1967 Expo, photographs of audiences viewing his work internationally, and a cameo of Tadahito MOCHINAGA’s Pinocchio stop motion character from Rankin/Bass’ <i>The New Adventures of Pinocchio</i> (1961) in one of Prince Shisukon’s adventures. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Screened Works: </b></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PdEFe5VAvfI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i> <b>Fairy Tale Series </b></i><b>(1979 – 1985)</b> “Little Red Riding Hood” and others </div><div>メルヘンシリーズ「赤ずきん」他 </div><div> Those others included “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Hanasaka Jiisan,” and “The Wizard of Oz.” </div><div><br /></div><div><i> <b>Wan Way Street </b></i><b>(1957)</b> <i>,</i> Ep. 3 “Battle of Potato Island” </div><div>わんウェイ通り 第3話「ポテト島の海戦の巻」 </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i> Prince Shisukon</i> (1963) </b>Opening Credits </div><div>シスコン王子・オープニング映像 </div><div><br /></div><div><i> <b>Land of Dreams: Zipangu</b> </i>(<i>Yumi no Kuni: Zipangu</i>) and <i><b>Kaikoku zen kisaki </b></i></div><div>「夢の国・ジパング」「開国前后」 </div><div><br /></div><div><i> <b>Mrs. 21st Century</b></i><b> (<i>Misesu 21 Seiki</i>, 1971) </b></div><div>ミセス21世紀 </div><div><br /></div><div><b> <i>Princess Kaguya</i> (<i>Kaguya Hime</i>, 1972) </b></div><div>かぐやひめ </div><div><br /></div><div> To learn more about Takahashi’s work, check out his daughter's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@takahashikariko7539" target="_blank">official YouTube channel</a> and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TokyoCentralProduction/" target="_blank">Tokyo Central Production 高橋克雄著作権事務所 </a>Facebook page. </div><div><br /></div><div> © 2023 Cathy Munroe Hotes
</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-47098530340892095402022-08-31T13:45:00.003+09:002022-08-31T13:45:40.383+09:00Hiroshima Animation Season 2022: Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzRBFKDTv7K9Z2vx3jfyNcnQXsQneIdFvEoiZ8WszHA-BInJ-zHqIi-ulZ2vbVuafHxwBAWixLyofYuy6uIDVjGCVdEIVZiRx09dDIDNZCo7OPhJl75SZ0Ikyx_1_5--SPEBbioXQ8CXttRB1d_fpNuTQonTVbewh_33tA7mEOwLuz1pBTw/s718/zeman%20inspirace.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="718" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzRBFKDTv7K9Z2vx3jfyNcnQXsQneIdFvEoiZ8WszHA-BInJ-zHqIi-ulZ2vbVuafHxwBAWixLyofYuy6uIDVjGCVdEIVZiRx09dDIDNZCo7OPhJl75SZ0Ikyx_1_5--SPEBbioXQ8CXttRB1d_fpNuTQonTVbewh_33tA7mEOwLuz1pBTw/w640-h478/zeman%20inspirace.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The first day of <a href="https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/" target="_blank">Hiroshima Animation Season 2022</a> was the easiest for me to negotiate because there were fewer scheduling conflicts than on other days. While on one hand it is wonderful for an animation festival to be jam-packed with excellent films and events, on the other hand it forces hardcore animation devotees like myself to make difficult screening choices. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As with the original <a href="https://hiroanim.org/" target="_blank">Hiroshima International Animation Festival</a>, the central venue was JMS Aster Plaza with its two large concert halls and community spaces. The new festival opened up screening venues to include local businesses and institutions such as the Hiroshima City Cinematographic and Audio-Visual Library, Yokogawa Cinema, and Salon Cinema. I had hoped to be able to squeeze in seeing some of the anime classics on the big screen such as <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2013/11/the-little-prince-and-eight-headed.html" target="_blank">The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon</a> (わんぱく王子の大蛇退治, 1963) and <i>The White Snake Enchantress</i> (白蛇伝, 1958), but it was simply impossible. Even though I was unable to partake in these offsite screenings, I feel that it was a good idea to include local businesses. These screenings were more likely than the central venue to draw in local crowds and engaging with the local community is an important part of any festival. From what I understand, many of these events were well-attended, which bodes well for future collaborations with local establishments. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first thing I noticed on Day 1 was that instead of stalls run by animators and artists from elsewhere in Japan, all of the vendors were local businesses selling their crafts and other wares. One really big problem for the festival is that the JMS Aster is not close to many restaurants and the one in-house restaurant takes its Obon summer holiday during the festival. It was great to see stalls selling coffee, baked goods, and even fresh hamburgers, so that we could grab a quick bite between screenings. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I began the festival with one of the Hiroshima Animation Season Classics screenings: Karel ZEMAN’s <i>Inspirace </i>(水玉の幻想, 1949) and <i>Invention for Destruction</i> (CZ: <i>Vynález zkázy </i>/ JP: 悪魔の発明, 1958). <i>Inspirace</i> had no dialogue and needed no subtitles and <i>Invention for Destruction </i>was shown with Japanese subtitles only. There were several screenings without English subtitles that offered a “whispering” where one could sit in a section of the theatre where an interpreter would live “whisper” the proceedings in English to those who could not understand the Japanese. As someone with sensitive hearing, I found this really obnoxious. Even though I sat far from the whispering section, I could still hear the whispering and it felt like someone was rudely talking during the screenings and events where it was happening. I don’t understand Czech and I can’t read Japanese quickly enough for the subs, but as I was familiar with the film, and I just focussed on enjoying the animation on the big screen. Zeman’s films may be more than 60 years old now but they have not lost their ability to inspire wonder at their technical brilliance. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After briefly considering hopping on a streetcar to the Cinematography Library to see <i>The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon</i>, I decided to listen to my stomach instead and headed to the legendary local restaurant <a href="http://otis.world.coocan.jp/otis-english.html" target="_blank">Otis!</a> with its delicious Tex-Mex and vegetarian dishes. The walls are filled with the signatures and drawings of animation guests past as the venue opened in 1987 and is an easy walk from the JMS Aster. I was delighted to find the interior and the hosts unchanged from my last visit in 2014, and I found fellow animation researchers <a href="https://www.jasoncodydouglass.com/" target="_blank">Jason Cody Douglass</a> (Yale) and <a href="https://compthoughtlit.jhu.edu/directory/christopher-taylor/" target="_blank">Chris Taylor</a> (John Hopkins) at a table inside. We discussed our viewing plans for the festival and just as I was about to pay my tab, I heard my name spoken behind me by the stop motion animator <a href="https://www.anizo.com/interview-masaakimori-1?lang=en" target="_blank">Masaaki MORI</a> (森まさあき). </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWr3v9SBAFN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWr3v9SBAFN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; 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line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWr3v9SBAFN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Cathy Munroe Hotes (@nishikataeiga)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I first discovered Mori’s work when he participated in the Kihachirō KAWAMOTO omnibus work <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2008/03/winter-days.html" target="_blank">Winter Days</a> (冬の日, 2003) with his delightful clay pig figures. Mori retired from Tokyo Zokei University last year and I went to see his retirement exhibition on the Zokei campus (see the above instagram post). Since joining <a href="http://www.jaa.gr.jp/" target="_blank">JAA</a> late last year, I have encountered Mori often and we seem well on our way to becoming fast friends. In Otis!, Mori introduced me to Yoshimi KAKURAI (加倉井芳美) and Masaaki OIKAWA (及川雅昭) , the PR rep and producer for <a href="https://tecarat.jp/" target="_blank">TECARAT</a> studios. Unfortunately, director and stop motion animator Takeshi YASHIRO (八代健志) could not come to Hiroshima due to the production of <i>Hidari</i> – you can follow the exciting progression of this new stop motion animation on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tecarat_studio/" target="_blank">Tecarat’s Instagram</a>. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I had not yet met Yashiro, but my <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2022/05/resonance-selection-of-japanese.html" target="_blank">Nippon Connection selection</a> for this year featured his <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/p/noburo-ofuji-award-winners.html" target="_blank">Noburō Ōfuji Award</a>-winning short animation <i>Pukkulapottas and Hours in the Forest</i> (プックラポッタと森の時間, 2021) and I had been fascinated by his adaptation of Nakashi NIIMI’s <i>Gon, the Little Fox</i>, which I saw at a stop-motion animation in Kichijoji shortly after I moved back to Japan in 2019. </p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ybhQHjNuS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ybhQHjNuS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; 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height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3ybhQHjNuS/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Cathy Munroe Hotes (@nishikataeiga)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<p style="text-align: justify;">
Even though Yashiro was not at the festival – I was able to meet Gon the fox! Such a beautifully crafted puppet: </p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"> After getting to know more about Tecarat Studios, we headed to the Opening Ceremony and Golden Carpstar Award Ceremony, which I will discuss in my next post. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Coming Soon: Hiroshima Animation Season: Day 1 Opening Ceremony</p><p style="text-align: right;">2022 Cathy Munroe Hotes</p>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-61248782332720871102022-08-29T23:23:00.003+09:002022-08-29T23:23:47.083+09:00Southpaw (サウスポー, 2019) <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSonfTCMM1TyryWnEs4entVFL4DSNYvqpkwC8KyDD5WB47VcVepNN_vN1uiQENrszwZ_qI9WeHslmJa_DJF7WlIknXJGXvA1Edtr5ccN-Ko-o7ghEGkz_30y3r0439TGXrmxmHKmwOLnDM_2RdeW9gpu_oZw1y8wCLjpktWWkLxVSQEOP9Jw/s462/Kabuki_Southpaw.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="462" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSonfTCMM1TyryWnEs4entVFL4DSNYvqpkwC8KyDD5WB47VcVepNN_vN1uiQENrszwZ_qI9WeHslmJa_DJF7WlIknXJGXvA1Edtr5ccN-Ko-o7ghEGkz_30y3r0439TGXrmxmHKmwOLnDM_2RdeW9gpu_oZw1y8wCLjpktWWkLxVSQEOP9Jw/w640-h358/Kabuki_Southpaw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">I first saw this delightful music video when the director and animator <a href="https://sawako-kabuki.com/" target="_blank">Sawako KABUKI</a> (冠木佐和子) first posted it on YouTube back in 2019. When it screened at the Hiroshima Animation Season as part of the Japan Animation Association (JAA) selection <a href="https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/en/program/00001899/" target="_blank">Dive into the Sea of Japanese Independent Animation!</a>, it stood out from the other films for its exceptional use of humour and movement. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/464298473?h=22f46e67c6" width="640"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/464298473">Kuricorder Quartet - SOUTHPAW | Music Video</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user29644294">SAWAKO KABUKI</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><div style="text-align: justify;">The video was commissioned by <a href="http://www.kuricorder.com/" target="_blank">Kuricorder Quartet</a> (栗コーダーカルテット): a quirky, multi-instrumental band featuring recorders (soprano, alto & great bass) and many other instruments. Since 2015, when Kenji KONDŌ left the band, they have actually been a trio but did not change their name. They are known in particular for doing covers of popular music and writing and performing film and TV soundtracks.
