Soon it's that time of year again! Just a few weeks left until the 24th Nippon Connection Film Festival once again envelops Frankfurt am Main (Germany) in bright pink. From May 28 to June 2, 2024, the world's largest festival of Japanese cinema will showcase around 100 short and feature films at eight venues. The country's culture will also be explored through the extensive culture program, reflecting Japan's musical, culinary, and artistic diversity.
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...
- 4/6/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Last year was a standout year for animation, and 2024 is already shaping up to be another banger. While a majority of the high-profile animation releases are due out later this summer, the first quarter of 2024 has already been promising. We at /Film are constantly singing the praises of animation as a medium, and doing our best to course-correct the ignorant idea that animation is only for children. Admittedly, this list is going to look mighty small for the time being, but it will be updated throughout the year as more films become available. As we noted last year, animation is one of the only mediums where global cinema is given an equal footing to studio-produced films in America, with the artistic visuals serving as a universal language that we can all enjoy. Meaning, this list is not limited to Hollywood animation releases ... and that's a good thing. As for now,...
- 3/27/2024
- by SlashFilm Staff
- Slash Film
Anime specialty company Crunchyroll revealed Thursday that it has acquired all North American rights to the upcoming Japanese animated feature The Concierge. The company, a subsidiary of Sony, plans to release the film in North American theaters early next year.
The film is a feature adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s beloved manga series The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, which follows Akino, a trainee concierge, who works at a special store where the customers are all animals and the most valued among them are extinct species.
Directed by Yoshimi Itazu from the fabled production company Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, Haikyuu!), The Concierge made its world premiere to positive reviews this past June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival. It will get its Japan release by Aniplex on Oct. 20.
The Concierge is Itazu’s feature filmmaking debut,...
The film is a feature adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s beloved manga series The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, which follows Akino, a trainee concierge, who works at a special store where the customers are all animals and the most valued among them are extinct species.
Directed by Yoshimi Itazu from the fabled production company Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, Haikyuu!), The Concierge made its world premiere to positive reviews this past June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival. It will get its Japan release by Aniplex on Oct. 20.
The Concierge is Itazu’s feature filmmaking debut,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Crunchyroll, a distribution company that specializes in anime, has acquired North American rights for the film “The Concierge.”
It is set to be released by Aniplex in Japan on Oct. 20 and is expected to come to Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures theatrical territories in 2024.
Yoshimi Itazu (“Welcome to the Ballroom”) directed “The Concierge,” an adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s “The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store.” The story follows a trainee concierge named Akino, who works at a store that caters exclusively to animals. She runs around to fulfill the whims and wishes of customers — extinct species are most valued — with a myriad of needs in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge.
“The word ‘no’ doesn’t exist in a concierge’s dictionary!” Akino laments in the trailer. But she has a special regard for Hokkyoku. “This is a store for people who are doing their best,” she later says.
“The...
It is set to be released by Aniplex in Japan on Oct. 20 and is expected to come to Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures theatrical territories in 2024.
Yoshimi Itazu (“Welcome to the Ballroom”) directed “The Concierge,” an adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s “The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store.” The story follows a trainee concierge named Akino, who works at a store that caters exclusively to animals. She runs around to fulfill the whims and wishes of customers — extinct species are most valued — with a myriad of needs in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge.
“The word ‘no’ doesn’t exist in a concierge’s dictionary!” Akino laments in the trailer. But she has a special regard for Hokkyoku. “This is a store for people who are doing their best,” she later says.
“The...
- 10/5/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Quebec festival wrapped on August 9.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
Talk To Me, the horror hit from Danny and Michael Philippou which has grossed more than $31m in North America and close to $50m worldwide, has been named best international feature in the 2023 Fantasia audience awards.
In other key awards Lee Sang-yong’s South Korean title The Roundup: No Way Out was named best Asian feature, while Shigeyoshi Tsukahara’s Japanese entry Kurayukaba earned best animated feature, and
Satan Wants You from Steve J. Adams and Sean Horlor took the inaugural Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (narrative or documentary).
The full list of audience award winners appears below.
- 8/14/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A couple weeks ago, the Fantasia International Film Festival announced the films that won jury prizes at the 27th edition of the show, which recently came to a close. Yesterday, our own Tyler Nichols shared his list of favorite films from this year’s Fantasia festival. Now Fantasia has unveiled the list of audience award winners, with wins going to films like Talk to Me, The Roundup: No Way Out, Kurayukaba, and Satan Wants You, among others. The full list can be seen below:
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
Best International Feature
Gold: Talk To Me
Silver: Late Night With The Devil
Bronze: Hundreds Of Beavers
Best Asian Feature
Gold: The Roundup: No Way Out
Silver: River
Bronze: Phantom (South Korea d. Lee Hae-young)
Best Animated Feature
Gold: Kurayukaba
Silver: The Concierge
Bronze: The First Slam Dunk
The Dgc Audience Award for Best Canadian Film (Narrative or Documentary)
Satan Wants You – This year’s...
- 8/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Fantasia’S 27th Edition To Award Nicolas Cage, Close With The World Premiere Of Rkss’ We Are Zombies World premieres of numerous feature debuts from acclaimed short film talents, North American Premieres of Amanda Nell Eu’s Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize winner Tiger Stripes, Sam H. Freeman & Ng Choon Ping’s Berlinale sensation Femme, Yoshimi Itazu’s …
The post Fantasia Announces Final Wave of Titles for 27th Edition, July 20 – August 9 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Fantasia Announces Final Wave of Titles for 27th Edition, July 20 – August 9 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 7/8/2023
- by Janel Spiegel
- Horror News
Fantasia, North America's largest and longest-lived genre film festival, returns in 2023 with an amazing selection of imaginative films from around the world, including a bounty of cinematic treasures for aficionados of anime and manga!
