Originally published at: NYICF ANNOUNCING 2020 OPENING NIGHT and Countries of Focus: FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS: JAPAN / SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA - People of Con
New York International Children’s Festival 2020
| Author: Newsroom NEW YORK, NY (Friday, January 10, 2020)New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF), North America’s largest film festival for children and teens, announces the 2020 edition of Opening Night Film and countries of focus: Japan and Canada. The Oscar® qualifying NYICFF, now in its 23rd year, runs February 21 through March 15, 2020, debuting an exciting new slate of the best animation, live-action, documentary, and experimental features and shorts from around the globe. NYICFF 2020 will highlight the cinematic achievements of Japan in an expanded program, shine a spotlight on new Canadian animation, and introduce its first-ever Industry Forum to focus on inclusion and representation in children’s media. Tickets go on sale January 15 for Members and January 22nd for the general public at www.nyicff.org. More lineup announcements are forthcoming, including the full slate of Features and Short Film selections. |
| FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS: JAPAN —Four Feature Films: CHILDREN OF THE SEA (2019), Ayumu Watanabe (OPENING NIGHT FILM) ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND (2019), Kenji IwaisawaBENTO HARASSMENT (2019), Renpei Tsukamoto MAGIC BOY (1961), Taiji Yabushita and Akira Daikuhara Short Film Program: FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS: JAPAN, Short Film Collection, Various Now in its fourth edition, NYICFF’s celebrated Friends & Neighbors program showcases the cinematic achievements of Japan. Executive Director Nina Guralnick says, “NYICFF has long been at the forefront of showcasing the latest and best Japanese features for an admiring U.S. audience, from Katsuhiro Otomo’s STEAMBOY (US Premiere 2005), and acclaimed Studio Ghibli titles including Hayao Miyazaki’s FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (US Premiere 2013) and Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE (North American Premiere 2015); to Mamoru Hosoda’s acclaimed WOLF CHILDREN (US Continental Premiere 2013); and Makoto Shinkai’s box-office phenomenon YOUR NAME. (East Coast Premiere 2017). NYICFF has also long cultivated ties with Japanese filmmakers whose animation, live-action, and experimental work has populated the Festival’s celebrated short film collections. The 2020 Festival furthers this connection with Japan and offers a strong program that reflects NYICFF’s mission of demonstrating and fostering the best in films for all ages. ”NYICFF 2020’s Friends & Neighbors: Japan share a curated selection of four new and retrospective feature films and one short film collection, highlighting the region’s rich cinema and cultural history in a breathtaking range of styles: from the East Coast Premiere of Ayumu Watanabe’s atmospheric CHILDREN OF THE SEA (2019, NYICFF OPENING NIGHT FILM), and the US Premiere of the award-winning, fresh vision of Kenji Iwaisawa’s ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND (2019) to Renpei Tsukamoto’s charming live-action inter-generational twist in BENTO HARASSMENT (2019); to a retrospective screening of Taiji Yabushita and Akira Daikuhara’s landmark anime MAGIC BOY (1961). A contemporary short film collection offers the world premiere of Koji Yamamura’s highly anticipated hand-drawn animation DREAMS INTO DRAWING (2020), alongside other stop motion, 2D animation, and live-action films from a wide range of Japanese filmmakers. NYICFF Programming Director María-Christina Villaseñor says, “We had an extraordinary opportunity to dig deeply into Japanese film, intending to expand on NYICFF’s history of bringing the best anime titles to U.S. audiences. With this year’s program, audiences will have the opportunity to see two premiere features that are truly expanding the visual style, language, and thematics of Japanese animation with CHILDREN OF THE SEA and ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND. Our live-action selection, BENTO HARRASSMENT, offers a fantastic and witty exploration of strong Japanese female characters, and our retrospective title gives audiences a unique historical perspective through MAGIC BOY, the first anime Japan ever released in the US in 1961 and an inspiration to anime titles since. Alongside this, we have a collection of gorgeous, alternately moving, and hilarious shorts from Japan’s celebrated short filmmakers working in various styles.” Joining NYICFF’s celebrated annual Animators All Around panel, we welcome Daisuke ‘Dice’Tsutsumi, filmmaker and co-founder of California-based Tonko House. Dice will share insight into Tonko House’s creative process and an exclusive look at some intriguing new projects in development. Before founding Tonko House in 2014, Dice was an art director at Pixar and a visual development and color key artist for Blue Sky Studios. Dice joins Jill Culton, director of ABOMINABLE, for the 2020 Animators All Around event, with details on the