Southpaw (サウスポー, 2019) is <i>Kuricorder</i>’s cover of the duo <i>Pink Lady</i>’s 1978 hit song “Southpaw” – which is said to have been inspired by the left-handed baseball pitcher Tomotsu NAGAI who played for the Crown Lighter Lions (now known as the Saitama Seibu Lions). When performing the song on television, Mie and Kei of <i>Pink Lady</i> wore glittery pink and white disco interpretations of baseball uniforms. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pp8ijuDprBQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No doubt inspired by the amazing choreography of <i>Pink Lady</i>, Kabuki chose to use dance as the main theme of her music video. She filmed fellow animator <a href="https://www.himedamanabu.com/" target="_blank">Manabu HIMEDA</a> (whose delightful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SbmffPNC3o&ab_channel=ManabuHimeda" target="_blank">45R Official Site Animation</a> also featured in the JAA program) dancing and rotoscoped him into neckless humanoid character. A master of metamorphosis, Kabuki multiplies the dancing figure and positions the multiple figures in various moving patterns on the screen – always in perfect time with the rhythm of the piece and dynamically capturing the spirit of the performance. The audience was moved to gales of laughter. In a short amount of time Sawako is able to evince precisely that irrepressible urge to dance one feels when one hears a song like that really slaps (to use the modern lingo). </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> 2022 Cathy Munroe Hotes
</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-52954852936886440882022-08-29T14:33:00.001+09:002022-08-31T14:17:40.409+09:00Hiroshima Animation Season 2022: Introduction<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsURg4D2uJRUCPWPF_a6e2NPgDVf8W0m_dRzVcj1jFn6z_JLeC5uzKnDs7Aolyik1BgyH7agP3JAPTlRFAGWcnCi1MGsqtRwIyDtwvMgLVS32KE2uWE1qH70aUSRXRG23wVGzw9UCqb-xgQos4kaSYYZoHqCBS9FoHA1RF_bQEJJt2N4hxAQ/s436/Hiroshima%20Animation%20Season%202022%20poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsURg4D2uJRUCPWPF_a6e2NPgDVf8W0m_dRzVcj1jFn6z_JLeC5uzKnDs7Aolyik1BgyH7agP3JAPTlRFAGWcnCi1MGsqtRwIyDtwvMgLVS32KE2uWE1qH70aUSRXRG23wVGzw9UCqb-xgQos4kaSYYZoHqCBS9FoHA1RF_bQEJJt2N4hxAQ/s320/Hiroshima%20Animation%20Season%202022%20poster.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p> Hiroshima Animation Season 2022 <div> ひろしまアニメーションシーズン2022年 </div><div><a href="https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/">https://animation.hiroshimafest.org/</a> </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year marked the beginning of a new era for animation in Hiroshima. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Hiroshima abruptly broke ties with <a href="https://www.asifa.jp/" target="_blank">ASIFA-JAPAN</a>, who had run the <a href="https://hiroanim.org/" target="_blank">Hiroshima International Animation Festival</a> since its inception in 1985 until its final online edition in 2020. The new <a href="https://hiroshimafest.org/" target="_blank">Hiroshima Festival</a> will run for the month of August biannually and will feature two “seasons” – the Hiroshima Music Season and the Hiroshima Animation Season, with some crossover events.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although it grieves me that ASIFA-JAPAN is no longer running the festival, I came to the new festival with an open mind and a hope for the sake of the city of Hiroshima and for the Japanese animation community that the new festival would be a success. It was strange not to see Sayoko KINOSHITA and her team at the festival, as I know how much hard work they put into the festival over the years. Kinoshita has been unwell this year, and it was decided at an extraordinary meeting of ASIFA-JAPAN, that <a href="https://www.onihiro.net/" target="_blank">Hiroshi ONISHI</a> (Kyoto University of the Arts) would take over administratively while she is in rehabilitation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new team at Hiroshima Animation Season is led by producer Nobuaki DOI and co-artistic directors Kōji YAMAMURA and Shizuka MIYAZAKI. Doi brings with him the experience of running the <a href="https://airport-anifes.jp/" target="_blank">New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival</a> and years of experience as a producer and collaborator in the international animation scene. Initially it seemed that Doi would run both festivals, but it seems that he has left New Chitose and they have a new programming team led by Tomoko ONO, with the assistance of Hirotoshi IWASAKI, Daisuke TANAKA, and Manabu KATO.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyyOlqNlDPYfXgUUt6aF_AMpXFtoCtrbvUo4xSrfB17_ub4l6x0JAX8649Qsr8C4LIvtxmr5OU5Vw6P-OgskvX0-Ylm9lCm1EGduNphIGIMqMA5BqjiZMUQC6s_SvSaGLxokvWaxYYJ1kUYybn6oyRUkJamynsjYq-9maX3fGuKqe378Vsw/s407/hiroshima_lappy_carpstar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="407" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyyOlqNlDPYfXgUUt6aF_AMpXFtoCtrbvUo4xSrfB17_ub4l6x0JAX8649Qsr8C4LIvtxmr5OU5Vw6P-OgskvX0-Ylm9lCm1EGduNphIGIMqMA5BqjiZMUQC6s_SvSaGLxokvWaxYYJ1kUYybn6oyRUkJamynsjYq-9maX3fGuKqe378Vsw/w640-h347/hiroshima_lappy_carpstar.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Hiroshima Animation Season was very much stamped with the artistic personality of Yamamura. Gone is the familiar Lappy character designed by the late Renzō KINOSHITA. In Lappy’s place, the new mascot of the festival is the Golden Carpstar designed by Yamamura. Lappy was a fictitious character whose name was a portmanteau of the themes of the original festival “Love and Peace” and the word “happy”. The Golden Carpstar brings together the carp fish, a local symbol associated with the city of Hiroshima, and a twinkling star (presumably in reference to the artists featured at the festival). The association between carp and Hiroshima runs deep as the city is known for its carp dishes, Hiroshima Castle’s nickname is Rijō (鯉城) or “Carp Castle”, and the local baseball team is called the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The new poster design was done by local artist <i><a href="http://www.shunshunten.com/" target="_blank">shunshun</a></i>, who has been living in Hiroshima since 2012. The egg shape represents the birth of a new festival and it is filled with the motif of water, which was the theme of this year's program. <i>shunshun</i> explains in the catalogue: "The gentle sea where the sun shines brightly, the beautiful rain that pours down to the earth, gentle starlight twinkling in the night sky. . . I depict these scenes that touch my heart by hand-drawing each line one by one carefully." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndJWn_fTXlWYcS2Aoo0ByGaIZqvqtPr1v0RE0jO0SdgXiXZuBjxMBO0q9UQ7MmEXwqnabh7kGL-DdmVGzGT7YkQ1ZQPtl25XSyWd3dG2oSk7Ow9tNCh2aMguQngFGFshzrNWODfG3o16LduOJKa1hku297ncWghRVl4GrlB5yK7n1V20X7A/s755/Hiroshima%202022_Yamamura.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="755" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndJWn_fTXlWYcS2Aoo0ByGaIZqvqtPr1v0RE0jO0SdgXiXZuBjxMBO0q9UQ7MmEXwqnabh7kGL-DdmVGzGT7YkQ1ZQPtl25XSyWd3dG2oSk7Ow9tNCh2aMguQngFGFshzrNWODfG3o16LduOJKa1hku297ncWghRVl4GrlB5yK7n1V20X7A/w640-h322/Hiroshima%202022_Yamamura.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not only was the new mascot designed by Yamamura, but the program also featured Yamamura and many of his former students. His debut feature film <i>Dozens of Norths </i>(幾多の北 / <i>Itaku no Kita</i>, 2021) screened and Yamamura had a talk session about it. Isshin INUDŌ, a college friend of Yamamura’s from Tokyo Zokei University, showed his Min TANAKA documentary <i>The Unnameable Dance </i>(名付けようのない踊り / <i>Nazuke you no nai Odori</i>, 2022) which features Yamamura’s animation for dream sequences and other flights of fancy. Inudō, Tanaka, and Yamamura held a talk session about the film and Tanaka was also on one of the world competition juries. Yamamura also gave a screening and lecture called “Water in Animation: Fluidity and Discontinuity” as part of the water-themed special program of screenings and lectures, and his works screened alongside those of the late experimental animator Nobuhiro AIHARA in a special screening. I presume that the heavy presence of Yamamura at this inaugural edition of the festival may have been due in large part to the difficulties of organising a new festival when there are many travel and other restrictions still in place. I presume that future festivals will put the spotlight on the work of people other than the artistic director. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Co-director Shizuka MIYAZAKI brings a much-needed female and local presence to the festival’s core team. She graduated from Yamamura’s Tokyo University the Arts (Geidai) program in 2013, but her MA work was supervised by Taruto FUYAMA. She has been teaching animation for many years at Hiyajima University Junior College in Hiroshima. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next: <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2022/08/hiroshima-animation-season-2022-day-1.html" target="_blank">Hiroshima Animation Season: Day 1</a><div id="rikaichan-window" lang="ja" style="all: revert;"></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">2022 Cathy Munroe Hotes</div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-59797888039836881282022-05-08T14:19:00.002+09:002022-05-08T14:19:53.089+09:00Resonance – A Selection of Japanese Animated Shorts<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZjVTJ2lrMlukfUfAsHJrC3MoEQ7h0Mcru-Sgc69bjauE3fXlMOWnAYaxxL-EEjjogD6W2-mu_nI0dW89VjjqCMGmKlHgPZU1h8Ccl1kCCxH58RUtGr6FXzWj9itPQEukRm2wXYeIizlzPFFspUhr1s3lb34KQo79HwY8qXFK9KU6kMccZg/s702/nc2022_resonance%20animation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="702" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZjVTJ2lrMlukfUfAsHJrC3MoEQ7h0Mcru-Sgc69bjauE3fXlMOWnAYaxxL-EEjjogD6W2-mu_nI0dW89VjjqCMGmKlHgPZU1h8Ccl1kCCxH58RUtGr6FXzWj9itPQEukRm2wXYeIizlzPFFspUhr1s3lb34KQo79HwY8qXFK9KU6kMccZg/w640-h368/nc2022_resonance%20animation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Resonance – A Selection of Japanese Animated Shorts</div><div>Sunday, 29 May 2022, 14:45</div><div>Naxos Cinema</div><div>Frankfurt am Main</div><div><a href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1032/resonance">https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1032/resonance</a> </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am proud to announce my animation selection for this year’s <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/" target="_blank">Nippon Connection</a> in Frankfurt am Main. Unlike my friends and colleagues overseas, my cinema-going habits have not been infringed upon by pandemic restrictions… I have only missed out on many of the usual social activities in the animation community here in Japan. Any pandemic depression has been alleviated by the beauty of the animation I have seen in the past year and my mind has been engaged by the compelling ideas that Japanese and Japan-based animators have been exploring through their work.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This selection represents the best of the films whose images and ideas resonated in my mind for weeks and months after seeing them. <b>YANO Homami</b>’s compelling pointillist <i>A Bite of the Bone</i> (<a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2021/11/a-bite-of-bone-2021.html" target="_blank">my review</a>), the first animation produced by <b>YAMAMURA Kōji</b>’s <a href="http://www.praxinoscope.jp/studio.html" target="_blank">Au Praxinoscope</a>, has been collecting awards at festivals around the world including OIAF and DigiCon6. Another former Geidai student of Yamamura, <b>YUKI Yōko</b> (幸洋子) has just released her new film produced by Au Praxinoscope: <i>In the Big Yard inside the Teeny-Weeny Pocket</i> (ミニミニポッケの大きな庭で, 2022) which I am hoping to see at the Hiroshima Animation Season.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have shown films by Yano, <b>IWASAKI Hirotoshi</b>, <b>TABATA Shizuki</b>, <b>KUDO Masa</b>, <b>KIM HakHyun</b>, and <b>HIRANO Ryō</b> at Nippon Connection before and I am delighted that these artists are continuing to make such excellent work. Trigger warning for Hirano's <i>Krasue</i> - it has horror motifs and is not appropriate for children.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I discovered the work of <b>SAKAKIBARA Sumito</b> for the first time this year watching the New Chitose online selection. Originally from Hokkaido, Sakakibara lives and works in Nagano Precture but got his animation training in the UK. His use of colour in <i>Iizuna Fair</i> is quite fantastic and I love the slow tracking shot from right to left like the deliberate unfurling of a scroll – check out the trailer <a href="https://vimeo.com/683100921" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">YASHIRO Takeshi’s reputation for unique stop motion animation with a handmade feel has grown and grown since he started specializing the aesthetic in 2012. His talents were recognized by his peers this year when he was awarded the <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/p/noburo-ofuji-award-winners.html" target="_blank">Noburō Ōfuji Award</a> at the Mainichi Film Awards for <i>Pukkulapottas and Hours in the Forest</i>. The film experiments with stop motion using location timelapse photography (ロケコマ撮り/ <i>Roke-komadori</i>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My thanks to the animators and to Florian Höhr for his hard work at Nippon Connection.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8KcMAlKQ2Q/YZZPPOOwovI/AAAAAAABZz4/xn2NZVN0YZsJSWKDS290kqrml3L-USRQACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/YANO%2BHomami_Bite%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="640" height="234" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8KcMAlKQ2Q/YZZPPOOwovI/AAAAAAABZz4/xn2NZVN0YZsJSWKDS290kqrml3L-USRQACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h234/YANO%2BHomami_Bite%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBone.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />A Bite of the Bone / 骨嚙み / <i>Honekami</i></b></div><div>YANO Homami / 矢野ほなみ / 2021</div><div><a href="https://honamiyano.com/">https://honamiyano.com/</a></div><div>10 min.