Dozens of Norths

North is everywhere solitary. Here is all North. This is a record of the people I met in these Norths. However, my memory is fragmented and does not get the point at all. Now I'm starting to wonder my efforts came to nothing. I'm just getting the occasional recognition of the existence of the world through the dull pain changes shape little by little. "The basis for the animated film “Dozens of Norths” is the series of cover illustrations and short texts that I made across 32 issues of the monthly literary magazine “Bungaku-Kai” (Published by Bungeishunju) from April 2012 to December 2014. In this work, by fantasizing about a fictional movie, I thought of each independent cover as a scene of one larger story and wrote a text for each illustration I made.</i>" - Yamamura Kouji</i> A joint production between 'Yamamura Animation' based in Japan, and 'Miyu Productions' based in France. The film had it's world premier at the '8th New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival' on 6 November 2021.

Michi

The My Road series - Scarlet Road (2002), White Road (2003), Indigo Road (2006), and the most recent instalment Lemon Road (2008) - can be read as meditations on loss and mourning. These poetic films tell their story through motif, character expression, music and montage and require repeated viewing for one to absorb the subtly evoked layers of meaning. (Source: Midnight Eye)

My Neighbor Totoro

Follow the adventures of Satsuki and her four-year-old sister Mei when they move into a new home in the countryside. To their delight they discover that their new neighbor is a mysterious forest spirit called Totoro who can be seen only through the eyes of a child. Totoro introduces them to extraordinary characters, including a cat that doubles as a bus, takes them on a journey through the wonders of nature. (Source: Disney)

Koneko no Rakugaki

Yasuji Mori's short about a kitten drawing pictures on a wall.

Nihiki no Sanma (Color Version)

Remake of the 1960 film with the same name in color that tells the story of a man and a woman who go by raft to a remote desert island with chickens and a dog. At first, it is a kind of paradise for them. They farm and fish following the same routine every day, feasting on grilled sanma that they roast out in the open. One day, their harmony gets interrupted by a mustachioed scientist on a raft powered by an abused pig. This unwanted visitor constructs a robot which begins the process of industrialization on the island. The couple are disgruntled but decide to put up with the man and his technology.

ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND

When you’re a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock ‘n roll. Having no skill, money, or even a full set of drums, a feared trio of high school delinquents nevertheless decide they are destined for musical glory in a quest to impress their only friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and – most importantly – jam out. Animated almost entirely by director Kenji Iwaisawa, and featuring a lead performance by Japanese alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto, ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND</i> brings its own sound and vision to the Hiroyuki Oohashi manga from which it was adapted. With pitch-perfect deadpan humor, the film presents a highly original take on the beloved slacker comedy: a lo-fi buddy film with a blaring musical finale that will leave you wanting an immediate encore. (Source: GKIDS)