[General Admission] Special Talk & Live Drawing with Dir. Naoko Yamada

Be present for a rare in-person talk and live drawing session with AIF's Opening Night filmmaker, Naoko Yamada ("The Colors Within"). Witness Director Yamada's creative process in real time while she shares with an Animation Is Film programmer her insights on the animation scene today. This unique dialogue offers a broad view of the animation landscape from one of its biggest stars, perfect for fans and aspiring animators looking for behind-the-scenes knowledge of a dynamic industry.

Since its inception in 2017, Animation Is Film has presented the North American, US, and Los Angeles premieres of some of the biggest animated titles from Japan, including last year's US IMAX Premiere of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. AIF has hosted filmmaking luminaries, including Mamoru Hosoda, Makoto Shinkai, and Masaaki Yuasa, among others.

In 2009, Yamada made her debut as a director after being selected to direct the TV series K-On!. The series became a nationwide sensation and a social phenomenon, and in 2011, she helmed her first feature with the film version of K-On!, which while a limited release grossed over 1.9 billion yen at the box office and was nominated for Best Animation Film of the Year Award at the 35th Japan Academy Film Prize. She continued to blaze a new trail with her follow-up directorial features Tamako Market and A Silent Voice, which became a hit with 1.77 million admissions and a box office gross of over 2.3 billion yen. The title was nominated for Best Animation Film of the Year Award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize and was selected for the competition section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. She is one of the most highly acclaimed female directors in the Japanese animation industry thanks to her visual sensibilities, vivid depiction of ordinary life, and strong, detailed direction.

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Naoko Yamada, of A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird fame, returns to cinemas with her latest exploration of adolescence in The Colors Within. Totsuko is a cheery girl with a unique secret: she can see the ‘colors’ of others. This take on synesthesia paints Totsuko’s interactions in beautiful, expressive pastels and leads her to set her sights on one hue in particular. Kimi, a reserved, guitar-playing classmate at Totsuko’s school, has the most beautiful color of all. Hoping to form a band, Totsuko and Kimi begin a friendship along with Rui, a quiet boy they meet at a local bookstore. Together, rehearsing songs at an old church on a remote island, the trio grows closer, sharing their hidden fears and dreams for the future. Side by side, will they be able to embrace their true ‘colors’?

Japan · 2024 · All ages · 100 min