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1Cf4lbZ5jhMU895p3ISKmniLGkFN0z5yx9HwAT15T3LHp4E4Timr2DMv_1yZMYFhMUD8J3hXqA-pY8UlH-0bftpZBLLxnRD5ncnhWGVM7KF2KtRsxl0USe-n4DaUPZwrk-PSTmkdddeumhm4YiLIgyQSMuge-q2GmiNqY6oGDxqL_bBkAQ/s465/iwasaki_ontimeofftime.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="465" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1Cf4lbZ5jhMU895p3ISKmniLGkFN0z5yx9HwAT15T3LHp4E4Timr2DMv_1yZMYFhMUD8J3hXqA-pY8UlH-0bftpZBLLxnRD5ncnhWGVM7KF2KtRsxl0USe-n4DaUPZwrk-PSTmkdddeumhm4YiLIgyQSMuge-q2GmiNqY6oGDxqL_bBkAQ/s320/iwasaki_ontimeofftime.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />On Time Off Time</b></div><div>IWASAKI Hirotoshi / 岩崎宏俊 / 2020</div><div><a href="https://hirotoshiiwasaki.com/">https://hirotoshiiwasaki.com/</a></div><div>9 min. 8 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SiRkZ3Rcc0_eocNJdG8QhK9_6EYeM8jIV30g4IqVP5SRO0HjHJz7x_Tn3kc-TXD3YCOdxqagwMHbQ4El5Xr-o4KDxPyuuZ_kYGRbtOk0kj2lgomP9n3L1hjKMwTS2q6TuEv3VYf4ffejKVxYunTlIuy44IjX6vI2rUpiz22kTjaan7HBlQ/s461/sakakibara_iizuna.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="461" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SiRkZ3Rcc0_eocNJdG8QhK9_6EYeM8jIV30g4IqVP5SRO0HjHJz7x_Tn3kc-TXD3YCOdxqagwMHbQ4El5Xr-o4KDxPyuuZ_kYGRbtOk0kj2lgomP9n3L1hjKMwTS2q6TuEv3VYf4ffejKVxYunTlIuy44IjX6vI2rUpiz22kTjaan7HBlQ/w320-h181/sakakibara_iizuna.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Iizuna Fair / 飯縄縁日 / <i>Iizuna Ennichi</i></b></div><div>SAKAKIBARA Sumito / 榊原澄人 / 2021</div><div><a href="http://sumitosakakibara.com/">http://sumitosakakibara.com/</a></div><div>11 min. 32 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK3_z45Qd64p67uwHDuzz6DtS3Dhxk4NHVYc3lsEht2dYYM89IMdYWpHetot1GutCwGS7Ib3SVr2fx1qAcR2zPqbevJ45yWl2R1IFBugqiyN-YqSqyJGqBkhRZxfR6ccIdGSMtnLlQH0HWghAdMDWgfJE1VcaTv7dWVTs4UAWB5Up5jwlIg/s424/TABATA_monorail.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="424" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK3_z45Qd64p67uwHDuzz6DtS3Dhxk4NHVYc3lsEht2dYYM89IMdYWpHetot1GutCwGS7Ib3SVr2fx1qAcR2zPqbevJ45yWl2R1IFBugqiyN-YqSqyJGqBkhRZxfR6ccIdGSMtnLlQH0HWghAdMDWgfJE1VcaTv7dWVTs4UAWB5Up5jwlIg/s320/TABATA_monorail.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Monorail</b> </div><div>TABATA Shizuko / 田端志津子 / 2020</div><div><a href="https://vimeo.com/tabatashizuko">https://vimeo.com/tabatashizuko</a></div><div>7 min 15 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozBZxt7QztuYxXwCndAcvydAHPEZSVRTqIdJbfX0a9_slAaZwedBy_7UFT6dgKG7_WywtTB5G_MkA4Fe6qLkF8C5mFnNSea4v4_EHQdir7wdRuTcY6d8_CtGcf1GOHtRZgamC3ZaowmD68cMm30Il5kZ3JTqVWozsWrgLOIcl2bX1mCZeFQ/s407/Kudo_stilllife.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="407" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozBZxt7QztuYxXwCndAcvydAHPEZSVRTqIdJbfX0a9_slAaZwedBy_7UFT6dgKG7_WywtTB5G_MkA4Fe6qLkF8C5mFnNSea4v4_EHQdir7wdRuTcY6d8_CtGcf1GOHtRZgamC3ZaowmD68cMm30Il5kZ3JTqVWozsWrgLOIcl2bX1mCZeFQ/s320/Kudo_stilllife.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Still Life</b></div><div>KUDO Masa / 工藤 雅 / 2021</div><div><a href="https://kudomasa.jimdofree.com/">https://kudomasa.jimdofree.com/</a> </div><div>3 min 30 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfK0VtxQ1TqlZPRWOuj06V3Q5ZgAI1qFm7wB2ARhCQOCfBpJ3s12qlMYzSbRlsvyNfZEGnviOknv37C50aR1ZZDxaVcRshX1G8paeikh4RTvFEkCROoxIp1BVf7jGk0fbEBkB4xTvLev-n3eCmk8n6IEGOd2VFhCUd0O1uwT7COlGZMPzqA/s525/KIM_redtable.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="525" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfK0VtxQ1TqlZPRWOuj06V3Q5ZgAI1qFm7wB2ARhCQOCfBpJ3s12qlMYzSbRlsvyNfZEGnviOknv37C50aR1ZZDxaVcRshX1G8paeikh4RTvFEkCROoxIp1BVf7jGk0fbEBkB4xTvLev-n3eCmk8n6IEGOd2VFhCUd0O1uwT7COlGZMPzqA/s320/KIM_redtable.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />RED TABLE</b></div><div>KIM HakHyun / キムハケン / 2021</div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/hakennn">https://twitter.com/hakennn</a> </div><div>7 min 22 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihtIw3TetCiFDLcpzpGELru4jwnuOYUo0C0yF2gEFt0J4bNHKQ9tY52SUL6Oln1OiwDZ7ogSjetKScGGVjLUH5s3B2eQQp4p0o4X5XqVDtsGcz_Dh1N3L-VJZo5PBaOkYb1idK-OsB9lyfy0pT2qXIIozSvsas7HTaoEiBFnfhPdwuZlAWsg=s320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="320" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihtIw3TetCiFDLcpzpGELru4jwnuOYUo0C0yF2gEFt0J4bNHKQ9tY52SUL6Oln1OiwDZ7ogSjetKScGGVjLUH5s3B2eQQp4p0o4X5XqVDtsGcz_Dh1N3L-VJZo5PBaOkYb1idK-OsB9lyfy0pT2qXIIozSvsas7HTaoEiBFnfhPdwuZlAWsg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Pukkulapottas and Hours in the Forest</b> </div><div>プックラポッタと森の時間 </div><div>Takeshi YASHIRO / 八代健志 / 2021</div><div><a href="https://tecarat.jp/">https://tecarat.jp/</a> </div><div>15 min 27 sec</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39Kopf5_D0BTOlsh0_j_WnhEzNYjBG-Emv5OpMADLdc_ZXl1WV42TCfK7IL2aAHPzh2VncYRPzUxHG1-CfoqzZSdlAG57xuMtmTb7Rv40boJ_jLacjRS9xWWHPg3VLp8ifPdWwcnTRXXhqaG5trx6oCLddGs9u_Iu8UgTf8tmCC9fGv3I0g/s437/hirano_krasue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="437" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39Kopf5_D0BTOlsh0_j_WnhEzNYjBG-Emv5OpMADLdc_ZXl1WV42TCfK7IL2aAHPzh2VncYRPzUxHG1-CfoqzZSdlAG57xuMtmTb7Rv40boJ_jLacjRS9xWWHPg3VLp8ifPdWwcnTRXXhqaG5trx6oCLddGs9u_Iu8UgTf8tmCC9fGv3I0g/s320/hirano_krasue.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Krasue</b></div><div>HIRANO Ryō / ひらのりょう/ 2021</div><div><a href="http://ryohirano.com/">http://ryohirano.com/</a> </div><div><a href="http://foghorn.jp/">http://foghorn.jp/</a> </div><div>11 min 50 sec.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"> 2022 Catherine Munroe Hotes</div></div><div><br /></div><div id="rikaichan-window" lang="ja" style="all: revert !important;"></div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-4381362896834532882021-11-18T22:25:00.002+09:002022-04-03T17:38:45.041+09:00 A Bite of the Bone (骨嚙み, 2021)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8KcMAlKQ2Q/YZZPPOOwovI/AAAAAAABZz4/xn2NZVN0YZsJSWKDS290kqrml3L-USRQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1180/YANO%2BHomami_Bite%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1180" height="467" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w8KcMAlKQ2Q/YZZPPOOwovI/AAAAAAABZz4/xn2NZVN0YZsJSWKDS290kqrml3L-USRQACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h467/YANO%2BHomami_Bite%2Bof%2Bthe%2BBone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">When a loved one passes away in Japan, their remains are ceremonially cremated. After the cremation, the remaining remnants of bone ( 骨/<i>hone</i>) are picked out by relatives using long chopsticks and passed from chopsticks to chopsticks and placed into a large urn. This practice is called <i>kotsuage </i>(骨揚げ). Newcomers to Japan often learn about it when they are admonished at dinner for making the faux pas of trying to pass food to another person directly by use of chopsticks.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Homami YANO </b>(矢野ほなみ)’s latest animated short, <i>A Bite of the Bone</i> (骨嚙み/ <i>Honekami</i>, 2021), concerns the lesser known tradition of <i>honekami </i>(骨嚙み), when members of the family actually consume some of the bones during the funeral ceremony in order to a keep a part of their loved one inside them. This was famously done by the actor Shintarō KATSU (勝 新太郎, 1931-1997, star of the <i>Akumyō</i>, <i>Heitai Yakuza</i>, and<i> Zatōichi</i> series), with the bones of both his beloved older brother, Tomisaburō WAKAYAMA (若山 富三郎, 1929-1992, star of the <i>Kozure Ōkami </i>series), and his father.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With <i>A Bite of the Bone</i>, Yano revisits the traumatic childhood experience of having refused to consume her father’s bones when he died. As she explains in her <a href="https://honamiyano.com" target="_blank">director’s note</a>, “The bone I did not eat stayed with me, as if stuck in my throat, and I found myself unable to express the experience in words nor forget it.”</p><p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4ZSprhlLlQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The tale is narrated by the young female protagonist and opens with the sound and images of her father’s funeral. The nonsense funereal sutra is performed by Yano’s mentor and producer, <b>Kōji YAMAMURA</b> (山村浩二) . The scene then transforms into a loving recollection of life growing up in a small island community. The narrator and her sister playing with an inner tube in the water, her father taking them on hikes in the hills, and the haunting memory of an abandoned WWII ammunition dump. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yano uses a pointillist style – the many colourful dots giving the memories a shimmering, dreamlike quality. There is a poetic moment when the girl’s father is pruning the pine trees of the island into the shapes of clouds and waves against a pinky-red evening landscape. The sadness of the theme of the death of her father is softened by the sweet childhood memories of her dog and the stunning nature of the island. </p><p><br /></p><p> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W7LXWbeeuS8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yano’s short animations have always delved into profound issues about love and life, but with <i>A Bite of the Bone</i>, she has reached a level of maturity in her animation style. The constantly changing perspectives and transitions between scenes show the influence of her mentor, renowned award-winning animator Kōji Yamamura, who produced with film at his studio <a href="http://www.praxinoscope.jp/" target="_blank">Au Praxinoscope</a> in Setagaya. During the pandemic, I happened upon Yano working on the film when I stopped into the studio shop to browse the DVDs. It is wonderful to see that such a beautiful work of art could come out of such dark times. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>A Bite of the Bone </i>has won numerous awards at festivals in Ottawa, Chitose, Raindance, to name but a few. It has also been entered for consideration at the Oscars. Thank you to the <a href="https://airport-anifes.jp/en/" target="_blank">New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival </a>for making this year’s short film selection available for screening online for those of us who are still restricting their travel. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">To learn more about Homani Yano, visit her website: <a href="https://honamiyano.com/">https://honamiyano.com/</a> </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;">2021 Cathy Munroe Hotes</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-67858785094864655952021-10-07T20:22:00.003+09:002022-09-01T22:55:45.106+09:00Crowdfunding: 10th Anniversary Edition of Harbor Tale DVD + Book<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHgwixMgz2s/YV7WxPfTDbI/AAAAAAABZM8/tLG7RyXj_2EtihdoUO-DdUCacA2eNFeygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1287/Harbor%2BTale%2B10th%2BAnniversary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1287" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHgwixMgz2s/YV7WxPfTDbI/AAAAAAABZM8/tLG7RyXj_2EtihdoUO-DdUCacA2eNFeygCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/Harbor%2BTale%2B10th%2BAnniversary.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the charming animated short <i>Harbor Tale </i>(ハーバーテイル, 2011). To celebrate the occasion, the animator <b>Yūichi ITŌ</b> (伊藤有壱) and his team at <a href="http://www.i-toon.org/">I.TOON</a> are crowdfunding for a special edition DVD and book on <a href="https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/463414?fbclid=IwAR2Pt-r3GEGORC-Wp8_Sux8AWh4r1TuI0WqeRxYK86D2JjDzdIRT4KrrPhg" target="_blank">CAMPFIRE</a>. <div><br /></div><div> I have been a fan of Itō’s stop motion animation since I first discovered the delightful series <i>Knyacki!</i> (ニャッキ!, 1995-) on the NHK when my children were small. He has a real knack for expressive character design and diverting visual storytelling.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TZPs6R5F7Vg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Harbor Tale </i>brings to life the idiom “if these walls could talk” quite literally. The central character is Mr. Brick – one of the famous red bricks from the historical buildings of Yokohama. Through Mr. Brick’s perspective, we are taken on a colourful journey through the history of this port town from the days when the clack of <i>geta </i>could be heard on the city streets to the modern era. </div><div><br /></div><div> It is a culturally significant work for the way that it engages audiences of all ages with the history the city of Yokohama. Since moving to Yokohama in 2019, I have been delighted to see Mr. Brick in souvenir shops all over town. Don’t miss out on your chance to support this artist. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/463414?fbclid=IwAR2Pt-r3GEGORC-Wp8_Sux8AWh4r1TuI0WqeRxYK86D2JjDzdIRT4KrrPhg" target="_blank">Support Harbor Tale at CAMPFIRE</a></div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-37964303268216922152021-05-24T20:58:00.001+09:002021-05-24T20:59:26.985+09:00Alteration Finds: A Selection of Japanese Animated Shorts <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu-B5_ssqrw/YKti9xn-8WI/AAAAAAABVI0/KCA193flgaMdQo5Zjd8zly8Y_MxXFVsEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/nc2021%2Balteration%2Bfinds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1080" height="359" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pu-B5_ssqrw/YKti9xn-8WI/AAAAAAABVI0/KCA193flgaMdQo5Zjd8zly8Y_MxXFVsEACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h359/nc2021%2Balteration%2Bfinds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;">The pandemic has forced long periods of sameness upon us. These recent indie animated sorts challenge us to break free from lockdown apathy and look at the world from a new perspective.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">Die Covid-19-Pandemie hat uns lange Perioden der Eintönigkeit aufgezwungen. Zeit für einen Ausbruch: Diese animierten Kurzfilme fordern uns auf, die Lockdown-Apathie hinter uns zu lassen und die Welt aus neuen Perspektiven zu betrachten.