Who’s there? (だぁれぇ, 2016)

Who’s there?  (だぁれぇ/ Dārē, 2016) by Kōjirō Inoue (井上幸次郎) was the opening film of Hiromitsu Murakami’s selection of Tokyo University of the Arts’ (Geidai) recent works at this year’s Nippon Connection.  It was one of the best films on the programme and clocks in as the shortest with a runtime of only 1’25”.   In fact, my only criticism of the film was that it was a tad too short because I was enjoying it so much. 

The shortness of the film and its comedic nature are due to the fact that it is Inoue’s first year work for Geidai’s graduate programme in animation.  As assistant professor Murakami explained during the Q+A at the Nippon Connection screening, students have only 6 months to complete their first year film and a whole year to complete their second year film.  This results in many students experimenting with playful or comedic styles in the first year and creating more serious works for their graduate film. 

Inoue’s short short is an adaptation of a classic rakugo story, “The Parrot” (オウム/Oumu).  The story varies according to the rakugo performer’s interpretation.  For this animation, it is performed by Kintarō (金太郎, b. 1956), a master rakugo performer from Yamagata Prefecture. 

Rakugo (落語) is a comic storytelling tradition that dates back at least to the 18^th century.  A lone storyteller, or rakugoka (落語家) sits on a stage (kōza / 高座) that is empty but for a zabuton (座布団 / floor cushion) wear the performer sits.   Apart from word and gesture, the performer may use a paper fan (sensu / 扇子) or a small cloth (tenugui / 手拭) as props.  The comic tale features two or more characters which the rakugoka differentiates through his pitch, tone, and by turning his the head.

Rakugo literally translates “fallen words”, which is exactly how Inoue depicts it in his animation.  The rakugo storyteller is made up of an assortment of kana and kanji that appear in the story and as he tells the story, the words fall from his mouth into piles on his left and right sides.  By the end of Kintarō’s tale, the piles transform into the two central protagonists of his story: the elderly woman who owns the parrot and the paper delivery boy who interacts with the parrot.  They bow their acknowledgement to the audience.

The film captures the spirit of Norman McLaren in the way that it uses one animation technique to express a complete story and a complex art form (rakugo) in a very short amount of time.  The well told story and film’s visual appeal are complemented by traditional Japanese music (shamisen and percussion) arranged by Yae Yamaguchi and sound design by Tomoya Matsuda.  The title "Dārē" (Who's there?) is a repeated refrain central to the joke in the story.

Check out Kōjirō Inoue’s official website to learn more about this up and coming young artist.  For a short interview and behind the scenes images of the making of this film, click here.  I am excited to see what he does for his graduation project.

2016 Cathy Munroe Hotes

Geidai Animation: 1st Animation Works 2010 (Youtube Playlist)

Geidai Animation: 1^st Animation Works 2010

東京藝術大学大学院映像研究科アニメーション専攻

第一期生修了作品集2010

In order to promote the work of their graduate students, Tokyo University of the Arts' (Geidai) Department of Animation posted the vast majority of their student works on YouTube.  This playlist of the graduate works of the first cohort of Geidai Animation students, who graduated in 2010, includes all films except Toshikazu Ishii's The Gift of the Magi (賢者の贈り物/ Kenja no Okurimono, 2010).  Learn more about the class of 2010 here.

 

Yotsuya Alpha Beta

四ッ谷いろは

Yotsuya Iroha

2010年 / 6'32"

Nana Anzai (安西奈々, b. 1985)

Gathering

収集家の散歩

Shūshūka no Sambo

2010年 /  6'13"

Akiko Omi (大見明子, b. 1977) i

 

Getting Dressed

服を着るまで

Fuku wo kirumade

2010年 / 9'17"

Aico Kitamura (北村愛子, b. 1985)

Read Review

 

Woman who stole fingers

指を盗んだ女

Yubi wo nusunda onna

2010年 / 4'15"

Saori Shiroki (銀木沙織, b. 1984)

Read Review

Bring Me Up

つままれるコマ  

Tsumamareru Koma

2010年 / 6'40"

Miki Tanaka (田中美妃, b. 1982)

 

anti-chaos

強迫的な秩序についてのカエル

Kyōhakuteki na Chitsujo ni Tsuite no Kaeru  

2010年 / 4'05"

Shino Nagasako (永迫志乃, b.1983)

 
CLIMBER

2010年 / 5'49"

Akifumi Nonaka (野中晶史, b. 1985)

PapA

2010年 / 3'45"

Kumi Matsui (松井久美, b. 1985)

Googuri Googuri

2010年 / 8'22"

Yoshiko Misumi (三角芳子, b. 1978)

In a Pig's Eye

わからないブタ

Wakaranai Buta

2010年 / 10'00"

Atsushi Wada (和田淳, b. 1980)

Read Review

 

Tiny Tracks (2015)

When contemplating his collection of books, the philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote “Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories.” (Illuminations, p. 60).  When a collector passes away, this “chaos of memories” is passed on to loved ones who often struggle with whether to keep or discard items that represent a lifelong passion.

In the case of Hilda Walsh, her husband Ivor Walsh (1923-2002) was a streetcar enthusiast.  His favourite streetcar system was the one in Boston, Massachusetts.  Beginning in 1979 or 1980, Ivor began transformed the Walsh’s basement in Toronto into a miniature replica of Boston’s Green Line as it would have looked in the 1950s.  In addition to the meticulously modeled streetcars and tracks, the miniature streetcar scene features highly detailed neighbourhood buildings with interior and exterior lights including an authentic 1950s diner complete with customers eating their meals.  The roof of one of the stations has 350 miniature light bulbs in its ceiling.  When he was alive, Ivor would have the streetcar running all day while listening to cassettes of Frank Sinatra.

Tiny Tracks Short Documentary - Trailer from Naomi Hocura on Vimeo.

This slice of life short documentary by Naomi Hocura is a loving tribute to the life and passion of Ivor Walsh, told in the first person by his widow Hilda and his friends and fellow enthusiasts Dave Haire and Phil Spencer.  It also tells us a great deal about Hilda herself, her warmth, her love for her late husband, and her own passion for making stained glass.  I particularly love the cinematography of the film, such as the cutaways of close up details of the tracks and the miniature scenes. 

Tiny Tracks had its world premiere at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto.  Carol Off interviewed Naomi Hocura and Hilda Walsh about the film for As It Happens.  The Toronto Star also wrote about the film.

Official website: http://tinytracksdoc.com/

Naomi Hocura is a Canadian musician / artist / filmmaker / curator based in Erin, Ontario.  In 2009, she curated the animated short programme Seconds Under the Sun (Toronto/Winnipeg) featuring works by animators from puppet master Kihachiro Kawamoto to cutting edge avant-garde artists like Akino Kondoh and Atsushi Wada.  I once saw her perform a psychedelic soundtrack to Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Water Magician (1933) with her band the Vowls (Shinsedai 2010).

2016 Cathy Munroe Hotes