The 1st Niigata Int'l Animation Film Festival will be held in Japan in March 2023

In a special announcement from Cannes, details of the former were revealed Annual Niigata International Animation Film Festival. Organized by the NIAFF Executive Committee, produced by the film distributor / cinema operator Eurospace and the anime production company Genco - with the request for support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and the Agency for Cultural Affairs - the inaugural edition is scheduled for on March 17 -22, 2023. 

With a focus on commercial animated feature films, NIAFF aims to create a prestigious meeting place between culture and animation, showcasing films produced for theaters, streaming platforms and even feature films reassembled from TV series on an equal footing.

“VOD has changed the way we watch movies and the codes of cinema. The seventh art has become accessible and mobile. The experience of watching a film at home is different from that in a cinema, where time, space and reactions are shared ", commented the Artistic Director of the Program. Tadashi Sudo . “Our ambition is to honor every animated film, whether it is shown in theaters, on VOD services or on television. We refuse to classify souls according to the form of their exploitation. Creativity and storytelling are at the heart of our festival ".

Animated films are now being produced all over the world; in Asia, Europe, America, Africa, the Middle East and Oceania. Each country produces works that vary greatly in style, carrying different histories and cultural values. Previously aimed at children and fans, animation is becoming increasingly popular around the world. In this context, and while major animation events tend to be centered in Europe and North America, NIAFF seeks to give animation a suitable platform every year, in the heart of Asia, by creating a place for meeting, exchange and broadcast that bring new perspectives to the world.

NIAFF will jointly invite universities, studios and other organizations dedicated to animation to organize events such as training workshops, international industry and market conferences and seminars. The festival will also explore new theories in the world of animation, covering topics rarely discussed internationally and creating a space for critical thinking.

“An animated film is a fiction film, but the ways of producing and shooting are unmatched. Animation is a completely different discipline, the differences are many: between acting and the drawing of the animator, between the role of the director of a fiction film and that of an animated film ", said the director. Mamoru Oshii ( Ghost in the Shell, Innocence, Sky Crawlers ), who serves as the president of the jury for the 1st NIAFF. "I would add that Japanese animation is a very special exercise ..."

The festival organizers stressed that animation is a representative culture of Japan and must be valued, maintained and developed in the country. Japan has long been an animation hub in East and Southeast Asia and must have an international animated film festival to promote creation, talent training, circulation of works, encourage the emergence of collaborations and promote animation as a whole.

As a port city on the Sea of ​​Japan, Niigata it was the largest city in Japan in the 19th century. It remains an important hub between China, Korea and Russia. Its rich nature, culture and history, as well as its proactive approach to creativity, attract many people. Many prominent manga artists and animation creators were born there. The first
full-color animated feature film from Japan, Hakujaden ( The white snake ) was created by Niigata natives Hiroshi Okawa and Koji Fukiya, at the Toei animation studio.

In 2012, Niigata City established the "Manga and Anime City Development Concept" to increase the city's attractiveness as a manga city, promote it nationwide, support the sustainable development of manga and anime-related industries, and revitalize the city.

Additionally, with the development of new production methods and recent lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people working in animation production are moving out of Tokyo and new studios are being created. Japan currently has a record 400 students preparing to become animation and manga artists in vocational schools and vocational colleges across the country.

The Niigata City manga house

Niigata is already the home of ...

• Il Niigata Anime / Manga Festival , which attracts around 50.000 visitors a year.
• Il Niigata City Manga and Anime Information Center , which promotes the joy of manga and animation
• The Niigata City Manga House , a manga library with a collection of 10.000 volumes.

In addition to Sudo, an animation journalist, and Oshii, the inaugural festival is led by the festival director Shinichiro Inoue (former editor-in-chief of  new type ), by the secretary general  Taro Maki (producer Genco, In This Corner of the World, Mobile Police Patlobar ) and the president Kenzo Horikoshi (manufacturer of Eurospace, Annette, Like Someone in Love ). The Executive Committee presents NIAFF in collaboration with  Kaishi Professional University e  Niigata University (TB).

The program will include a Competition of feature films (10-12 films), an overview of global trends contemporary animation from around the world (8-10); The Future of Animation Awards for people and works that have contributed to the evolution of animation; the Manga Gaze , which explores the relationship between animation and comics; Retrospectives which highlight international artists and artistic movements; Academic program (seminar and sector conference) e  Educational program (symposium and workshop).

Outside the main program, attendees will be able to enjoy a ceremony of opening  , shows of animation live and Projection Mapping around the venue, with the motif of the animation work offered. Special exhibitions such as "A History of Animated Clothing" .

The NIAFF film competition will be open to submissions starting November 2022, under the supervision of a selection committee that includes international critics.