</span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/de/event/1029/alteration-finds">https://db.nipponconnection.com/de/event/1029/alteration-finds</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am pleased to announce that I have curated another independent animation short film programme for <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/" target="_blank">Nippon Connection</a> together with festival director <b>Florian Höhr</b>. Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, I have been able to go to some festivals such as <a href="http://www.imageforumfestival.com/bosyu2021/" target="_blank">Image Forum Festival</a> (IFF) and the <a href="https://j-mediaarts.jp/en/" target="_blank">Japan Media Arts Festival</a> (JMAF), but they haven't had their usual vibe with the <a href="https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/3CS.pdf" target="_blank">3 Cs rules</a> in effect ... particularly without the ability to go out to drink and chat with artists afterwards. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In particular, I really miss gallery opening parties and film debut screening events, which are a great place to find out what people are working on at the moment. In March, the graphic designer, musician and animator <b>Hayoto NOVE</b> invited me to the opening of his latest work <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2021/03/parallax-exhibition.html" target="_blank">Parallax</a> (2021) in a gallery in Ginza. We were limited to a maximum of 6 people per screening, but it was such a pleasure to at least be able to talk to the artist and his "team" (his wife & collaborator, the equally talented <b>Tomoko NOBE</b>). Nove-san was concerned that with a run time of about half an hour, that the film might be a bit on the long side for an animated short, but I could tell him truthfully that I had not even noticed the length! Nove's films tend to envelope me in their visual and soundscape so thoroughly that I am hardly aware of my surroundings. These independent works are a real labour of love for Nove, and it is wonderful to follow him on his artistic journey. Florian & I are so honoured that Nove-san has allowed us to have the world festival premiere of this most impressive work. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I saw the indie animation legend </span><b style="text-align: left;">Keita KUROSAKA</b><span style="text-align: left;">'s</span><b style="text-align: left;"> </b><span style="text-align: left;">most recent animation </span><i>The Living Wall</i> (生きる壁, 2020) at IFF2020. His masterpiece <i>Midori-ko</i> (2010) was a big success at NC2011 and this latest work does not disappoint. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another gem from IFF2020 is <b>Masa KUDO</b>'s <i>Difference and Repetition and Coffee </i>(差異と反復とコーヒー, 2020). Kudo is new to the animation scene but has an amazing future ahead of her. She grew up in Hokkaido where she graduated from Hokkaido Kyoiku University. She also studied at the Image Forum <a href="http://www.imageforum.co.jp/school/" target="_blank">film school</a> which specialises in experimental film and animation. The influence of IFF film school is very apparent in this film!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2017/06/geidai-animation-8th-graduate-works.html" target="_blank">Geidai 2017</a> grad <b>Ryotaro MIYAJIMA</b>'s first post-grad school independent film has found much success at animation festivals both at home and abroad. I first saw it at IFF2019, and have delighted whenever I have seen it on a screening programme. Every time I watch this visual journey into the Sengoku Period, I catch another small detail I missed the first time. It is a study of how to use movement and transitions masterfully in animation. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Shunsaku HAYASHI </b>brings his painterly magic to his animation films and I am so thrilled that we can include his latest work <i>Leaking Life</i> in our programme this year. The film won Best Short Animation at the 24th Riga International Short Film Festival. Hayashi-san first featured in one of my animation selections at NC2019 with <i>Railment</i> (2019).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <b>TamaGra </b>(Tama University of Arts Graphic Design Department) animation programme has been producing really wonderful animators for the past couple of decades. <b>Isaku KANEKO'</b>s <i>Locomotor </i>(2019) and <i>The Balloon Catcher </i>demonstrate that he is someone to keep an eye on in the future. I was also quite taken by <b>Tomoe OBAYASHI</b>'s <i>Mubi</i> (2019) and was compelled to include it in the programme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Due to the ongoing covid-19 restrictions, <a href="https://nipponconnection.com/de/start/" target="_blank">Nippon Connection</a> (June 1-6, 2021) will be hosted online again this year. I am crestfallen for the festival, because part of its allure is all the in-person events, activities, and culinary delights. On the other hand, the online forum means that the films can attract a larger audience than is possible with the limited seats of a cinema. For rights reasons, this screening selection is region-restricted to Germany only. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Booking information can be found here: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1029/alteration-finds">https://db.nipponconnection.com/en/event/1029/alteration-finds</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3z9XehqjBQ/YJ3n5Lm8LvI/AAAAAAABU2A/O9QmPDEwLzQN7UjXnmBD5gFIJL3SIgXEACLcBGAsYHQ/s676/nc21_kurosaka.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="676" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l3z9XehqjBQ/YJ3n5Lm8LvI/AAAAAAABU2A/O9QmPDEwLzQN7UjXnmBD5gFIJL3SIgXEACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_kurosaka.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Keita Kurosaka 黒坂圭太</b></div><div><a href="http://profile.musabi.ac.jp/page/KUROSAKA_Keita.html">http://profile.musabi.ac.jp/page/KUROSAKA_Keita.html</a></div><div><i>The Living Wall</i><b> </b></div><div>生きる壁 </div><div>2020, 6 min. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO30QGnEcaw/YJ3oCzk91kI/AAAAAAABU2E/K4IEQGtu5EQoCcz0jiDCPA8yAvRZFnqYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s826/nc21_miyajima.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="826" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WO30QGnEcaw/YJ3oCzk91kI/AAAAAAABU2E/K4IEQGtu5EQoCcz0jiDCPA8yAvRZFnqYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_miyajima.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Ryotaro Miyajima 宮嶋龍太郎</b></div><div><a href="https://miyajimaryotaro.com/">https://miyajimaryotaro.com/</a></div><div> <i>Castle</i><b> </b></div><div> 2019, 5 min. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NAmTJeSv0Q/YJ3oPHMrU0I/AAAAAAABU2M/UZ211VcyADA2mBIyeMH88Z-hwAa3OznJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s751/nc21_hayashi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="751" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NAmTJeSv0Q/YJ3oPHMrU0I/AAAAAAABU2M/UZ211VcyADA2mBIyeMH88Z-hwAa3OznJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_hayashi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Shunsaku Hayashi</b> <b>林俊作</b></div><div><a href="https://shunsakuhayashi.com">https://shunsakuhayashi.com</a>/ </div><div><i>Leaking Life</i> </div><div>2019, 14 min. 32 sec. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjsP8uRjMB4/YJ3oVg987_I/AAAAAAABU2Q/UETFScJpjiMhtH5DH7vEOuZgDhwiT8XQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s699/nc21_kudo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="699" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjsP8uRjMB4/YJ3oVg987_I/AAAAAAABU2Q/UETFScJpjiMhtH5DH7vEOuZgDhwiT8XQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_kudo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Masa Kudo 工藤雅 </b></div><div><a href="https://vimeo.com/masakudo">https://vimeo.com/masakudo</a></div><div><i>Difference and Repetition and Coffee</i> </div><div>差異と反復とコーヒー </div><div>2020, 4min. 33 sec. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTIlBVdOEK4/YJ3oc115LEI/AAAAAAABU2U/YIUgfCpX7BcEwqmNQOj9gliVwA7SAiX8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s679/nc21_kaneko_balloon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="679" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zTIlBVdOEK4/YJ3oc115LEI/AAAAAAABU2U/YIUgfCpX7BcEwqmNQOj9gliVwA7SAiX8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_kaneko_balloon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Isaku Kaneko 金子 勲矩</b> </div><div><i>The Balloon Catcher </i></div><div>2020, 6min </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D98NbyfN83w/YJ3olQiCm8I/AAAAAAABU2Y/dQ-dRXJILVE8Q3mCYe4XdgPho4nm1GaVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s784/nc21_kaneko_locomotor.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="784" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D98NbyfN83w/YJ3olQiCm8I/AAAAAAABU2Y/dQ-dRXJILVE8Q3mCYe4XdgPho4nm1GaVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_kaneko_locomotor.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Isaku Kaneko 金子 勲矩</b></div><div><i>Locomotor </i></div><div>2019, 3 min. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUYfeYZn2xY/YJ3osNzCbbI/AAAAAAABU2g/T1Xai-QbRbkam8hLjnwBtMo8adBhOvknACLcBGAsYHQ/s718/nc21_oboyashi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="718" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUYfeYZn2xY/YJ3osNzCbbI/AAAAAAABU2g/T1Xai-QbRbkam8hLjnwBtMo8adBhOvknACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_oboyashi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Tomoe Obayashi 大林 知恵 </b></div><div><i>Mubi</i> </div><div>夢寐 </div><div>2019, 6 min. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBHIvVwXXKQ/YJ3ox5EfxJI/AAAAAAABU2o/HVg5MuoWoLcpwmaB_ApAQXzazG2CkcQcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s717/nc21_nove_parallax.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="717" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBHIvVwXXKQ/YJ3ox5EfxJI/AAAAAAABU2o/HVg5MuoWoLcpwmaB_ApAQXzazG2CkcQcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nc21_nove_parallax.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Hayato Nove 野辺ハヤト</b> </div><div><a href="http://www.breathpiece.com/">http://www.breathpiece.com/</a></div><div><i>parallax </i></div><div>2021, 30 min.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">2021 Cathy Munroe Hotes </div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comYokohama, Kanagawa, Japan35.4436739 139.63796396.0298000733964372 104.48171121779097 64.85754772660357 174.794216582209tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-41159787927469227362021-03-03T11:34:00.000+09:002021-03-03T11:34:28.266+09:00Parallax Exhibition<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8g6P95b_NM/YD7z_7enzBI/AAAAAAABTt0/ZWqgexmIvqMSHnadRskmvWxLZn0vDTRJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1680/nove%2Bparallax.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="1136" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S8g6P95b_NM/YD7z_7enzBI/AAAAAAABTt0/ZWqgexmIvqMSHnadRskmvWxLZn0vDTRJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nove%2Bparallax.jpg" /></a></div><p>To mark the release of his latest independent work <i>Parallax</i> (2021), the animator <b>Hayato NOVE</b> (野辺 ハヤト) is having a solo exhibition next week (8-13 March 2022) at <a href="https://gallerykobo.web.fc2.com/kobo2.html" target="_blank">Gallery Kobo </a>(巷房) in Ginza. Nove’s independent animation are auteurist works in the truest sense for not only does he direct and design he visuals for his animated shorts, but he also composes and performs the soundtracks. His films are usually in a sombre palette, but the preview images for <i>Parallax</i> show a surprising use of a vibrant red. It will be a nice break from the monotony of pandemic life to get out and see Nove’s latest work. </p><div>
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/517729878?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/517729878">Parallax / trailer</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/hayatonove">Hayato Nove</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<div>To learn more about this artist, check out his website: </div><div><a href="http://www.breathpiece.com/">http://www.breathpiece.com/</a></div><div>or follow him on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/novehayato/" target="_blank">instagram</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallery KOBO </div><div><a href="https://gallerykobo.web.fc2.com/kobo2.html">https://gallerykobo.web.fc2.com/kobo2.html</a> </div><div>Okuno Building, 1-9-8 Ginza Chuo-ku Tokyo, 104-0061 Japan </div><div>March 8 - 13, 2021 </div><div>Noon – 19:00 ( on the final day the gallery closes at 17:00 )
