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Dates
10.18.2024 (Fri.) – 10.20.2024 (Sun.)
Times
Varies
Location
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028
Fee
Varies (See discount code below)
This fall, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is thrilled to continue its partnership with the Animation Is Film Festival for the 2024 edition. Produced by animation distributor GKIDS in collaboration with Annecy International Film Festival and Variety, the Animation Is Film Festival aims to spotlight animation as a global art, and each year presents a diverse program of the world’s best animated cinema at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, located in Ovation Hollywood.
Continuing our successful collaborations in previous years, we are once again serving as a community partner, dedicated to promoting the Japanese films and filmmakers showcased in this popular festival and offering a special 25% discount code (japanhouse-24) to enjoy the festival’s selection. This year’s festival features a rich selection of Japanese films, including several North American and U.S. premieres, as well as a special program inviting director Naoko Yamada (“The Colors Within”) to talk on the state of animation as an industry and present a live drawing session hosted at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles.
From a colorful teen romance (“The Colors Within”) to a cult classic anime film (“Redline”), from a tale of an adorable supernatural cat (“Ghost Cat Anzu”) to a dark and twisty mystery (“Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain”), and a documentary tribute to the iconic animator Hayao Miyazaki (“Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature”), join us to immerse in the magic and creativity of Japanese animation on the big screen.
Screenings
The Colors Within
Courtesy of Animation Is Film and GKIDS
Date
10.18.2024 (Fri.)
Time
7:00 PM
Location
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
- SOLD OUT -
Date
10.20.2024 (Sun.)
Time
6:00 PM
Location
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
Naoko Yamada, of A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird fame, returns to cinemas with her latest exploration of adolescence in The Colors Within. Totsuko is a cheery girl with a unique secret: she can see the ‘colors’ of others. This take on synesthesia paints Totsuko’s interactions in beautiful, expressive pastels and leads her to set her sights on one hue in particular. Kimi, a reserved, guitar-playing classmate at Totsuko’s school, has the most beautiful color of all. Hoping to form a band, Totsuko and Kimi begin a friendship along with Rui, a quiet boy they meet at a local bookstore. Together, rehearsing songs at an old church on a remote island, the trio grows closer, sharing their hidden fears and dreams for the future. Side by side, will they be able to embrace their true ‘colors’?
Japan · 2024 · All ages · 100 min
Special In-Person Program
The Colors Within
Live Talk & Drawing with Naoko Yamada
Date
10.20.2024 (Sun.)
Time
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location
JAPAN HOUSE Salon, Level 5
Fee
Free
Seating is subject to availability and will be claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that admission isn’t guaranteed with a RSVP.
Be present for a rare in-person talk and live drawing session with AIF's Opening Night filmmaker, Naoko Yamada (“The Colors Within”). Witness Director Yamada's creative process in real time while she shares with Animation Is Film programmer's her insights on the animation scene today. This unique dialogue offers a broad view of the animation landscape from one of its biggest stars, perfect for fans and aspiring animators looking for behind-the-scenes knowledge of a dynamic industry.
Since its inception in 2017, Animation Is Film has presented the North American, US, and Los Angeles premieres of some of the biggest animated titles from Japan, including last year's US IMAX Premiere of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. AIF has hosted filmmaking luminaries, including Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai, and Masaaki Yuasa, among others.
About Naoko Yamada | Director
In 2009, Yamada made her debut as a director after being selected to direct the TV series K-On!. The series became a nationwide sensation and a social phenomenon, and in 2011, she helmed her first feature with the film version of K-On!, which while a limited release grossed over 1.9 billion yen at the box office and was nominated for Best Animation Film of the Year Award at the 35th Japan Academy Film Prize. Read more.
She continued to blaze a new trail with her follow-up directorial features Tamako Market and A Silent Voice, which became a hit with 1.77 million admissions and a box office gross of over 2.3 billion yen. The title was nominated for Best Animation Film of the Year Award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize and was selected for the competition section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. She is one of the most highly acclaimed female directors in the Japanese animation industry thanks to her visual sensibilities, vivid depiction of ordinary life, and strong, detailed direction.
Redline
Courtesy of Animation Is Film and GKIDS
Date
10.18.2024 (Fri.)
Time
10:00 PM
Ready? Set. Go! The 15th anniversary of Takeshi Koike’s Redline is off to the races with this special screening of the cult classic anime film. Every 5 years, Redline, an illegal, galactic, no holds barred racing tournament is held at a mystery location, revealed only moments before the starting whistle blows. This year the destination is Roboworld, a dangerous planet subject to militant government rule by overlords determined to put a stop to the tournament by any means necessary. Read more.
Sweet JP, a daredevil intent on victory, and Sonoshee McLaren, an alluring rising star in the circuit, compete for keeps, attempting to outwit the mob, the government, and other bloodthirsty racers in order to reach the golden finish line alive. A wildly exhilarating and visually inventive ride from Studio Madhouse and winner of the UTOPIALES Audience Award at the Locarno International Film Festival, Redline is a theatrical experience like no other. Get ready to start your engines.
JAPAN · 2009 · NR · 102 min
Ghost Cat Anzu
Courtesy of Animation Is Film and GKIDS
Date
10.19.2024 (Sat.)
Time
3:00 PM
Karin, 11, finds herself abandoned at the steps of her grandfather’s house. Her down-on-his-luck father introduces the two of them and then flees to settle some imposing debts. Karin’s grandfather, a small-town monk, tasks Anzu, his capricious ghost-cat, to look after her. While their own spirited personalities often clash, Anzu agrees to accompany Karin into the city to get answers on her missing father and to pay respects at her mother’s grave. The trip quickly takes unexpected turns that leads them to alternative worlds and imposing characters but ultimately to answers they never anticipated finding. Read more.
Ghost Cat Anzu is the unique blend of two visionary filmmakers, each with their own cinematic methods. The unusual production process behind Ghost Cat Anzu results in a film that combines emotionally-affecting, humanistic performances with charming and inventive visual storytelling. Like Karin, the audience is dropped into a strange and new world, one in which you’ll wish you could stay for far longer than the runtime.
JAPAN / FRANCE · 2024 · PG · 95 min
Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain
Courtesy of Animation Is Film and GKIDS
Date
10.19.2024 (Sat.)
Time
8:30 PM
Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain is a 2024 Japanese animated supernatural psychological horror film directed by Kenji Nakamura based on the Mononoke anime television series, which in turn is a spin-off of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales anthology series, both created by Toei Animation. Two young girls start their service at a harem and are immediately thrown into a world full of scheming and competition, but there is something even more sinister skulking in the shadows. A mysterious man calling himself a Medicine Seller will open everyone’s eyes to just how terrifying demons of the human heart can be.
JAPAN · 2024 · R · 91 min
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
Courtesy of Animation Is Film and GKIDS
Date
10.19.2024 (Sat.)
Time
12:00 PM
Hayao Miyazaki was born into a war-torn Japan, having survived several bombings that devastated the land he called home. The experience caused him to question the relationship that humans have to the earth, a rumination that would inspire his directing work in later years. Hayao went on to command a singular vision in his films. Luscious landscapes and colorful worlds speak to the regard he has for the planet and its natural state. The emphatic need to conserve the world is a theme he explores time and time again.
Director Leo Favier makes the ecological connections throughout Miyazaki’s career with testaments from his son and fellow Ghibli director Goro Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and the philosopher Tim Morton. Across 40 years and 12 films the environmentally conscious heart of Miyazaki is unearthed and explored.
JAPAN · 2024 · NR · 84 min
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