To kick off the International Animation Festival 2014, Annecy is pleased to wel
come one of the great names in Japanese animation: Isao Takahata.
Opening ceremony
His latest film, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, is set to be screened in his presence on Monday 9th June.
The feature has been adapted from a founding text of Japanese literature that tells the story of a tiny princess, Kaguya, “the shining princess”, who is found in a bamboo stalk. She quickly turns into a beautiful young woman, who is coveted by the greatest princes ready to face impossible challenges to win her hand.
Isao Takahata decided on a particular artistic look for this film, where the characters are simply drawn in coloured pencils and set in watercolour backgrounds.
Honorary Award
Annecy 2014 will be giving Isao Takahata an Honorary Award to celebrate his career and contribution to animation. Festival Artistic Director, Marcel Jean, has referred to him as follows: “Filmmaker of an exceptional scale, Takahata is also a great humanist whose work has become a reference for those who believe in the greatness of animation as a cinematic art form.”
Isao Takahata, in a few words
Born in 1935 and a fan of the work of Jacques Prévert and Paul Grimault, Isao Takahata started out at the Toei Animation studio in 1959. He then took part in the creation of Studio Ghibli in 1985, with Hayao Miyazaki, who he has been working with since the end of the 60s. Some of his highly acclaimed features include Grave of the Fireflies (1988),Pompoko (1994) and My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999).
Studio Ghibli
Founded by Hayao Miyasaki, Isao Takahata and the Tomuka Shoten company in 1985, the studio is a flagship of Japanese animation that has produced many internationally successful films including: Grave of the Fireflies (Takahata, 1988), Princess Mononoke(Miyazaki, 1997), Pompoko (Miyazaki, 2001), The Cat Returns (Morita, 2002) and The Wind Rises (Miyazaki, 2013).
Since 1996, Studio Ghibli films have been distributed by The Walt Disney Company.
This exceptional opening ceremony will mark the start of a very animated week, full of emotions!