The 38th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled its highly anticipated Animation category lineup, featuring a diverse array of films that are sure to captivate audiences. The festival, running from October 27 to November 5, will showcase a mix of new releases and remastered classics, each offering a unique cinematic experience.
One of the standout films is the Asian premiere of Labyrinth, an original animation directed by Shoji Kawamori. This film marks Kawamori’s first feature-length animated project not based on an existing franchise. The story revolves around Shiori Maezawa, an ordinary high school girl who finds herself in a deserted parallel world of Yokohama after her smartphone suddenly breaks. As she navigates this strange new environment, she discovers photos on her social media accounts that she does not remember posting. To prevent her other self from spiraling out of control, Shiori must escape from the labyrinth of her smartphone. The film is a collaborative effort, with the original story concept credited to Slow Curve, Vector Vision, GAGA, and Fuji Television. Risa Ebata, known for her work on Macross Frontier and AKB0048, is designing the characters, while Taichi Hashimoto, renowned for Listeners and Gate Keepers 21, has written the script.
Another highlight is the musical anime film Toritsukare Otoko, based on Shinji Ishii’s novel The Obsessed. This film will be screened under its English title and will open in theaters in Japan on November 7. Directed by Wataru Takahashi, known for his work on the Crayon Shin-chan films, and with a script by Naoyuki Miura, the film features character designs by Masatsugu Arakawa, known for Windy Tales and Medabots Spirit. The film is being produced at Shinei Animation and distributed by Bandai Namco Filmworks.
The festival will also feature the international premiere of Edge of Time, a 97-minute, four-part anthology film previously known as the TAISU Project. This film includes shorts by Japanese directors Shinichiro Watanabe, known for Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus, and Space Dandy, and Shuhei Morita, known for Freedom and Tokyo Ghoul, as well as Chinese directors Li Wei and Weng Ming. The film explores the motif of “Taisu,” an energy that transcends time and space, with stories that delve into the search for love and memories at the edge of time and space.
A special treat for animation enthusiasts is the 4K remaster of Angel’s Egg, the 1985 original video anime by Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano. This remaster will be screened on October 29 and 30, with special appearances by director Oshii and voice actress Mako Hyodo after the screening on October 30. The film will have its Japanese theatrical debut outside of festivals at Dolby Cinemas in Japan on November 14, before opening wider for theaters nationwide on November 21. The 4K remaster has already made waves at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival’s Cinéma de la Plage, where it screened its world premiere on May 20. It has also been featured at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and will be shown at the 63rd New York Film Festival, Beyond Fest in Los Angeles, and the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain. The Manchester Animation Festival in the United Kingdom will screen the 4K remaster from November 9-13, and GKIDS will bring it to North American theaters beginning on November 19.
TIFF will also pay homage to Japan’s animation history with a screening of Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, the country’s first feature-length animated film produced in 1945. Directed by Mitsuyo Seo, this 74-minute black-and-white film was created as World War II propaganda and is considered a significant milestone in Japanese animation.
In addition to these standout films, TIFF will screen a variety of other anime and international films, including ChaO, Jinsei, The Last Blossom, and the French/Belgian animated film Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. The festival will also feature live-action films, such as the adaptation of the infinite-loop horror game The Exit 8 by KOTAKE CREATE.
News Source: Animenewsnetwork.com