Best known for the world-renowned Dragonball, celebrated Japanese manga creator Akira Toriyama's many other works include the mini-epic Sand Land, a demon-infested, post-apocalyptic screwball romp published in 2000. It portrayed a mysterious desert world where water is the most precious resource, and follows Satan's son Beelzebub and his comrades on a desperate, dangerous quest. Toriyama's countless fans can rejoice because now, a quarter century later, an anime adaptation has further rekindled Sand Land's appeal. Fantasia's crowd can take particular pleasure in this news, because the director is the talented Toshihisa Yokoshima, a deft master of CG animation whose short film Cocolors won a Satoshi Kon Award at the festival in 2017. Canadian Premiere
Equal parts crazy cartoon caper,...
Best known for the world-renowned Dragonball, celebrated Japanese manga creator Akira Toriyama's many other works include the mini-epic Sand Land, a demon-infested, post-apocalyptic screwball romp published in 2000. It portrayed a mysterious desert world where water is the most precious resource, and follows Satan's son Beelzebub and his comrades on a desperate, dangerous quest. Toriyama's countless fans can rejoice because now, a quarter century later, an anime adaptation has further rekindled Sand Land's appeal. Fantasia's crowd can take particular pleasure in this news, because the director is the talented Toshihisa Yokoshima, a deft master of CG animation whose short film Cocolors won a Satoshi Kon Award at the festival in 2017. Canadian Premiere
Equal parts crazy cartoon caper,...
- 7/7/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on the Japanese historical manga series by Hinako Sugiura, the gorgeous, hand-drawn “Miss Hokusai,” from director Keiichi Hara (“Colorful”) and Production I.G (“Ghost in the Shell”), tells the poignant story of real-life painter O-Ei, who worked in the shadow of her famous father Hokusai. He was a master of ukiyo-e, a school of Japanese art depicting subjects from everyday life in the 17th–19th centuries.
While O-Ei dutifully finishes her father’s work (including dragons and erotic sketches), she experiences a dangerous rite of passage as both woman and artist, trying to find her own individuality and artistic style. Ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) therefore becomes the perfect expression for animation: both realistic in its depiction of bustling pre-Tokyo Edo and supernatural with its intrusion of demons and goblins.
“I first discovered Sugiura’s work in my late 20s, and fell in love with her talent instantly,...
While O-Ei dutifully finishes her father’s work (including dragons and erotic sketches), she experiences a dangerous rite of passage as both woman and artist, trying to find her own individuality and artistic style. Ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) therefore becomes the perfect expression for animation: both realistic in its depiction of bustling pre-Tokyo Edo and supernatural with its intrusion of demons and goblins.
“I first discovered Sugiura’s work in my late 20s, and fell in love with her talent instantly,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
If this is the end, it's an ignoble way to go.When hugely acclaimed anime director Satoshi Kon began production on The Dreaming Machine he already knew that he was fighting a fight with cancer that he was doomed to lose. Kon knew he was unlikely to survive through until the end of production and the one request he made of his backers at production studio Madhouse was that they would see the project through even if he was not there to oversee it. And when Kon passed in 2010 it appeared that would indeed be the case with directing duties being passed to Yoshimi Itazu who was to work from Kon's detailed instructions.But then in August of 2011 Madhouse founder Masao Maruyama acknowledged at...
- 12/6/2011
- Screen Anarchy
The already tumultuous production history of Satoshi Kon's final film, The Dreaming Machine (Yume-Miru Kikai) has just become even rockier with word that animation studio Madhouse have very quietly put the production on hold due to financial issues.The final work by the brilliant director of Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress, production on The Dreaming Machine began with Kon already aware that he was terminally ill and very likely would not survive to see the project through to completion. His one request was that the studio would see the work through until the end. And it appeared that was the case with character designer Yoshimi Itazu taking over the directing role - based on the detailed instructions left behind by Kon - in November of...
- 8/9/2011
- Screen Anarchy
After the sudden death of Satoshi Kon a temporary suspension of production on the anime masters finale film 'The Dreaming Machine' was placed. Now production company Madhouse Studios is honoring the promise they made to Satoshi Kon, that they would finish the film no matter what happened to him. Production has officially resumed on 'The Dreaming Machine' with character designer and chief animation director Yoshimi Itazu taking up the directors chair.
- 11/14/2010
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
When director Satoshi Kon began work on The Dreaming Machine (Yume-Miru Kikai) he knew something that his fans around the globe did not: That he was suffering from a terminal illness and there was a very real possibility that he would not survive until the end of production. And so he asked for - and received - a very simple promise from production company Madhouse Studios. He simply wanted to know that the studio would finish the film no matter what happened to him.
Kon's passing in August led to a temporary suspension of production on the picture but now Madhouse is making good on that promise with word that character designer and chief animation director Yoshimi Itazu has been given the role of acting director and production has resumed. Itazu's selection is a good one as it places someone who has been intimately involved with the creation of the...
Kon's passing in August led to a temporary suspension of production on the picture but now Madhouse is making good on that promise with word that character designer and chief animation director Yoshimi Itazu has been given the role of acting director and production has resumed. Itazu's selection is a good one as it places someone who has been intimately involved with the creation of the...
- 11/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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