The Concierge
2023 / 70’ / 彩色 Color Cor / 日本 Japan / A
★ Adapted fromTsuchika Nishimura's manga
★ Selected by The Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Tokyo Film Festival in 2023
★ Silver Award for Best Animation, Audience Vote, Canadian Fantastic Film Festival in 2023
In the gorgeous and mysterious Hokkyoku Department Store, the staff are human-beings and the customers are all animals. As a rookie concierge, Akino offers each customer a unique experience. Customers have their own problems, and among them, the "endangered species" of "V.I.A" (Very Important Animals) are the most concerned. Ms. Akino is energetic every day and melts the hearts of customers with her warm smile. The cozy and incredible store is not only a good place to shop, but also a place full of love and understanding.
Adapted from Miyazaki's manga of the same name, which won the 25th Agency for Cultural Affairs' Media Arts Festival Award of Excellence in the Manga Division. Directed by the highly acclaimed new animator, Yoshimi Itazu, the film uses the beautiful colors of the four seasons to bring the Hokkyoku Department Store to life.
Director：Yoshimi Itazu
Cast ：Natsumi Kawaida, Takeo Otsuka, Nobuo Tobita
The Pigtails
2023 / 28’ / Color / Japan / B
The earth shook. The sea roared. And then...
There is a small solitary house standing by the seaside. A pigtail-braided girl has been living there alone since that fateful day. Mail is no longer delivered, but even this morning, she’s hanging out the laundry as usual. She’s unaware that all around her, the clothes-pegs are quarreling, the pillow argues with the umbrella about the outside world, and the new toothbrush is unsuccessfully trying to charm the grumpy older ones.
A thought-provoking fable of hope and rebirth in a cruel and gentle world after an unnamed disaster.
Director：Yoshimi Itazu
 | About the Director Born in Japan in 1980, Yoshimi Itazu began his professional career at the young age of 18 joining Studio Gallop. As an animator, he has worked with directors such as Satoshi Kon (Paprika), Hayao Miyazaki (The Wind Rises) and Mitsuo Iso (Denno Coil). He made his debut as character designer and lead animator in a feature film with Keiichi Hara’s Annecy-winning Miss Hokusai (2015). His first directorial effort was the Fukushima disaster-themed short Pigtails (2015), which won 24 awards. In 2017, he directed his first TV series, Welcome to the Ballroom, and in 2023 he made his directorial debut in a feature film with The Concierge. | |