Beyond Anime: CALF Animation
Beyond Anime
Beyond Anime: CALF Animation
CALF Animation redefines Japanese animation
Dir:
Atsushi Wada, Mirai Mizue, Kei Oyama, TOCHKA
83min
Video
2010
Animation
The new CALF label aims to redefine our notions of what we understand by the terms “Japanese animation” by giving a stage to the some of the country’s most innovative and exciting practitioners in the field. This programme showcases the works of four such talents, balancing the hypnotic, hand-drawn visual symphonics of Mirai Mizue and the dazzling light-shows of the TOCHKA collective with the more orthodox let no less idiosyncratic line-drawing animations of Atsushi Wada and the unique photo-collages of Kei Oyama, including the unforgettable Hand Soap, which has won prizes at a number of festivals including the Yokohama International Festival for Arts and Media and the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen.
In A Pig's Eye (Atsushi Wada, 2010) 10min
JAM (Mirai Mizue, 2009) 3min
Consultation Room (Kei Oyama, 2005) 9min
PiKA PiKA 2007 (TOCHKA, 2007) 5min
Usual Sunday (Edit Version) (Kei Oyama, 2003/ 2009) 10min
The Mechanism of Spring (Atsushi Wada, 2010) 4min
MODERN (Mirai Mizue, 2010) 7min
PiKA PiKA @ Reel Asian Film Festival (TOCHKA, 2007) 1min
Day of Nose (Atsushi Wada, 2005) 9min
Gentle Whistle, Bird and Stone (Atsushi Wada, 2005) 3min
METROPOLIS (Mirai Mizue, 2009) 5min
PiKA PiKA Workshop @ Media Seven (TOCHKA, 2007) 1min
HAND SOAP (Kei Oyama, 2008) 16min
Director's profile:
Mirai Mizue was born in 1981 in Tokyo and studied animation at Tama Arts University from 2002. He is known by his affection towards cells in his non-narrative animation films. His films have been nominated in some major animation festivals like Annecy, Zagreb, Ottawa and Hiroshima. DEVOUR DINNER won the Second Prize in Animadrid. In SICAF he made a commissioned film from the festival in 2009 and was a member of Selection Committees in 2010. As an illustrator, he provides his drawings to some Japanese novelists. He is also a member of Japan Animation Association and a teacher in O-HARA school.
TOCHKA is a creative unit that acts by Nagata Takeshi and Monno Kazue. They invented new method of making animation called PiKA PiKA, which is the combination of long exposure and stop motion animation technique. It enables everyone to make animation with drawings by penlights in the air. Their playing field is very wide from experimental animations to illustrations. PiKA PiKA was nominated in Annecy and won some awards including the Honourable Mention in Ottawa, the Excellence Award in Japan Media Arts Festival and the Grand Prix in Clermont-Ferrand.
Wada started his career as a self-educated animator in 2002. He likes to make comfortable movements and is always thinking about the Japanese traditional concept called "Ma", the tension produced between movements. Day of Nose (2005) won the Best Short Film in Norwich International Animation Festival and Well, That's Glasses (2007) won the Best Film of the Young Jury in Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival. In a Pig's Eye (2010) is in a student competition program in Zagreb and Annecy. Other films to be included: A Clerk in Charge and more.
Kei Oyama's method of making animation is very unique: using a collage of photographs shot in close-up. Consultation Room (2005) was shown in Directors' Fortnight in Cannes and won the Honorary Mentions in Ars Electronica. HAND SOAP (2008) was awarded the Excellence Prizes in International Festival for Arts and Media Yokohama and the Prize of the International Short FIlm Festival in Oberhausen.Other films to be included
: The Thaw, NAMI and more.
Further Reading:
Magee, Chris. "CALF founder Nobuaki Doi talks Japanese Indie animation." Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow. http://jfilmpowwow.blogspot.com/2010/10/interview-calf-founder-nobuaki-d...