24 October
Japanese cult culture: anime and fantasy
Speakers:
Helen McCarthy (co-author, The Anime Encyclopedia), Chris Fell (Director, Leeds International Film Festival)
This session will take a look at the realms of anime and fantasy in Japanese cinema, two areas that continue to inspire a global audience. Helen McCarthy will outline the early history of anime and its subsequent development into a major entertainment industry. The talk will also look at the impact of independent creators such as Oten Shimokawa and Junichi Kouchi, whose experimental spirit and creative independence is still alive among young animators today, and at the huge contribution of ‘God of Manga’ Osamu Tezuka to the modern animation industry. Chris Fell will introduce Japanese Fantasy cinema in all its forms, from the extremity of Takashi Miike to the mysteries of Wool 100%. Selecting examples from the wealth of Japanese fantasy films that have been screened at the Leeds International Film Festival he will illustrate the extraordinary variety and imagination of the genre and show how it has influenced fantasy cinema around the world, from Hollywood to Bollywood.