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3241.1340195263324!2d139.76895589999998!3d35.6737019!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x60188be3e6f19c43%3A0x92202fd3e51cc34d!2sKobo!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sjp!4v1614738589663!5m2!1sen!2sjp" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-1562462294778189782020-09-23T23:30:00.001+09:002020-09-23T23:30:29.479+09:00 Strawberry Candy (いちご飴, 2020)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVrAI7XXvgQ/X2tZPknOLUI/AAAAAAABP5A/HH3b7QKiGNo-UY39NXMTogNYt1RoerFnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s653/li%2Bnianze_strawberry%2Bcandy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bVrAI7XXvgQ/X2tZPknOLUI/AAAAAAABP5A/HH3b7QKiGNo-UY39NXMTogNYt1RoerFnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/li%2Bnianze_strawberry%2Bcandy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Strawberry Candy </i>(いちご飴 / <i>Ichigo Chigo</i>, 2020) was the film that made the biggest impact on me at the <a href="https://animation.geidai.ac.jp/11neo/index.html" target="_blank">Geidai Animation 11 Neo</a> screenings in February in Yokohama. It is a powerful short film that tells sensitively tells the story of familial child abuse from the perspective of a young girl.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The film begins innocently enough with the central protagonist, a Chinese girl of about kindergartner age, talking about her likes and dislikes. She likes playing hide-and-seek with a cardboard box used for storing pears, she doesn’t like the new telephone because her mom makes her call people; she likes her red marble that her father gave her on Children’s Day, but she doesn’t like the boys next store who took it from her; and so on.</p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/428373443" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As she continues telling us her likes and dislikes, the director, <b>Nianze Li</b>, masterfully builds a sense of unease. This innocent child is dealing with a secret that she doesn’t fully understand. She is able to express her distress at the situation her finds herself in and Li’s beautifully rendered animation shows how a child’s animation can be a coping mechanism. The boundaries between dreams (or nightmares) and reality can blur together until it is difficult to distinguish one from the other.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is a powerful film, that will no doubt be distressing to viewers with personal experience of domestic abuse, but it is a very important tale to tell. It reminds us that we really need to listen to the stories children tell us and take seriously when they express that something is wrong. The story is beautifully illustrated with colourful pencil drawings, in an elegant evocation of the most common medium of children’s art.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">According to <a href="https://11neo-blog.blogspot.com/2019/12/blog-post_31.html" target="_blank">her “Making Of” blog</a>, the story came out not of personal experience but of research Li had done into the subject of child abuse. She studied films and books that gave her insight into the psychology of abuse, and wanted to give an empathetic portrayal from the point of view of the victim. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The film is playing this weekend and next at the <a href="http://www.imageforumfestival.com/2020/pre.html" target="_blank">Image Forum Festival</a> where I will be watching it again. I am sure it will be picked up at other international film festivals around the world in the coming year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Nianze Li (李 念澤, b. 1995)</b> did her undergraduate education at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute New Media Art Department (2017) and completed her master’s at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media earlier this year. You can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/kurikopupu" target="_blank">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kuriko_sawa/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://vimeo.com/user69129396" target="_blank">Vimeo</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: right;">2020 Cathy Munroe Hotes</p><div><br /></div>Cathy Munroe Hoteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147751388854008781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-15175893214484497052020-06-02T09:12:00.002+09:002020-06-02T09:12:57.580+09:00Watch: White Road (白の路, 2003)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSTgLOp8gPI/XtWSKMFvbRI/AAAAAAAABK0/e-oeS5ooWWoo_oQnWjXap7AF7J5ellWjQCK4BGAsYHg/murata_white%2Broad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="664" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TSTgLOp8gPI/XtWSKMFvbRI/AAAAAAAABK0/e-oeS5ooWWoo_oQnWjXap7AF7J5ellWjQCK4BGAsYHg/w400-h266/murata_white%2Broad.jpg" width="400" /><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><b>Tomoyasu Murata</b> (村田朋泰) has made his early independent film <i>White Road</i> (白の路 /<i> Shiro no michi</i>, 2003) available on YouTube for the first time. It is one of a series of short puppet animations with a pianist as the main protagonist. <i>White Road</i> brought Murata’s work to a wider audience in East Asia because it was re-edited and used as a music video for popular J-Pop band <b>Mr. Children</b>’s 2004 song <i>Hero</i>. Images from other animated films by Murata were projected onto screens during Mr. Children’s 2004 <i>Shufuku no Oto </i>tour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gJmHRRqJeqg" width="560"></iframe><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>Memories of a boy and a girl.
Even now, as an adult, I can't forget the memories and wistful pain.
Like running through a white landscape forever.</i></div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">男の子と女の子が短い秋に過ごした思い出。大人になったいまでも、忘れない記憶と切ない痛み。男は少年だったころの路を辿る。どこまでも真っ白な景色を駆けていくように。 <br /></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The film has an elegiac tone. Instead of dialogue or narration, the story is told through character expression, puppet movement, sentimental music, foley effects (wind, the crunching of snow), silence and expressive use of colour. The predominant colour of the film is indeed the white of the title, but it is complemented by the use of blue light, which adds to the melancholy atmosphere.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>White Road </i>shows the nameless pianist returning to his rural childhood home in the winter. He is haunted by the memories of a young girl who had been his playmate and the puppy that they loved but died, possibly due to their unwitting neglect. The pianist’s memories are evoked through flashbacks that sometimes involve him sharing the screen with his younger self. Particularly poignant is the scene in which he mourns the puppy and an adult ghost of the dog looks on as if forgiving him for his childhood mistake. We are also invited to share in the pianist’s grief for his lost childhood friend, who moved away with her family.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For more information about the director see: <a href="https://www.tomoyasu.net/">https://www.tomoyasu.net/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Follow Murata's production company on twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/TMC_STAFF"> @TMC_STAFF</a> <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">2020 Catherine Munroe Hotes<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-4685387564983310422020-04-24T15:40:00.000+09:002020-04-24T15:43:47.521+09:00The World of Ryōji Yamada / 山田遼志の世界<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_sPJ_uWzJM/XqKJnFqB0PI/AAAAAAAABKM/lFyoq5A7TrYlKFUM0x4K2LzZDDxQPXlnACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/World%2Bof%2BRyoji%2BYamada%2BSpecial%2BScreening%2Bposter%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1600" height="362" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x_sPJ_uWzJM/XqKJnFqB0PI/AAAAAAAABKM/lFyoq5A7TrYlKFUM0x4K2LzZDDxQPXlnACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/World%2Bof%2BRyoji%2BYamada%2BSpecial%2BScreening%2Bposter%2B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The World of Ryōji Yamada / 山田遼志の世界</div>
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<a href="http://ryojiyamada.com/">http://ryojiyamada.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada">https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada</a><br />
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In the “before times”, when we were still able to meet in small groups in Japan, I was able to attend one of the <i><b>The World of Ryōji Yamada ( 山田遼志の世界)</b></i> special screening events hosted by <a href="http://tampen.jp/article/558">tampen.jp</a>. The screening selection featured a mix of Yamada’s acclaimed animated shorts and his commissioned works (music videos). </div>
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Waiter (2014)</div>
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Popping, Mixing (2012)</div>
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LaLaLa Brothers (2011)</div>
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Keita SANO’s ‘Mad Love’ (music video, 2017)</div>
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King Gnu’s ‘Prayer X’ (music video, 2018)</div>
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Doodle Project II (2019)</div>
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Kicell’s ‘Hitotsu dake Kaeta’ / キセル「ひとつだけ変えた」(music video, 2018)</div>
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Natsu to Suisei’s ‘27th’ / 夏と彗星「27th」 (music video, 2020)</div>
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WONK’s ‘Cyberspace Love’ (music video, 2017)</div>
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Hunter (2017)</div>
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handshake (2018)</div>
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Firehead (2019)</div>
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Yamada has an MFA in Animation from Tama Art University, and in 2018-2019 he had the opportunity to live in Germany as a Trainee Japanese Council Affair of Culture. During this time was a guest student of <b>Andreas Hykade</b> at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, and he was able to join us at <a href="https://2019.nipponconnection.com/program-detail/transience-the-best-of-recent-indie-animation-en.html">Nippon Connection</a> for a screening of his film <i>Hunter</i>. </div>
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I went to the event to see the film Yamada made in Germany, <i>Firehead</i>. I am glad that I did because I had never sat down and watched a selection of Yamada’s films altogether before and it was interesting to see how his style has developed over the years. I was also impressed by Yamada’s ability to adjust his style to suit the needs of his clients in the commissioned music videos. </div>
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Music is an integral part of Yamada’s films and the music for his independent works are composed by his long time collaborator <b>Makoto Takahashi</b>. I purchased a CD of the music Takahashi composed for the films at the event and it came with a fold-out poster featuring Yamada’s art. </div>
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Apart from <i>Firehead</i>, all the other films from the screening can be found online and I have assembled them for you below (plus the trailer for <i>Firehead</i>). The discussions with the director from the screenings can be found on tanpen’s <a href="https://youtu.be/smSuQiO1PY0">YouTube Channel</a> (JP only)</div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/84318475" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/84318475">Waiter</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada">Ryoji Yamada</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X4SwdTG3xR8" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a3WxaPAoFEA" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/225319408" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L-Bzhpm8h0o" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/345482200" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/345482200">Doodle Project II (2019)</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/podoboo">Dante Zaballa</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fnfa6qK4wMg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0vnQfJ5l-g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mk9yWKezKEQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/233782607" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/233782607">HUNTER</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada">Ryoji Yamada</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="640" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/328526532" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/328526532">handshake</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada">Ryoji Yamada</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/366477081" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/366477081">FIREHEAD Trailer</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/ryojiyamada">Ryoji Yamada</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Cathy Munroe Hotes 2020</div>
Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-11246465294497210392020-04-23T10:15:00.001+09:002020-04-23T10:29:12.340+09:00Affordance (アフォーダンス, 2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aM0WZDGr3Do/XqDqYiqMloI/AAAAAAAABKA/t-UlveH3QzwvQdozyOKgg4MveJdRagNZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/affordance.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="1069" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aM0WZDGr3Do/XqDqYiqMloI/AAAAAAAABKA/t-UlveH3QzwvQdozyOKgg4MveJdRagNZACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/affordance.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Hayato Nove</b> (野辺ハヤト, b. 1971) is a graphic designer and illustrator by profession. Along with his web designer wife <b>Tomoko Nobe </b>(野辺智子), he has his own company breath piece which specialises in illustration, album cover design, web design, logos and other art projects. In addition to these commercial endeavours, Nove is also an artist and musician. In recent years, he has experimented with the medium of animation. <i> Affordance</i> (アフォーダンス, 2016) is his second film after his 2013 work <i>Caterpillar</i> (<a href="https://vimeo.com/72715736" target="_blank">watch here</a>). It was a part of the<a href="http://nishikataeiga.blogspot.de/2017/05/poetic-landscapes-recent-gems-in.html" target="_blank"> animation selection</a> that I curated for <a href="http://www.nipponconnection.com/program-detail/poetic-landscapes-recent-gems-in-japanese-indie-animation-en.html" target="_blank">Nippon Connection in 2017</a>, and we were lucky enough to have Nove join us at the screening and answer questions about the film.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUmPRphBO5H/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">@novehayato and I are ready for our screening tomorrow @nipponconnection #nc17 #indieanime</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nishikataeiga/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Cathy Munroe Hotes</a> (@nishikataeiga) on <time datetime="2017-05-27T13:28:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 27, 2017 at 6:28am PDT</time></div>
