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Cool Japan - Art Exhibition

November 16 to November 28 - Robina Community Centre Art Gallery

An exhibition of art from some of the great names in anime will be presented at the Robina Community Centre November 16-27 as part of the Gold Coast Film Festival Cool Japan program. Featuring work from artists Makoto Shinkai, Jun Awazu, Ryoichi Mori and Soubi Yamamoto, the exhibit presents the awe-inspiring nature of this uniquely Japanese animation in a way that will leave fans and newcomers alike breathless.

All four artists featured in the art exhibition have vastly different visual styles, from Jun Awazu’s Computer Generated creations to Ryoichi Mori’s rotoscoping of popular comedic duos, yet there is an evident bond between the works that gives understanding to how this Japanese art has endeared itself to so many the world over.

	Makoto Shinkai: With a background of work that has seen him labelled as "The New Miyazaki" across the anime world, Makoto Shinkai is undoubtedly a champion of his field. Beginning his career with She and Her Cat, a short film that won several awards, including the grand prize at the DoGA CG Animation Contest, Shinkai was given his big break in 2001, thanks to a grant from Mangazoo. The result was his debut feature, the stunning Voices of a Distant Star. This was followed with The Place Promised in Our Early Days in 2004, and then the APSA Award winning 5cm Per Second. He recently released a new film, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below, which features at this year's festival. With a stunning cinematic style that envelops the viewer in its beauty, Shinkai and his films are not to be missed.
	Jun Awazu is an animation genius. Though he began artistically as a skilled traditional Japanese painter, Mr Awazu discovered a passion for animation. He worked for two years as a visual effects artist and CG designer before deciding to start his own company. His first venture was created in on a tiny budget over 28 months on a single PC with 11 people including cast. The result was the award winning short Negadon the Monster from Mars, which quite simply is breathtaking. Negadon won several awards and cemented his reputation as an artist with extraordinary ability. His eagerly awaited first feature Planzet has been an outstanding success.
	Ryoichi Mori is the creator/director of the popular manzai (a comedy style in Japan in which two comedians appear on stage, one as the straight man and the other as the funny man) sketch comedy Peeping Life. Featuring rotoscoped images which add to the hilarious and often sticky situations the characters find themselves in, Ryoichi’s work stands out thanks to its definitive style.
	Though she is only 21, Soubi Yamamoto has already created what is shaping up to be a genre-defining anime series in This Boy Can Fight the Aliens, in which a single boy has the ability to stand up to an alien invasion …except he has lost his memories. Featuring a sharp, striking style, Soubi’s work will be instantly endearing to all.

 

Proudly presented by:
Gold Coast Film Festival, The Japanese Society of Gold Coast, Gold Coast City Council, Multicultural Communities Council GC, CoMix Wave Film and the Consul-General of Japan at Brisbane.

© 2012 Gold Coast Film Festival. All rights reserved.