Animation Is Film Festival announces the list of 2021

Animation Is Film(AIF) today announced the competition schedule and other special events for its fourth edition, which will take place in person October 22-24 and return home to the TCL Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood.

The festival kicks off its opening night on Friday 22 October with the North American premiere of the highly anticipated Netflix movie, The Summit Of The Gods (The summit of the gods), followed by an in-person question and answer session with the award-winning director Patrick Imbert (The big evil fox and other tales). On Saturday, October 23, Centerpiece Film Presents GKIDS 'West Coast Premiere Beautiful , directed by the Oscar nominee Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai) who will also hold an in-person question and answer session after the premiere. The West Coast premiere of the award-winning NEON Flee, Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, will close the festival on Sunday 24 October.

“This year's Animation Is Film lineup represents the best feature film animation from around the world, bringing world premieres and critically acclaimed titles and winners from Cannes, Annecy, Sundance, Telluride and Toronto to Hollywood. After last year's hiatus due to COVID, the Los Angeles film and animation communities are clamoring to come together to see these films on the big screen and we AIF are enormously proud to present them, ”said Matt Kaszanek. director of the AIF.

AIF has partnered with various industry organizations to present this year's festival: ASIFA-Hollywood, Cartoon Network, Crunchyroll, DreamWorks, ELMA, Fathom Events, Funimation, Illumination, Laika, Netflix, Paramount Animation, Pixar, Shout! Factory, Sony Pictures Animation, Unifrance, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Animation Group (WAG) and Warner Bros. Animation. The festival, founded by GKIDS and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, presents a selection of new animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, with awards from both the jury and the public.

This year, the AIF proudly presents 12 features in competition, 20 programs overall with short films and behind-the-scenes presentations of the upcoming Disney Encanto presented by its director himself.

The AIF will also host the first North American of My Hero Academia: Mission of the heroes of the world, of Funimation the third feature film in the globally successful anime series, which offers a preview to fans before its US theatrical release at the end of October. The Festival is also proud to present  Study on the Big Screen, a list of studio titles that weren't able to screen in a theatrical setting upon release and which will be offered to theatrical audiences for the first time in Los Angeles: of Luca from Pixar, presented in person by the director Enrico casarosa and manufacturer Andrea Warren; and Sony Pictures and Netflix The Mitchells vs. the Machines, presented in person by the producers Phil Lord e Chris Miller and co-director Jeff rowe; Disney Raya and the last dragon e live, presented in person by the directors Kirk DeMicco e Brandon Jeffords.

Other special sections include the popular Best of Annecy: Female Directors block of short films, presented in collaboration with Annecy and Women in Animation. In addition to on-screen programming, AIF is proud to include, for the first time, a special exhibit in the lobby. Award-winning animation studio Time will show a variety of puppets and sets in the hall of TCL Chinese 6 Theaters, available to all audiences, for the duration of the Animation Is Film weekend.

Marcel Jean, artistic director of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, said: “Animation is back in Los Angeles and this is great news! As one of the co-founders of the festival, we are thrilled to support the fourth edition of Animation Is Film. This year's lineup is exceptional in quality and diversity: more than ever, Animation Is Film"

Competition training:

Opening night - Netflix's The summit of the Gods (France / directed by Patrick Imbert, North American premiere). Animation Is Film pupil, Patrick Imbert (AIF '17, The big evil fox and other tales) come back. Seventy years after George Mallory and Andrew Irvine climbed to the top of Mount Everest, an old Kodak camera, presumably belonging to Mallory, ends up in the hands of an outcast climber believed to have been missing for years. Obsessed with proof of its authenticity, a Japanese reporter enters a world of obsessive climbers thirsty for impossible conquests on a journey that takes him, step by step, to the summit of the gods. Based on the manga by Jirô Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura. Imbert will appear in person.

Centerpiece - belle (Japan / directed by Mamoru Hosoda, before the West Coast). The visionary director Mamoru Hosoda (AIF '18, Mirai) get back to Animation Is Film. Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student who lives in a rural village with her father. For years she was just a shadow of herself. One day he enters “U”, a virtual world of 5 billion members on the Internet. There, it is no longer Suzu but Belle, a world famous singer. Soon he meets a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventure, challenge and love, in their quest to become who they really are. A version of GKIDS. Hosoda will appear in person.

Closing evening - Flee (Denmark / directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen, before the West Coast). Flee tells the story of Amin Nawabi as she grapples with a painful secret she has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life she has built for herself and her future husband. Told mainly through animation to director Jonas Poher Rasmussen, it tells for the first time the story of his extraordinary journey as a refugee child from Afghanistan. A NEON version.

