“Look Back” and “Bakeneko Anzu-chan” will also be on show! The winners of the “New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival” have been announced

The 11th New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival, which brings together the latest animation works from around the world at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, will be held for five days from November 1st to November 5th, 2024. The winners of this year’s competition feature film category and 30 Seconds category have now been announced.

The New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to animation, held at the New Chitose Airport terminal building (Chitose, Hokkaido), a gateway connecting Hokkaido with the world. The festival began in 2014 as a film festival that could only be held at an airport, with a permanent movie theater inside the terminal building, and will celebrate its 11th anniversary in 2024. Not only has it
attracted attention as a rare film festival in the world where screenings, accommodation, and stays are all completed within the airport, but it also boasts the highest number of applications in Japan for its competition category. It has developed a program that introduces animation from various angles, such as lectures by creators from Japan and abroad and exhibitions in public spaces, and has now grown into one of the largest animation film festivals in Japan.

This year’s feature film competition was open from April 22 to July 20, 2024, with 43 submissions from 17 countries and regions. After a rigorous first round of screening by the festival’s selection committee, six works from four countries and regions were selected. The selected works will be reviewed by an international jury during the festival to determine the Grand Prix and other awards. Two Japanese works were submitted, ”
Look Back” (directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama) and “Anzu-chan the Bakeneko” (co-directed by Haruko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita), which are considered to have unique appeal among this year’s theatrical releases and to feel like the beginning of a new era of animation. The directors of these two works will be present during the festival to hold behind-the-scenes talks.

In addition, all four of the overseas works will be screened in Japan for the first time. “Boys Go to Jupiter” is the directorial debut of Juilan Glander, a popular colorful 3DCG animation artist who has participated in projects for Adult Swim and HBO Max. “Unicorn Boy” is a coming-of-age comedy that explores the complexities of gender identity and has been screened at numerous international film festivals.

“Glass House” is an immersive video work by French artist Boris Labbé, whose VR project won an award at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. Furthermore, “Journey of Shadows” by video artist Yves Netzhammer, who just had a solo exhibition at the Utsunomiya Museum of Art in Utsunomiya, Tochigi this year, will be screened with a talk by the artist himself.

In addition, the festival has also created a new category called “30 Seconds” that will take advantage of the New Chitose Airport environment and broadcast unique expressions that emphasize experimental nature throughout the airport. Submissions were accepted from April 22 to July 20, 2024, and after rigorous screening by the festival’s selection committee, eight works were selected from the 172 submitted works. The
selected works, submitted from all over the world, will be screened on a 295-inch large-screen video system installed on the second floor of the Center Plaza at New Chitose Airport’s domestic terminal, as well as on digital signage throughout the airport, for approximately one month from October 5, 2024 until the end of the festival. In addition, one work will be awarded an award during the festival.

The 11th New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival, which brings together the latest animation works from around the world at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, will be held for five days from November 1st to November 5th, 2024. For details on the Competition Feature Film and 30 Seconds categories, please visit the official website.

■ Overview of the 11th New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival
Dates: November 1st (Friday) to November 5th (Tuesday), 2024
Venue: New Chitose Airport Terminal Building (New Chitose Airport Theater, etc.)
Organizer: New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival Executive Committee
Supported by: Agency for Cultural Affairs Cultural Arts Promotion Subsidy (Film Festival Support Project)