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The term “affordance” is relatively new to the English language. It was coined by the late American psychologist James J. Gibson in a 1977 article entitled “<a href="https://books.google.de/books?hl=en&lr=&id=b9WWAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA56&dq=James+J+Gibson%27s+&ots=KUXxDDlry8&sig=kosPSz8MIlhlBr23EYFOhB8Z6_g&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=James%20J%20Gibson's&f=false" target="_blank">The Theory of Affordances</a>” and explored more deeply in his 1979 book <i>The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception</i>. Gibson is considered one of the key 20th century researchers in the field of visual perception, with his work exploring how we see the world we do. Affordance pertains to how our perception of an object defines the possibilities of how it can or should be used. Thus, the concept of affordance is a key one in design (See: Don Norman, “<a href="http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/affordances_and.html" target="_blank">Affordances and Design</a>”, and Nove encountered the term during his studies at Musashino Art University. </div>
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Using Nove’s characteristically minimalist monochrome palette, <i>Affordance </i>is a mesmeric film, weaving in and out between simple line drawings to elaborate patterns of movement and metamorphosis. The varying pace of the animation is matched by the soundtrack, which was composed and performed by the artist himself . </div>
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You can immerse yourself in Nove’s unique poetic vision on Vimeo now:</div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/153194418?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/153194418">affordance</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/hayatonove">Hayato Nove</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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Nove is currently working on his latest work <i>Parallax</i>, due out sometime this year. Watch the trailer:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/302282866" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
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Cathy Munroe Hotes 2020</div>
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<br />Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-28992479572103720042020-04-22T10:57:00.000+09:002020-04-22T10:57:15.593+09:00Kōji Yamamura’s Archives / 山村浩二作品アーカイブ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RkYU7B1Cr8/Xp-i9dHqDeI/AAAAAAAABJI/xmDX3nMFuLcnU2Qsa1wxPA16EZXElwerQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Yamamura%2BAnimation%2BArchive.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="1150" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RkYU7B1Cr8/Xp-i9dHqDeI/AAAAAAAABJI/xmDX3nMFuLcnU2Qsa1wxPA16EZXElwerQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Yamamura%2BAnimation%2BArchive.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Kōji Yamamura’s Archives / 山村浩二作品アーカイブ</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_index.html">http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/archive_index.html</a></div>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation">https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation</a></div>
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The renowned independent animator <b>Kōji Yamamura</b>’s bilingual studio website, <a href="http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/" target="_blank">Yamamura Animation</a>, has long been an invaluable source of information about his creative works. Although he may be best known overseas for his award-winning animation shorts, in the Japanese publishing world he is also known for his prolific illustrations for books, posters, and other media.</div>
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With the support of the Government of Japan’s <i>Agency for Cultural Affairs</i> (文化庁 /<i> Bunkachō</i>), Yamamura Animation has expanded to include an archive of stills, videos, storyboards, photographs, documentations of exhibitions, sketchbooks, and much, much more. </div>
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Some rare delights in the archive include stills and information about his earliest animations, such as his very first animation at age 13. Yamamura made the 8mm <i>Short Short Show Theater </i>(しょーとしょーとしょうげきじょう / <i>Short Short Show Gekijō</i>) using the techniques of cutouts and cel animation. </div>
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Many of Yamamura’s early works are now available to screen on Yamamura Animation’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8fbk85Q36IAkDABhvlGCTA/featured" target="_blank">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation" target="_blank">Vimeo</a> channels. Four works,<i> "Parade" de Satie</i> (サティの「パラード」, 2016), <i>Notes on Monstropedia </i>(怪物学抄, 2016), <i>A Child's Metaphysics </i>(こどもの形而上学, 2007), and Yamamura’s Oscar-nominated <i>Mt. Head </i>(頭山, 2002), are available to rent or purchase on Vimeo On Demand (embedded below). <i>"Parade" de Satie, Notes on Monstropedia, A Child's Metaphysics, </i>and Yamamura’s recent work <i>Dreams into Drawing </i>(ゆめみのえ / <i>Yumemi no e</i>, 2019) are also due to be available via Amazon Disc on Demand sometime this spring. Please support this remarkable artist by acquiring his work via these outlets.</div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/285948774" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/285948774">Satie's "Parade"</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation">Koji Yamamura</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/191554714?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/191554714">Notes on Monstropedia / 怪物学抄</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation">Koji Yamamura</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/289055544" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/289055544">A Child's Metaphysics/こどもの形而上学</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation">Koji Yamamura</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/289227092" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/289227092">Mt. Head</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/yamamuraanimation">Koji Yamamura</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Catherine Munroe Hotes 2020</div>
Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-39589573761426618312020-04-09T16:59:00.002+09:002020-04-09T16:59:55.669+09:00Indie Short Film Crowdfunding: Noriko Yuasa’s “Coming Back Sunny”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQxIjKB_AhA/Xo7Ude_Ct2I/AAAAAAAABIY/4Ug0y1X_AE80hqjmr_uvWGidI8MKvUX5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/yuasa_comingbacksunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1552" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQxIjKB_AhA/Xo7Ude_Ct2I/AAAAAAAABIY/4Ug0y1X_AE80hqjmr_uvWGidI8MKvUX5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/yuasa_comingbacksunny.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The talented filmmaker <b>Noriko Yuasa</b> has an original new film project and needs your help. She is only seeking a modest sum of money to see the project through to completion and get it out to festivals. </div>
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<i>Coming Back Sunny</i> (おかえり、カー子) is a love story about a colour-blind schoolgirl rediscovering the world around her. The main shooting locations are the Edo era streets of Kawagoe City or “Ko-Edo” in Saitama Prefecture and the modern streets of Ikebukuro, which were selected in order to depict the theme of destiny and how it can transcend space and time. </div>
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The pandemic has only been with us a short time, but filmmakers and cinemas around the world are already feeling the pinch. Many of us have been feeling pretty helpless at not being able to go out and support our local art house cinemas and independent filmmakers. Filmmakers need our support at this time more than ever.</div>
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Head over the Kickstarter to learn more about <i>Coming Back Sunny </i>& give if you can:</div>
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<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/norikokyuasa/short-film-coming-back-sunny-crowdfunding-first-phase">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/norikokyuasa/short-film-coming-back-sunny-crowdfunding-first-phase</a></div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/360429297" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/360429297">【Trailer】Coming_Back_Sunny</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/norikoyuasa">Noriko Yuasa</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Cathy Munroe Hotes </div>
Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-44177645208687574002020-04-03T18:10:00.001+09:002020-04-03T18:10:46.268+09:00Eri Sasaki's FUNSUS CM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdI1qGLo8Ms/Xob9Lg9xFxI/AAAAAAAABIM/SPDsktF-CHQVS-RybANSQmTjScvuVeoMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/sasaki_funsus3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1003" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdI1qGLo8Ms/Xob9Lg9xFxI/AAAAAAAABIM/SPDsktF-CHQVS-RybANSQmTjScvuVeoMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/sasaki_funsus3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The brilliant young animator <b>Eri Sasaki</b> (ささき えり, b. 1995) has made a delightful short animation for the clothing brand <b>Studio Clip </b>to promote their <a href="https://www.dot-st.com/cp/studioclip/funsus" target="_blank">FUNSUS</a> (ファンサス) campaign. Their motto is that their brand is both fun and sustainable. <br />
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Sasaki first came to my attention in 2017, with her <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2017/07/tamagra-animation-2017-2017.html" target="_blank">TamaGra</a> work <i>Essay in the Desert </i>(さばくのエッセイ/ <i>Sabaku no Essei</i>, 2017). She went on to do her MA at Geidai. Her graduate work, Pickle Plum Parade (うめぼしパトロール/Umeboshi Patōru, 2019), was one of the highlights of last year’s Geidai selection at Nippon Connection. Check out more of her work on her website: <a href="https://sasakieri.com/">https://sasakieri.com/</a><br />
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🏠おしごと🏠<br />
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studio CLIP(<a href="https://twitter.com/studio_clip?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@studio_clip</a>)さんの<br />
サステナビリティの考え方をやさしく伝えるアニメーションをつくりました🧒👩 <br />
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FUNSUS(ファンサス)<br />
「明日も、たのしいといいな」<a href="https://t.co/sDHC3l07CV">https://t.co/sDHC3l07CV</a><br />
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たのしくかわいくつくりました!<br />
ぜひご覧ください。<br />
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------ <a href="https://t.co/f45t5CP04q">pic.twitter.com/f45t5CP04q</a></div>
— ささきえり🏡Eri Sasaki (@mss_753) <a href="https://twitter.com/mss_753/status/1245678489723797504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>See also:<br />
<a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2017/07/tamagra-animation-2017-2017.html">https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2017/07/tamagra-animation-2017-2017.html</a> <br />
<a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2019/05/nc2019-tokyo-university-of-arts.html">https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2019/05/nc2019-tokyo-university-of-arts.html</a><br />
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2020 Cathy Munroe Hotes Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-16744213924314190682020-04-02T18:30:00.000+09:002020-04-21T22:05:36.364+09:00 Nippon Connection Film Festival Goes Online!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iq_YHvGwi_o/XngKtvhoDkI/AAAAAAAABHo/qZetB2C5HXYoFxKRp2gt8z4yqtQtZ3C8gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/nippon%2Bconnection%2B2020%2Bbanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="820" height="121" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iq_YHvGwi_o/XngKtvhoDkI/AAAAAAAABHo/qZetB2C5HXYoFxKRp2gt8z4yqtQtZ3C8gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/nippon%2Bconnection%2B2020%2Bbanner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Virtual Edition of the 20th Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival</b><br />
<b>June 9-14, 2020</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.nipponconnection.com/">https://www.nipponconnection.com/</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.nipponconnection.com/" target="_blank">Nippon Connection</a> has just announced that due to the spread of the novel coronavirus Covid-19, they have decided that it is necessary for the safety of visitors, guests, and volunteers to move the festival online. </div>
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The festival director, Marion Klomfass states that cancelling “the festival was not an option for us. Thus, after intense exchanges with our sponsors and cooperation partners, we have decided to hold Nippon Connection’s 20th anniversary in an online edition from June 9 – 14, 2020. We hope to make the best of a difficult situation and are looking forward to new challenges.”</div>
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The Nippon Connection team is currently hard at work on a new concept. Under the title Nippon Connection Online, a diverse selection of current Japanese short and feature length films will be presented alongside interactive offerings such as live streams and panel discussions with filmmakers.</div>
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The film programme director, Florian Höhr says that in spite of “the current crisis, giving Japanese cinema and its creators a public platform here in Germany is a great concern to Nippon Connection. Taking the festival online will continue to allow us to give our audience a varied view into the contemporary landscape of Japanese cinema.” </div>
