Animation lovers have a lot to look forward to as they head for Goa
The 53rd edition of IFFI will have a bunch of animation flicks that promise to entertain and educate
The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is round the bend and this time around, festival organisers are lining up a bouquet of well-crafted animation flicks for the audience. Animation movies are sought after by children as well as adults around the world. The IFFI will bring together a nicely curated bunch of films that would educate and entertain the audience. Lined up is a mix of various genres of animation films this year.
As many as five films from various parts of the world which would narrate stories that appeal both to children and adults will be part of the IFFI fare this year. Among them are films such as Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman; My Love Affair with Marriage; The Island; Dozens of Norths; and Pinocchio.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is a Japanese animation feature film made in 2022. The film has been adapted from short stories by renowned writer Haruki Murakami. It explores how an earthquake and a giant frog help the characters reveal truths they’ve been hiding from themselves. The stories are made up of memories, dreams and fantasies, influenced by individual visions of the earthquake, as the protagonists try to reconnect with who they really are. The creator Pierre Földes is a US-born composer, orchestrator, painter and film-maker.
A package of 5 animation flicks
Meanwhile, My Love Affair with Marriage is an animation drama that deploys music and science to examine the biological chemistry of love and gender, as well as the societal pressures on an individual to conform to social mores. The film tells the story of inner female rebellion, where a young spirited woman, Zelma, is determined to conform to the pressures of singing Mythology Sirens in order to be loved, but more she conforms, the more her body resists. The film has already picked up two awards and six nominations in film festivals around the world. The film has been created by Latvian animator, artist, illustrator and writer Signe Baumane.
The Island is a musical animation and a cross-genre film on the Robinson Crusoe myth: The Little Prince meets Monty Python. Robinson is a doctor and his solitude is voluntary in an island invaded by migrants, NGOs and guards. He saves Friday, a castaway, the only survivor of his illegal refugee boat. During his journey on the island, Robinson encounters extraordinary beings and events. He will confront current affairs through visual poetry and symbolism in a world where everybody looks for their own paradise. Made by Romania-born Anca Damian, The Island is her seventh feature.
Flicks promise visual poetry on celluloid
Dozens of Norths is a Japanese anime that shows the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The rich, dialogue-less vignettes depicting desolate and nightmarish landscapes that compose the film elevates modern-day suffering caused by real-life events into a mythical and universal dimension and the absurdities and tragedies of human existence are told with injections of hope. Like the screen in a dark theatre, the film finds light even in the darkest of spaces. The film is created by acclaimed film maker Koji Yamamura.
Pinocchio reinvents the classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion film directed by Academy award winning Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
When the IFFI opens on November 20 in Goa, animation lovers would have much to hope for, and great memories to take home.
