Nobuaki Doi: Connection between the independent and the market
As producer and curator he was invited to the 2023 year edition of Anifilm festival, to curate the section focusing on Japan and its animation. He prepared a special programme that features short and feature films. In our interview, he tells us something about the history of Japanese animation, its specifics and connection to the Czech animation school. We have also talked about the current state of Japanese alternative and mainstream animation and movies he produced by himself.
The first question is obvious. Main theme of Anifilm 2023 is Japan. You are the curator of the main programme and you have prepared 5 blocks of shorts for the festival, so we have to ask. What have you prepared for us?
ND When Anifilm asked me to curate programs on Japan, my first thought was to question the originality of Japanese animation. Japanese animation is often regarded as uniquely different from all the others, and many Japanese believe so, but I found this view too simplistic. I first became fascinated with the world of short animation in the 2000s. It was the era when many young Japanese creators were obsessed with the work of Jan Švankmajer. For puppet animators, the same is true of Trnka and other puppet animations. Since the festival is located in Czech, I wanted to consider how these international influences contributed to the uniqueness of Japanese animation. Not only short films, but also feature films were selected from this perspective: how European animation has influenced Japan.
Can you name the most important turning points in the history of Japanese animation?
ND The year 1960 is important when considering independent animation. Yoji Kuri founded Animation Association of Three (Animēshon Sannin no Kai) and popularized the term animation in Japan, which was unfamiliar at the time, thereby making this area, previously called animated cartoon, visible. Since then, the expression of independent animation has developed, involving experimental filmmakers, designers, contemporary artists, and people from various fields. Another point to mention would be the latter half of the 1990s. The blockbuster success of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke brought animation, which until then had been considered for children and a few enthusiasts (otaku), to the attention of the nation at large.
popisek: Belle (2022) Mamoru Hosoda
Which big changes and trends are going on now in Japan, in both mainstream and alternative animation?
ND To be honest, animated short films are becoming less and less of an exciting field. The erosion of social media has had a huge impact. Everyone is looking at getting more views on twitter and other social media, and they are no longer motivated to make short films. On the other hand, feature-length animation is facing an interesting situation. More and more feature-length films are being made that push "auteurism." Mamoru Hosoda, Keiiči Hara, Makoto Šinkai, Masaaki Juasa, Naoko Jamada, and others are consistently releasing works and expanding the range of expression in animation. Independents are also increasing the number of experimental feature films such as Ongaku: Our Sound (2019) and Dozen of Norths (2021).
From your selection, what is a hidden gem which shouldn't be missed by the viewers?
ND The program titled Pioneers is a must-see. In particular, Shigeji Ogino is probably still unknown abroad. Don't miss his works influenced by German absolute cinema. The works of Nobuhiro Aihara, who will be featured in Experimental Meets Animation, are also a must-see for Czechs. Aihara, who was also active in the field of Anime as an effects animator, created astonishing and one-of-a-kind metamorphosis animations. He often took many young people to the Czech Republic to open their eyes to new forms of animation expression. He unfortunately passed away in 2011. This program is dedicated to Aihara, who was a guru in introducing Czech animation to Japan.
What will be the focus of your masterclass?
ND My master class will focus on films produced by my company, New Deer. As someone who used to think about animation theory and history as a critic and researcher, I believe that New Deer's productions can express something about the Japanese (and world) animation history. It is a production that will expand the future in a positive direction, while keeping the past in mind. At the risk of sounding self-praising, I would like to say that the films shown are very interesting and should not be missed in terms of their historical value as a showcase for outstanding Japanese artists born in the 1980s.
popisek: Chaotic Order (2011) Mirai Mizue
Did Czech animation have an impact on Japanese animation? When, how did it happen and who was most influential?
ND I already answered this in a previous question, but I would say that Jan Švankmajer is the most influential. Mirai Mizue, who will be a guest and jury member at this year's festival, was inspired to make animation after learning about Švankmajer's work. There are many puppet animation makers and fans in Japan, and those people are definitely influenced by the works of Jří Trnka, Břetislav Pojar, Hermína Týrlová, Jiří Barta, and others. The popularity of Karel Zeman is also strong. Kihačiró Kawamoto, one of the founders of the Japanese puppet animation world, went to study in Czechoslovakia when he was young and studied under Jiří Trnka.
