Part One: Animation from Japan - the ASIFA 60th and ASIFA-JAPAN 40th anniversary
Date: November 23rd (Tue), 2021
16:00 – 17:30
Screening: “ASIFA-JAPAN Vol.1” ( 13 films by ASIFA-Japan members )
Lecture: Sayoko KINOSHITA, Hiroshi ONISHI
(1) TarZAN
Directed by:Taku FURUKAWA / 1990 / 6:00
An animation essay inspired during the visit to Kenya. Which is more like Africa: Tokyo or Kenya?
(2) Treedom
Directed by：Dino SATO 1999 / 4:31
In 1993, an Illustrator U.G. Sato published a series of posters named “Treedom”. These posters expressed the present situation of GAIA through tree’s anger, sadness and pleasure. I thought to give time and action to the posters. I tried a jump to new animation by the inspirations acquired from the posters.
(3) AN INSTANT
Directed by：Azuru ISSHIKI 2003 / 3:28
“Things begin with 1, and return to 1”. In 2003, during an animation event “IN TO ANIMATION 3” organized by JAA (Japan Animation Association), this silent film was first shown accompanied by the live music impromptu. Then the music was recorded to the film.
(4) Home Alone
Directed by：Nozomi NAGASAKI 1996 / 4:00
A Handmade Animated Cat! Stop and Look at Me for just 4 minutes! It’s the first time for me to be all by myself at home. This Cat does not have a name yet, and nobody knows whether it is Female or Male. And it has two faces, one is very sensitive and the other is rather naughty. We try to make sensitive animations, and do not want to bombard children with too much noise and too many images. ©1996 N&G Production http://anim.exblog.jp/
(5) Laughing Moon
Directed by：Kiyoshi NISHIMOTO 2000 / 6:00
An attempt to move tangram. Twelve pieces separated from a circle and a square combine together and shape into various figures.
(6) Ski Jumping Pairs
Directed by：Riichiro MASHIMA 2002 / 5:36
Story: A new event for the Torino Olympigs 2006. This is a VTR of a Ski Jump Pair event. More distant, more beautiful, more dynamic. A brand new history begins for ski jumping. Concept: The silly and nonsensical human nature has a certain beauty to it. This film focuses on the details of the “Ski Jumping”: it is a spectacular parody attempting to express the “nonsensical beauty” of it all. ©Riichiro Mashima/IDIOTS
(7) A man who was seeing hellish bottom
Directed by：Toshio KINOSHITA 1999 / 4:00
A man finds a cigarette stub on the street. He pickss it up, throw it into a trash basket, and happens to see the inside with much surprise: there are wads of money, about 2 million yen! The man takes the money and into his pocket… Because of the offense, he is hit by a car and become a state of apparent death… He is taken to hell, but somehow he gets rescued by the apostle of heaven, and revives at the hospital. The truth was that the money he pocketed was a fake, so he was not guilty. ©Toshio Kinoshita http://kinopuro.jounin.jp/
(8) Pieces
Directed by：Koji YAMAMURA 2003 / 2:16
Some short pieces of funny animations and phenakistiscope. ©Yamamura Animation http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/
(9) affordance
Directed by：Hiroyuki OKUI 2002 / 3:12
A man goes into the Affordance Room to create a work of the dice thrown. He put on an albatross hat, and started to puddle the clay as if he is posessed by something. Is he creating of his own will, or is he afforded to create by the room? When he looked at the completed clay work, he… http://www.oqi091.com/
(10) WIND
Directed by：Nobuhiro AIHARA 2000 / 5:20
A film about wind. In this film, my feelings toward landscape as well as my physical impressions are expressed through wind, and this way I placed my drawings and photographs in the time axis. Recently, I feel that myself and animation, or myself and images in general, are getting more deeply involved each other, especially when the imagery passing through my body could be well expressed in rather relaxing manner. I think that I will be making more films about wind continuously in future.
(11) KAPPA
Directed by：Tatsuo SHIMAMURA 1999 / 12:38
The existence of Kappa, water imps, has long been believed in Japan. It was said that they lived in rivers and lakes. In fact, there were people who saw them. You can find Kappa as a subject in paintings, sculptures and stories. In the 20th century, Japan has become a highly industrialized country. Reclaimed lakes, rivers with concreted banks, large quantities of chemicals for the fields. Fish, insects, birds and animals lost their home. So did Kappa. This film depicts the waterside scene in Japan when Kappa lived vividly. We might have a chance to see them if we could prevent the further environmental pollution and make it easier for the other creatures to live. ©SHIROGUMI INC. http://www.shirogumi.com/
(12) AU FOU!
Directed by：Yoji KURI 1967 / 10:00
An omnibus film consisted of Kuri’s ultra-short animations, depicting man’s distressful nature. In our times of population explosion, the killing of the unwanted babies are increasing, and Kuri fears that murder is getting to be approved officially.
(13) MADE IN JAPAN
Directed by：Renzo KINOSHITA 1972 / 9:00
A short film parodying the commercialism of Japan. In a small room, there is a typical Japanese man sitting. Into this room, various characters enter one after another, and describe the miniature of contemporary Japanese society: Kabuki acter, nude dancer, pollution, economic animal, Mr. Yokoi, etc…
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