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Florian has been in contact with me about plans for the short animation programme. With so many filmmakers suffering from the cancellation of events promoting their works we hope that this will be an opportunity for both audiences and film lovers to find hope in these dark times.</div>
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Cathy Munroe Hotes </div>
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April 2, 2020 </div>
Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-89170536033581897942020-03-24T10:23:00.002+09:002020-03-24T10:23:48.210+09:00Playlist: Music of the Visual World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AsVsiGa5o48/WwO4z4cjGGI/AAAAAAAAAyc/VJGoK5QJ6EIie-Dsg43Ll7x5gTOc3UtFgCEwYBhgL/s640/nc2018%2B013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AsVsiGa5o48/WwO4z4cjGGI/AAAAAAAAAyc/VJGoK5QJ6EIie-Dsg43Ll7x5gTOc3UtFgCEwYBhgL/s640/nc2018%2B013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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With so many people in the world being housebound at the moment due to the covid-19 epidemic, I thought I would put together some playlists for people who love animation as much as I do. </div>
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I am starting with the selection that I put together for <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2018/05/music-of-visual-world-japanese-indie.html" target="_blank">Nippon Connection in 2018</a>, as most of the films can be found on line. The theme that year was music, so I have included links to the artists whose music features in the animations, so you can also support these musicians by streaming / buying their music during this difficult time of cancelled live events.<br />
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The first work in the programme, <i>Moving Colors</i>, is a group project featuring the work of 12 animation creators (aka Taku Team) with each team member representing their favourite colour. The title design is by <b>Taku Furukawa</b> (the Taku of the Team name), experimental animation pioneer and mentor to the professional animators in the team. The team consists of: <b>Takuma Hashitani </b>(orange), <b>Waboku</b> (aka Wataru Nakajima, brown), <b>Hakhyun Kim </b>(purple) <b>Yoshiyuki Kaneko </b>(black), <b>Shiho Morita </b>(red), <b>Moe Koyano </b>(raspberry/turquoise), <b>Yū Tamura </b>(green), <b>Yasuaki Honda </b>(crimson), <b>Yewon Kim </b>(mint), <b>Tomoyoshi Joko </b>(blue) and <b>Hiroco Ichinose </b>(gold).<br />
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<b>Moving Colors</b> <b>by</b> <b><a href="http://takufurukawa.jp/blog/" target="_blank">TAKU TEAM</a>, 2016 </b></div>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZLAHnTZpSww" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Cosmic by Hiroco ICHINOSE</b> of <a href="http://decovocal.com/" target="_blank">Decovocal</a><b>, 2009</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wGnSfrXUIno" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>How Low Sympathy</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://decovocal.com/" target="_blank">Decovocal</a> / Music by <a href="http://www.scenarioart.jp/" target="_blank">scenarioart</a>, 2014</b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/102926362" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<b>Slowly Rising</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/kanahebi" target="_blank">Hideki INABA</a> / Music by BEATSOFREEN (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/StanForebee" target="_blank">Stan Forebee</a>), 2015</b><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/142716939" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/142716939">Slowly Rising</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/kanahebi">kanahebi</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<b>On + On</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://okikata.org/" target="_blank">Akihiko TANIGUCHI</a> / Music by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cumhurjay" target="_blank">Cumhur Jay</a>, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/170162245" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/170162245">Cumhur Jay - On & On - "Dyschronometria"</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/hiko0707">Akihiko Taniguchi</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<b>The State of Things</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://orikasaryo.exblog.jp/" target="_blank">Ryo ORIKASA</a> / Music by <a href="http://www.tamakiroy.com/" target="_blank">Tamaki Roy</a>, 2017 </b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GoMcern6kbk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Polly</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://cargocollective.com/sarinanihei" target="_blank">Sarina NIHEI</a> / Music by <a href="http://www.whitneytheband.com/" target="_blank">Whitney</a>, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/187575718" width="640"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/187575718">Whitney - Polly (Official Music Video)</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user6088946">Sarina Nihei</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<b>Mad Love</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://ryojiyamada.com/" target="_blank">Ryōji YAMADA</a> / Music by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/keitasanomusic/" target="_blank">Keita SANO</a>, 2017</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9QoaPb4AmwU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>La Madrague “Country of Westering Sun” マドラグ(西陽の国)</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://kanyukuyuki.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Yuki HAYASHI</a> / Music by youcan ゆーきゃん, 2017 </b><br />
- the music video is not available online at the moment, but <a href="https://recochoku.jp/song/S1002981807/" target="_blank">the song can be streamed</a><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hvhc1uNcON4/WwO4w3igPTI/AAAAAAAAAyg/bQqh5pcDwTsRhhmm4GmKpnORU2kdtfa-QCEwYBhgL/s320/nc2018%2B007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="320" height="362" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hvhc1uNcON4/WwO4w3igPTI/AAAAAAAAAyg/bQqh5pcDwTsRhhmm4GmKpnORU2kdtfa-QCEwYBhgL/s640/nc2018%2B007.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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What is available online is an earlier work by Hayashi: his music video for <b><a href="http://moskitoo.com/" target="_blank">moskitoo</a></b>'s <b>Fragments of a Journey (2014)</b>, which screened in my <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2015/06/everything-visible-japanese-indie.html" target="_blank">2015 Nippon Connection selection</a>. <b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/87689616" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<b>The Synesthesia Ghost</b><br />
<b>共感覚おばけ</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/user17815342" target="_blank">Atsushi MAKINO</a> / Music by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCATc47qMk4n-_RJac1Nfp2w" target="_blank">Sasanomaly</a>, 2015</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwyrPARCd8g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>I’ve Got to Take the Laundry In</b><br />
<b>洗濯物をとりこまなくちゃ</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://sanukinaoya.com/" target="_blank">Naoya SANUKI</a> / Music by <a href="http://siamesecats.jp/" target="_blank">Siamese Cats</a>, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sNMILtEKy4g" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Enjoy Music Club</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://whoppers.jp/" target="_blank">Whoppers</a> (<a href="http://sanukinaoya.com/" target="_blank">Naoya SANUKI </a>and Zuck), 2017</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w0nD3aTx3Gc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Spring Time - Old Man 青春おじいさん</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/hojitsuchiya" target="_blank">Hōji TSUCHIYA</a> / Music by <a href="http://www.worldapart.co.jp/uri/" target="_blank">Uri NAKAYAMA</a>, 2017</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GojxmMi2TvI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>A Long Dream</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/hojitsuchiya" target="_blank">Hōji TSUCHIYA</a>, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/222625428" title="vimeo-player" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<b>Oldman Youngman 加賀遼也 </b><br />
<b>by Ryoya KAGA, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WMMV0QnUgdU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>lilac (bombs Jun Togawa)</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/onionskin" target="_blank">ONIONSKIN</a> / Music by <a href="http://vampillia.com/" target="_blank">Vampillia</a>, 2015</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HIs7yRbpCIU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Nandaka Mou なんだかもう</b><br />
<b>by <a href="https://vimeo.com/onionskin" target="_blank">ONIONSKIN</a> / Music by <a href="http://kidorikidori.jp/" target="_blank">Kidori Kidori</a>, 2016</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LqfBnE1cxDU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>TO & KYO とう と きょう</b><br />
<b>by <a href="http://www.dw-f.jp/english/" target="_blank">Tsuneo GODA</a>, 2017</b><br />
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dlljpzQ_RHw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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2020 Cathy Munroe Hotes</b><br />
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Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-90863642368025927632020-03-04T13:26:00.000+09:002020-03-04T13:44:28.837+09:00Geidai Animation 11 Neo / 藝大アニメーション11ネオ<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sATV4s7hAJQ/Xl2vxme5GSI/AAAAAAAABGI/Cc-PKcZor0cZJyuvss0ncHRFBrBLm2OIACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/geidai%2B11%2Bneo%2Bposter%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="362" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sATV4s7hAJQ/Xl2vxme5GSI/AAAAAAAABGI/Cc-PKcZor0cZJyuvss0ncHRFBrBLm2OIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/geidai%2B11%2Bneo%2Bposter%2B.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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This year’s <a href="http://animation.geidai.ac.jp/11neo/index.html" target="_blank">graduating animation class</a> at the Tokyo University of Arts (Geidai) Graduate School of Film and New Media chose “neo” as their theme in a nod to the dawning of Reiwa era. They also liked that in addition to meaning “new”, “neo” indicates “a new rendition of something familiar.” In their introduction to their works, the students speak of both desiring to continue in the path of art traditions that have come before them while moving into the future with something new. </div>
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This year only 6 students were able to complete their films in time to graduate in 2020. All but one of the graduates are women and half of them are Chinese. Although I am is disappointed that the 7 other students from this cohort have not yet completed their graduate films, I am hopeful that there is much to look forward to next year because their first year works showed much promise. The 6 graduates each have their own individual styles. </div>
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<b>Nianzi Li</b> is my favourite animator of this cohort. Her first year film, <i>When One Talks with a Lemon</i>, is a delightful exploration of the metamorphic possibilities of the medium, but her true strength as an animator comes out in her graduate work <i>Strawberry Candy</i>. Using a pencil crayon drawings, she tells the first person perspective of a pre-school child who is being sexually abused by a family member. The story is told subtlety, slowly giving us the clues to what is really going on beneath the surface. It expertly conveys the confusion of a child who knows that something as wrong but is too young to have the vocabulary or knowledge to call out the behaviour directly. I look forward to more work by this artist.</div>
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I also like the work of <b>Caori Murata</b>, whose visual style has been greatly influenced by her studies in France. The use of a white background with a small square of colourful illustration is reminiscent of a paper edition of <i>poésie </i>published by Gallimard. Her works are a kind of animated bricolage. </div>
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<b>11th Graduate Works / 第11期生修了作品集</b></div>
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<b>Yoshiro Kawakami (川上喜朗, b. 1993) </b></div>
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A native of Tokyo, Kawakami graduated with a major in Painting from Tokyo Zokei University in 2018 before continuing his studies at Geidai. He explores “the motif of illustrated boys and girls” in his animation, paintings, and illustrations. </div>
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Website <a href="http://k-yoshiro.tumblr.com/">k-yoshiro.tumblr.com</a> </div>
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Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/kawakamiyoshiro" target="_blank">@KawakamiYoshiro</a> </div>
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Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kawakami_yoshiro/" target="_blank">@kawakami_yoshiro</a> </div>
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First year work:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MO5OyzzhsxY/Xl2v4lgrMFI/AAAAAAAABGM/evUyEF68JlMT7YehPlkvta1uSstCrnASgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Kawakami_summer%2Bsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MO5OyzzhsxY/Xl2v4lgrMFI/AAAAAAAABGM/evUyEF68JlMT7YehPlkvta1uSstCrnASgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Kawakami_summer%2Bsky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Summer Sky Reverie (雲梯/Untei, 2019)</b></div>
