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‘Back To Tomioka’ Turns Fukushima’s Forbidden Zone Into A Hand-Drawn Coming-Of-Age Adventure
Director François-Marc Baillet discusses adapting the graphic novel, his personal connection to the story, and depicting a community with respect.
Blake Simons
Who Gets To Judge Anime? Japanese Industry Leaders Make The Case For A New Award
At TIFFCOM, executives from Studio Chizu, A-1 Pictures, and Toho discussed recognizing anime’s diversity and nurturing its next generation of creators.
Aliens, Battle Royales, And Vampire Romance: Atsushi Nishigori Poured His All Into ‘Grotesqqque,’ A Three-Course Anime Omnibus
The director discusses digital animation, contrasting visual styles, and balancing creative roles in his ambitious three-part feature.
‘Cherry And Virgin’ Director Masanao Kawajiri On Rotoscoping Sex And The Emotions That Come With It
Masanao Kawajiri discusses using rotoscoping and shifting art styles to explore sex, desire, and intimacy in his animated feature ‘Cherry And Virgin.’
Toei Launches Eterna Animation With Original Short ‘Foxing: Kitsuné-tsuki’
Director Takeru Shinozuka and producer Yoshihide Moriyama discuss Toei’s new label for original filmmaking and developing new anime talent.
‘Empathy Was Essential’: ‘We Are Aliens’ Director Kohei Kadowaki On Hybrid Rotoscoping, Visual Rhythms, And Childhood Influences
Kohei Kadowaki discusses blending rotoscoping with traditional animation, crafting emotional realism, and the influences behind his debut feature.
‘Chimney Town: Frozen In Time’ Director Yusuke Hirota On Studio 4ºC’s Hybrid Animation Approach
The director discusses hybrid animation, Tim Burton influences, and the evolving creative philosophy behind StudioºC ahead of an Annecy Presents appearance.
‘We Put All Of Our Effort, Sweat, And Tears Into Each And Every Film We Make’: Ghibli Cinematographer Atsushi Okui On ‘Arrietty,’ ‘Whisper Of The Heart’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The Ghibli veteran shares stories from the making of the beloved anime features, from sunrise shoots to the films’ lush new 4K restorations.
(Almost) All The Animation Heading To Cannes 2026
A Pixar alum’s 2D debut, an opera adaptation, a Blender simulation comedy, and a queer virus satire. The animation heading to the Croisette next week.
How Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s Watercolor Background Influenced ‘A New Dawn’
The painter-turned-director explains his analog techniques, visual philosophy, and decade-long journey behind a Berlinale competition debut.
‘Real Life Isn’t That Dramatic’: Director Xu Zao On Virtual Escapism In ‘Light Pillar’
Following the film’s Berlinale premiere, the director talked with us about blending formats, restrained emotion, and first-feature risks.
‘Documentary Can Be More’: Director William David Caballero On Sundance Player ‘TheyDream’ (EXCLUSIVE CLIP)
Caballero discusses hybrid animation, miniature sets, and rotoscoped performance in a deeply personal documentary shaped by family memory and grief.
Cult Anime Legend Takeshi Koike Reflects On The Legacy Of ‘Lupin III’ And ‘Redline’: ‘The Key Word For Me Is Dynamism’
Koike discusses bringing intensity, style, and motion to Lupin’s world, and why collaboration drives his boundary-pushing anime vision.
Director Mike Johnson On 20 Years Of ‘Corpse Bride’: ‘Proving Stop-Motion Could Be As Smooth And As Fluid As Computer Animation’
Mike Johnson discusses how ‘Corpse Bride’ reshaped stop-motion, proving the medium could match CG in fluidity and ambition while keeping to its handcrafted roots.
‘My Melody & Kuromi’ Screenwriter Shuko Nemoto: ‘There’s A Warmth To Its Handmade Quality’
Screenwriter Shuko Nemoto shares her process behind Netflix’s ‘My Melody & Kuromi’ and how she brought emotional depth to beloved Sanrio icons.
Director Dave McKean Reflects On ‘MirrorMask’ At 20: ‘It’s A Strange Mix Of Elements’
“I wasn’t aiming for realism,” says “MirrorMask” director Dave McKean. “CG can go anywhere and be anything, [but] so much of it is just trying to be photoreal, and that seems a very narrow target.”
Maïlys Vallade And Liane-Cho Han On Their Thought-Provoking Hand-Drawn Feature ‘Little Amélie’
The film, which premiered at Cannes last month, is screening in competition at Annecy this week.