full lineup forthcoming. The Japan-United States Friendship Commission, Sony Pictures, and the Japan Foundation New York generously support Japanese films at the Festival. They are organized in part with the Kineko International Children’s Film Festival. FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS 2020 builds on three successful past collaborations; Canada’s TIFF Kids in 2017, Mexico’s Morelia International Film Festival in 2018; and 2019’s Netherlands Consulate General in New York, Cinekid, and Eye International partnership. SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA NYICFF 2020 showcases an exceptional range of animated shorts, features, and episodic content from fresh and innovative Canadian filmmaker voices, including the world premiere of the second season of Netflix and Silvergate Media’s acclaimed new series HILDA, with director Andy Coyle from Canada’s Mercury Filmworks appearing in person for an exclusive Q&A. Canadian cinema shapes new boundaries in creative visual storytelling with dynamic animation and the national film sector, unique cultural perspective, and outstanding animation schools. By turning a lens on Canada with a 2020 program focus, NYICFF will explore the nuances of Canadian culture and highlight its national cinema for an avid all-ages audience—while also introducing Canadian filmmakers to the wider NYC film community. “Canada is proud of its continued leadership in children’s cinema and in creating films that promote Canadian values like inclusivity, diversity, and civic duty and resonate with young people worldwide. The 2020 spotlight on Canada symbolizes the strength and influence of Canada’s creative industries.”—Catherine Scheinman, Head of Cultural Affairs and Creative Industries; Film, Television & Arts, Consulate General of Canada. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the wealth of talent and animated works that delight audiences worldwide,” said Francesca Accinelli, Director, Promotion and Communications at Telefilm Canada. “We get a chance to show audiences the wide range of voices and storytellers we have shaping and expanding our entertainment landscape.” The Consulate General of Canada and Telefilm Canada. ****FILM DETAILS generously supports Canadian films at the Festival OPENING NIGHT: Based on the exquisite manga of the same name, Children of the Sea (GKIDS) draws on the talents of Japan’s famed Studio 4°C (Mind Game; Tekkonkinkreet) and the mighty Joe Hisaishi, whose magical scores are the life force behind so many of Studio Ghibli’s animated classics. A visually dazzling, mind-bending aquatic mystery. Ruka’s dad is so absorbed in his studies at the aquarium that he hardly notices when she befriends Umi and Sora. Like Ruka, the mysterious duo has the unique ability to hear the call of the sea and its endangered creatures. Together, can they save them? “This is a film you experience on a deeper level that washes over you like a wave… It’s hard to overstate what an atmospheric triumph Studio 4°C has pulled off here.”—Matt Schley, The Japan Times On-Gaku: Our Sound From grunge to genius, On-Gaku turns it up to eleven musically and visually! Kenji and his two buddies are considered the toughs in their high school. Only clever Aya knows their too-cool-for-school attitude is a total act until a bass guitar unexpectedly ends up in Kenji’s hands. With its deadpan humor, fresh animation style, and upending of the musical genre, there’s no wonder this film won the Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival’s top prize. Bento Harassment Can food speak louder than words? With Futaba’s mother tired of her teen’s icy attitude, she’ll try an unusual tactic to get her to talk—by way of her bento lunch box. Futaba opens box after box for an entire school term, each designed with its own cringe-worthy message. An offbeat story of growing up, Bento Harassment will leave audiences laughing…and hungry. Magic Boy Anime? Check. Disney-inspired cute critters? Check. Beautiful colors? Do you even have to ask?! Our Festival Flashback is a groundbreaker: the first-ever anime film released in the US (from renowned Toei Studios), and quite possibly the inspiration for many more. Step back in time and follow Sasuke’s adventures from the very beginning! Friends & Neighbors: Japan Say konichiwa (hello!) to our 2020 Friends & Neighbors. Celebrate Japan’s rich film and cultural history in a breathtaking range of styles: the hand-drawn artistry of master animator and NYICFF alum Koji Yamamura’s world premiere, Dreams into Drawing, the stop-motion nod to traditional Japanese puppetry in Gon, the Little Fox, and the manga-style zaps, zings, and pows of Onomatopoeia Rap, and more. Hilda She’s clever, kind, witty—and rocks a pair of red boots like nobody’s business. Hilda is back, rescuing elves, dodging trolls, and exploring Trolberg’s strange history and stranger personalities. The BAFTA award-winning Netflix Original series inspired by Luke Pearson’s hugely popular graphic novels returns to NYICFF with the world premiere of Season Two. Join us for sneak peeks of “Troll Circle” and “The Witch,” two truly enchanting adventures! |