The Crossing  (France / dir. Florence Miailhe, first North American vision). A small village looted in the dark; a family forced to flee. The two eldest children, Kyona and Adriel, are quickly separated from their parents, facing the road to exile alone. They embark on a heroic journey that takes them from childhood to adolescence in search of shelter, peace and the hope of finding refuge and their family. These brave brothers survive incredible challenges before reaching a new world, finally free.

The Deer King (The deer king) (Japan / directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, before the West Coast). The king of deer is a rousing fantasy epic and the directorial debut of acclaimed animator Masashi Ando, ​​whose work on landmark films such as The enchanted city, Paprika e Your name helped shape the world of modern Japanese animation. A version of GKIDS.

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (Luck favors Mrs. Nikuko) (Japan / directed by Ayumu Watanabe, first in the United States). Ayumu Watanabe (AIF '19, Children of the sea) get back to Animation Is Film. The story revolves around a mother named Nikuko and her daughter, Kikuko. They both live in the same boat due to different circumstances. Daily life under this umbrella will lead them to have different kinds of problems and experiences that will help them grow as a family.

I am what I am (I am who I am) (China / directed by Haipeng Sun, North American preview). Previously titled Boy lion dance. Young Juan is amazed by the artistry of a traditional Chinese lion dance. Inspired to become an artist himself, he joins forces with a strange group of friends and an even more unknown teacher (a once promising star turned fishmonger), to form the most unlikely lion dance company. Together, the group works to achieve the impossible.

Josep (France, Spain, Belgium / directed by Aurel, Los Angeles premiere). February 1939. The Spanish republicans flee from Franco's dictatorship in France. The French government has built concentration camps, confining refugees, where they barely have access to hygiene, water and food. In one of these fields, separated by barbed wire, two men will become friends. One is a guard, the other is Josep Bartoli (Barcelona 1910 - New York 1995), an illustrator who fights against the Franco regime.

Nahuel and the magic book (Chile, Brazil / directed by German Acuña, Los Angeles premiere). Nahuel is a curious boy who has a deep fear of the sea. One day, he comes across a mysterious book that appears to be the solution to his problems. What he doesn't know is: the book is truly magical and Kalku, an ambitious sorcerer, is looking for it.

I pump the cinephile (Japan / directed by Takayuki Hirao, first in the United States). Pompo is a talented, courageous and unrepentant film producer. He works at his cinema day and night in the capital of Nyallywood cinema. Gene has the task of directing the next script for his boss, will he succeed his first time as a director and will he create a “masterpiece”? He sets out to find out, with a script built around legendary senior actor Martin Braddock (think Brando) and a young actress looking for her first big break. A version of GKIDS.

Poupelle of Chimney Town - English dubbing (Japan / directed by Yusuke Hirota, world premiere). It is the story of the young Lubicchi who lives among the thick smoke of the chimney pots of his isolated village, anxious to see the "stars" - actually - his father always told him about. One Halloween night he meets Poupelle, a man made out of garbage, and together they watch the sky as their adventure begins. This feature is a version of Eleven Arts. Virtual Q&A with director Yusuke Hirota and screenwriter Akihiro Nishino.

Where Is Anne Frank (Where is Anne Frank?) (France, Israel, Belgium, Netherlands / dir. Ari Folman, USA premiere). The latest film by Oscar-nominated director Ari Folman follows the journey of Kitty, the fictional friend to whom Anne Frank has dedicated her diary. A fiery teenager, Kitty wakes up in the near future in Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam and embarks on a journey to find Anne, whom she believes is still alive, in today's Europe. While the girl is shocked by the modern world, she also stumbles upon Anne's legacy.

Special behind-the-scenes presentation

Encanto (edited by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith). Be among the first to experience exclusive, never-before-seen footage from the latest Walt Disney Animation movie. As your guides, the directors behind this adventure take you on a wonderful journey through the mountains of Colombia, to a magical place called Encanto. With behind-the-scenes information and footage from the upcoming film, this exclusive preview will delight audiences of all ages.

Screening of special events

My Hero Academia: World Heroes Mission (directed by Kenji Nagasaki, USA Premiere). UA High school students Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki and Katsuki Bakugo face the biggest crisis in My academic hero story, with only two hours to save the world! During their internship with the number one agency Pro Hero Endeavor, Deku and his new friend Rody find themselves wanted nationwide for a crime they didn't commit. Will Deku and his friends be able to stop Humarise's global plans to eliminate all the Quirks? Special guests to be defined.

Tickets for Animation Is Film are on sale now on animationisfilm.com, where you can also find information on the festival's COVID-19 2021 security protocols.