Japan Media Arts Festival – Film Programme

Thu 15/09
20:00   Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Fri 16/09
20:00   Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Sat 17/09
16:00   Summer Wars

18:00   The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

20:00   The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Sun 18/09
16:00   Ponyo

18:00   The Tatami Galaxy

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Animation | Dir. ANNO Hideaki, 2007, 98 min.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Animation | Dir. ANNO Hideaki, 2009, 112 min.

Both films are part of the multi-part production of Rebuild of Evangelion, a remake of the series Neon Genesis Evangelion as a four-part cinema film. The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is set in the near future, as seen from the 1990s. In the year 2000 a cataclysmic explosion occurs at the South Pole, resulting in the death of three billion people. This disaster, called Second Impact, was caused by a scientific experiment with a humanoid creature previously discovered in the Antarctic, known as the first Angel. The secret organisation NERV is founded to protect humanity from further devastating Impacts. Its task is to research and develop appropriate defence measures against the anticipated arrival of future Angels. NERV's headquarters is set up in a huge underground cavern on the shore of Lake Ashi. On the surface above this bunker complex is a fortress city, Neo Tokyo-3, to provide protection against the attackers. NERV develops the Evangelions that give the film its name. These giant humanoid robots, controlled by specially qualified teenagers, the Children, are used to battle against the Angels.
Hideaki Anno (b. 1960, Yamaguchi) is an animator and director. In 1995, Anno directed all 26 episodes of the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Evangelion is one of the most influential animated series ever produced and has been the basis of numerous spin offs and emulative works. Anno has always made live action films in addition to anime. His special focus is on so-called Tokusatsu films, a genre that emphasises special effects and which, following in the footsteps of Godzilla (1954), is still very popular in Japan today.

Summer Wars
Animation | Dir. HOSODA Mamoru, 2009, 115 min.

In the not distant future, the virtual city of OZ acts as a mirror to the real world. People control their avatars in OZ to go shopping, pay their bills and have fun. Eleventh grade Kenji spends his summer break uselessly at a part-time job where he keeps the OZ system running. When he is asked by the pretty Natsuki if he will accompany her on a family visit, it's a dream come true for him. But Natsuki didn't tell him that he should pretend to be her fiancé in front of her large family. And, what's more, someone has used Kenji's internet access to create total chaos in OZ. Traffic control systems, government data and the entire public infrastructure collapse at the same time, threatening the real world as well. The innocent Kenji is maligned as a criminal and before he knows it, he is dragged into a battle in which the fate of the real world hangs in the balance.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Animation | Dir. HOSODA Mamoru, 2006, 100 min.

Makoto Konno is a very ordinary 17-year old who can't decide what to do with her life. She would prefer it if the summer never ended and she could continue playing baseball with her two friends Kosuke and Chiaki. One summer's day she suddenly discovers that she can travel backwards through time, and Makoto knows to use this new gift quickly. The funniest karaoke nights with friends can be endlessly repeated, a favourite meal can be enjoyed over and over again, botched schoolwork can be corrected and friends secretly paired off. But with every leap through time, her world comes apart at the seams a little more, and she must eventually learn to live in the here and now once again.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui that has been adapted several times for film and television since its first appearance in 1965. Hosoda transforms this young adult classic into an animated film for the first time.
Mamoru Hosoda (b. 1967) began working for the company Toei Animation as an animator before directing a TV animation series and several animation films himself. In 2003, he directed a promotional film, Superflat Monogram, for Louis Vuitton and in 2005 he began working independently. The following year, Hosoda produced with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time his first feature film and received a number of awards, including the Japanese Academy Award. With Summer Wars he was able to continue his success and at the 13th Japan Media Arts festival received the Grand Prize for a second time.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Animation | Dir. TANIGAWA Nagaru / ISHIHARA Tatsuya, 2010, 163 min.