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“It’s summer vacation and all the kids in the neighborhood have left to visit relatives. But there in the relentless glare of the sun, is a boy looking up at the sky.” (5 min.)</div>
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Graduation work:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dVENPjqeOf0/Xl2v9DRxgWI/AAAAAAAABGQ/tw9U2a9mNJceEuvjJLbeV-GsGr84mKehACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/kawakami_boy%2Bwith%2Bchild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dVENPjqeOf0/Xl2v9DRxgWI/AAAAAAAABGQ/tw9U2a9mNJceEuvjJLbeV-GsGr84mKehACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/kawakami_boy%2Bwith%2Bchild.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Boy with Child (螢火の身ごもり/Hotarubi no Mugomori, 2020)</b></div>
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“A young boy gets pregnant. He suffers through morning sickness and cold stares while facing the new life inside him.” (10 min.)</div>
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<b>Nianze Li (李 念澤, b. 1995)</b></div>
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Nianze Li was born in China and studied at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute New Media Art Department (2017). </div>
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Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/kurikopupu" target="_blank">@kurikopupu</a> </div>
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Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kuriko_sawa/" target="_blank">@kuriko_sawa</a> </div>
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Vimeo <a href="https://vimeo.com/user69129396" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/user69129396 </a></div>
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First year film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSysBBirVBQ/Xl2wWQcZjGI/AAAAAAAABGg/q-ts2mJM-2Ie6245nl6sZwL75N9SJ59egCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Li%2Bnianze_talk%2Bto%2Ba%2Blemon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSysBBirVBQ/Xl2wWQcZjGI/AAAAAAAABGg/q-ts2mJM-2Ie6245nl6sZwL75N9SJ59egCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Li%2Bnianze_talk%2Bto%2Ba%2Blemon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>When One Talks with a Lemon (レモンと話したら /Remon to Hanashitara, 2019)</b></div>
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“What I say is never what you hear. It's like the printer misaligning the images little by little. This animation work portrays those communication gaps using various techniques including print, digital treatment and collage.” (4 min.)</div>
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Graduate film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAhgZvBfpAI/Xl2wbh4fzZI/AAAAAAAABGk/nb8P1_tGvVIzuUpY0hpvmfCU0ZOnmwYYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/li%2Bnianze_strawberry%2Bcandy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAhgZvBfpAI/Xl2wbh4fzZI/AAAAAAAABGk/nb8P1_tGvVIzuUpY0hpvmfCU0ZOnmwYYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/li%2Bnianze_strawberry%2Bcandy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Strawberry Candy (いちご飴 / Ichigo ame, 2020)</b></div>
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“She has an unspeakable secret but the memory is gradually fading.</div>
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The little girl is no longer sure if it was a dream or reality.” (7 min.)</div>
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<b>Yinan Liu (劉 軼男, b. 1993)</b></div>
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</b> Yinan Liu is from Tianjin, China. She graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2015. </div>
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Website https://animaliu031.wixsite.com/yinanliu </div>
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Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/LiuynAnima" target="_blank">@LiuynAnima</a> </div>
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Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anima_liuyn/" target="_blank">@anima_Liuyn</a> </div>
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Vimeo <a href="https://vimeo.com/yinanliu">https://vimeo.com/yinanliu</a> </div>
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First year film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xulat7c-SXw/Xl2xs-6OxQI/AAAAAAAABG0/7P25nK6pV7IbsmWgOK8pzT77gQ1PbURWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liu%2Byinan_smell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xulat7c-SXw/Xl2xs-6OxQI/AAAAAAAABG0/7P25nK6pV7IbsmWgOK8pzT77gQ1PbURWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/liu%2Byinan_smell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>What's that Smell? (においがする / Nioi ga suru, 2019)</b></div>
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“The world is filled with smells -- good smells, nasty smells, nasty but good smells, addictive smells, captivating smells, reminiscent smells, and so many more. What's that smell?” (3 min.)</div>
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Graduate film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGX7xPQA09I/Xl2x3XAl9PI/AAAAAAAABG4/uQZ939emQukIlPTM38pcpa3_165g9OVzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/liu%2Byinan_big%2Btree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGX7xPQA09I/Xl2x3XAl9PI/AAAAAAAABG4/uQZ939emQukIlPTM38pcpa3_165g9OVzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/liu%2Byinan_big%2Btree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The Big Tree in Front of the House (家の前に大きな木がある / Ie no mae ni ōkina ki ga aru, 2020)</b></div>
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“It should have been an ordinary day but it was anything but usual. There was a large crowd in front of my grandma’s house. Where did the people come from and where were they going? I was peering out at them from the window, but the big tree obstructed my view.” (6 min.)</div>
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<b>Caori Murata (村田香織, b. 1994)</b></div>
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Murata did her undergraduate study at Musashino Art University, Department of Visual Communication Design (2017). During her MA she studied as an exchange student at ENSAD (École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) in France.</div>
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Website <a href="http://caorimurata.com/">http://caorimurata.com/</a> </div>
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Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/m_caori" target="_blank">@m_caori</a> </div>
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Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/caori__mu/" target="_blank">@caori__mu</a> </div>
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Vimeo <a href="https://vimeo.com/caori">https://vimeo.com/caori</a> </div>
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Graduate Film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8kz_X4xp-g/Xl2yCkM9lgI/AAAAAAAABHA/s-M6BovTClcE62vKbhuaYFMjmnsy13_5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/murata%2Bcaori_notre%2Bmaison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k8kz_X4xp-g/Xl2yCkM9lgI/AAAAAAAABHA/s-M6BovTClcE62vKbhuaYFMjmnsy13_5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/murata%2Bcaori_notre%2Bmaison.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Our house / Notre maison (わたしたちの家 / Watashitachi no Ie, 2020)</b></div>
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“Alice goes out and opens doors as she pleases. The houses show her fragments of love that we all long for day to day throughout our lives.” (3 min.) </div>
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<b>Sijia Luo (羅 絲佳 b. 1993)</b><br />
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website: <a href="https://www.sijia-luo.com/">https://www.sijia-luo.com/</a><b> </b></div>
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twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/roxxxroxxx" target="_blank">@roxxxroxxx</a><br />
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Sijia Luo is from Guangdong, China and is a graduate of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (2015). She is inspired by a variety of art forms and describes her film development as experimental with the aim of seeking “liberation from visual language”.</div>
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Graduate Film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qMoxckp0bFU/Xl2yMhFjbkI/AAAAAAAABHI/VS-44dWuetgOuroiplx1Q3-IJn1BT7hHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/luo_i%2Bam%2Ba%2Bmotif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qMoxckp0bFU/Xl2yMhFjbkI/AAAAAAAABHI/VS-44dWuetgOuroiplx1Q3-IJn1BT7hHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/luo_i%2Bam%2Ba%2Bmotif.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I Am a Motif (私はモチーフ/ Watashi wa Mochifu, 2020)</b></div>
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“Realizing how different they are from one another, the three motifs - musical, visual and narrative - start to doubt themselves. But once the melody begins, the musical motif could not resist the impulse to dance and the others follow. Perhaps I, too, am a motif.” (8 min.)</div>
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</b> <b>Emari Okayama (丘山絵毬, b. 1992)</b></div>
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Born in Okazaki, Aichi, Okayama graduated with a degree in Aesthetics and Art History from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2015. </div>
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Vimeo <a href="https://vimeo.com/emariokay">https://vimeo.com/emariokay</a> </div>
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Graduate Film:</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPpi_B1zyus/Xl2yZSR3UuI/AAAAAAAABHQ/TPde-SKVBFEc7TH9RKvru1xN1uuVhxjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/okayama_emptyhands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="653" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPpi_B1zyus/Xl2yZSR3UuI/AAAAAAAABHQ/TPde-SKVBFEc7TH9RKvru1xN1uuVhxjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/okayama_emptyhands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Empty Hands (おうさま・ひめ・ぶた・こじき/ <i>Ousama hime buta kojiki</i>, 2020)</b> </div>
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“A mix of life tales in modern Japan where fate is predicted by your name and a fingerplay song. Are the members of this society playing into the hands of some higher being or are they living the life of impermanence?” (7 min.)</div>
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If you missed out seeing these works and the works of the first year students in Yokohama last month, you have another chance in Tokyo on from March 20 to 22nd at the <a href="https://www.geidai.ac.jp/access/ueno" target="_blank">Geidai Ueno Campus</a>. </div>
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© 2020 Cathy Munroe Hotes</div>
Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25135045.post-2702423873973686942019-06-09T16:46:00.000+09:002019-06-09T16:46:45.192+09:00She is Alone (彼女はひとり/ Kanojo wa hitori, 2018)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf6-L1SH3q8/XOfV2rE2bEI/AAAAAAAABD0/faz0a8aI_fUgfqGYhiIIOVSBuuSL7NxvgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/NC19_Visions_She%2Bis%2BAlone_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf6-L1SH3q8/XOfV2rE2bEI/AAAAAAAABD0/faz0a8aI_fUgfqGYhiIIOVSBuuSL7NxvgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/NC19_Visions_She%2Bis%2BAlone_03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Suicide is a solitary act but the ripple effects of such a death spread pain in an insidious manner through the lives of those connected to the individual who has so abruptly departed. First time filmmaker <b>Natsuki Nakagawa</b> (中川奈月) explores these ripple effects in her intense 60-minute drama <i>She is Alone</i> (彼女はひとり/ <i>Kanojo wa hitori</i>, 2018).</div>
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The story centres on Sumiko, played brilliantly by the up-and-coming actor <b>Akari Fukunaga </b>(福永朱梨), a high school student who has lost her mother to suicide. Rather than reaching out and talking to family and friends, Sumiko internalizes her grief. This leads to a cold relationship with her father and a destructive relationship with her childhood friend, Hideaki, played with great sensitivity by <b>Kanai Hiroto </b>(金井浩人). Sumiko is blackmailing Hideaki and as the layers get peeled back on their relationship, we begin to realize that there is a lot more going on in this twisted coming-of-age tale.</div>
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The film draws on elements of the thriller and the Japanese ghost story genres. During the <a href="https://www.nishikata-eiga.com/2019/05/nc2019-film-talk-tokyo-university-of.html" target="_blank">Film Talk: Tokyo University of the Arts</a> at Nippon Connection, I learned that Nakagawa is an admirer of the work of <b>Kiyoshi Kurosawa</b>, who was her mentor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Her film does emulate the mood of his films, helped in a great part by the fact that she was able to work with Kurosawa’s cinematographer <b>Akiko Ashizawa </b>(芦澤明子). It is a strong debut feature and I hope that Nakagawa continues to grow as a filmmaker.</div>
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You can follow director <a href="https://twitter.com/nakaG132" target="_blank">Natsuki Nakawa</a> and actor <a href="https://twitter.com/akari__fukunaga" target="_blank">Akari Fukunaga</a> on twitter.<br />
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2019 Cathy Munroe Hotes</div>
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Tanuki Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936633574761785092noreply@blogger.com