Haruhi Suzumiya is the eponymous heroine of a popular light novel series, which achieved a certain notoriety after the first TV series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006). The film's story is based on the fourth volume of the novel series, with the same title, and, as with each installment, is told from the perspective of a student, Kyon.
Kyon spends most of his time with his classmates in the SOS Brigade, a club founded by the slightly crazy Haruhi Suzumiya. On the morning of December 18th, Kyon has to suddenly establish that everything around him has changed. Mikuru doesn't recognise him anymore, Yuki is no longer an alien, Itsuki and Haruhi have disappeared without a trace and nobody remembers her or the SOS Brigade. The only reference Kyon has is a note from the old Yuki on a bookmark, with which he embarks on a search for clues to the past.
Nagaru Tanigawa (b. 1970, Nishinomiya) is an author and studied law at Kwansei Gakuin University. He is known primarily for his light novel series Haruhi Suzumiya, which now comprises eleven volumes. The young adult novels have been adapted as both a manga series, an animated television series, computer games and finally as a feature film for the cinema.
Tatsuya Ishihara (*1966, Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture) is active as a director at the animation studio Kyoto Animation. Among his major works are the animated television series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006), Clannad (2007), Kanon (2006) and Air (2005). The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is his first feature film; it received the Jury Recommended Work Award at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival and the Animation Kobe Award.

Ponyo
Animation | Dir. MIYAZAKI Hayao, 2008, 101 min.

The girl goldfish Ponyo dreams of becoming human, much to the dismay of her father, an underwater sorcerer. One day, she actually succeeds in escaping the colourful ocean world and is saved on dry land by the fisher boy, Sosuke. The two befriend one another and with him, Ponyo discovers the above-water world. With the help of the magical powers of her father, Ponyo succeeds in becoming human and wants nothing more than to stay on land. But Ponyo's power seems to unleash the ocean, triggering natural disasters that threaten Sosuke's village. Together they must try and restore balance to the world.
Hayao Miyazaki (b. 1941, Tokyo) is a world famous Japanese animation film director and is also active as a screenwriter, producer and manga artist. In 1963 he completed his studies in politics and economics at Gakushin University. He began his film career at animation studio Toei Foga where he worked mainly as a key frame animator and production designer until 1973. He then worked for a number of different studios and was involved in, among other projects, the TV series Heidi (1974). In 1979 Miyazaki made his first feature film as writer-director, The Castle of Cagliostro. In 1984 he adapted his own manga series, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, for the screen with a film of the same name and thus gained international recognition. The following year he founded, with Isao Takahata, Ghibli, the studio where he has since produced eight feature film projects including Princess Mononoke (1997). Spirited Away (2001) became the world's most awarded animation film, winning the 2002 Berlinale Golden Bear and an Oscar for best animation film in 2003, among other accolades.

The Tatami Galaxy
TV animation | Dir. YUASA Masaaki, 2010, 11 episodes, 23 min. each

Accompanied by his nasty friend, Ozu, and under the watchful eyes of shadowy god, Master Higuchi, the protagonist of The Tatami Galaxy tackles everyday life at an University in Kyoto. During each episode, he experiences a different version of his destiny and seems forever doomed to failure. This unusually compelling story about the folly of youth, from a screenplay by Makoto Ueda, takes the viewer through an eloquent and sometimes humorous rush of images, the 2D and 3D graphics combined with real footage.
Masaaki Yuasa (b. 1965, Fukuoka Prefecture) joined the animation studio Ajia-do after graduating from college. He later became a freelancer and worked on the Shinchan and the Chibi Maruko-chan series, among others. In 2004, he debuted as a film director with Mind Game, which won the Grand Prize in the Animation Division of the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival, the Noburo Ofuji Award of the 59th Mainichi Film Awards, and others. His other major works include the series Kemonozume (Claws of a Beast, 2006) and Kaiba which was awarded the JMAF Excellence Prize in 2008.

Venue

RWE Forum | U Cinema

Dortmunder U – Centre for Art and Creativity
Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse
44137 Dortmund

Admission

5 € / 3 €
Valid for one day for the exhibition Japan Media Arts Festival and the film programme.

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