Anime is quite influential for young people in the Czech Republic now. Directors and animators across generations also find a lot of inspiration in films such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell or Hajao Mijazaki’s movies.
ND Anime has traditionally been made for the domestic market. Its reputation abroad is kind of accidental, not strategic. Some say Anime became popular because of its indifference to international markets that had allowed it to be inexpensive, to be available worldwide, and to boast about its great influence.
Can you also talk a bit about your production company New deer? Your main goal is to create a tectonic shift in the history of Japanese animation by creating a connection between independent artists and the market. How does the Japanese animation market even work? Where do you see the space for your attitude?
In Japan, there is a big gap between independent works and so-called "anime" productions. Similarly, a similar distance is found between anime and other types of animation, especially European ones. As a result, animation other than anime (and Hollywood animation, which is popular like in the rest of the world) have been overshadowed by the popularity of Anime. The production by New Deer is designed to provide opportunities for Japan's best independent animation filmmakers. Since it is difficult for short animated films to make money in the market, they are co-produced internationally (mainly with France), and it enables us to reach grants from various countries. The success of these films at film festivals will make it easier to realize projects in formats that work in the market (feature films, series, games). There are a few producers who are willing to try something new, and we are trying to open up new paths by collaborating with them on an international basis.
popisek: In a pig's eye (2010) Atsushi Wada
You work a lot with Atsushi Wada, how do you perceive his work?
Atsushi Wada began making animation films not because he was a fan of animation, but he found animation to be the best way to express his own "feel good" interests inspired by comedy and literature. The result is something unique that does not fit into the existing framework of animation. He manages to blend soft humor and sharp social satire. As a producer, I believe that his style could appeal to a general audience as well as a specialized audience at film festivals. That is why we made an indie game together. The game, called My Exercise, was well received by YouTubers and became popular among young Japanese people. Based on the results, now we work with Toei Animation, one of Japan's biggest animation studios, to produce a TV series called Ikimono-san, which will be aired this summer nationwide, and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of response we will get.
Two years ago a lot of people from the Czech republic signed a petition in support of the Hiroshima Animation festival. Can you tell us a bit more about what happened? What is the situation with the festival now?
This is a very difficult question to answer because I was asked by the City of Hiroshima, which had quit Hiroshima International Animation Festival, to start a new film festival called the Hiroshima Animation Season as a producer. In starting a new festival, I wanted to respect the long history of the festival in Hiroshima (I myself was a participant for many years), while at the same time considering past criticisms (too much emphasis on European films, no competition for feature films, etc.) and opening the festival to the citizens of Hiroshima. We could not invite overseas guests to the first edition in 2022 because of COVID-19, but we hope to have many people from all over the world visit the festival in the summer of 2024. We will also have an artist-in-residence program called H-AIR, so please check our website.
Do you visit a lot of festivals? Which ones do you prefer and why?
Before COVID-19, I used to always attend an international film festival every year, but recently I have not been able to go. I try to attend Annecy as much as possible, given the exciting developments in the field of animated features (that New Deer sometimes distributes in Japan), but all festivals have their own characteristics, and I love them all. I try to pay particular attention to festivals that were founded by filmmakers themselves, such as GLAS (USA) and Feinaki (China).
You have to see many films every year, do you see any new trends, topics, obsessions or technologies we should know about?
From 2014 to 21, when I was the director of the New Chitose Airport International Animation Film Festival, I checked more than 2000 entries every year, but since I moved to the Hiroshima Animation Season in 2022 and I am not in a selection committee, I am no longer in a position to say anything about a new trend like the impact of AI, which is the most recent one. However, I think there is still a lot of potential left to be seen in the use of game engines brought about by Unity and the democratization of CG animation brought about mainly by Blender.
popisek: Ikimono-san (2023) Atsushi Wada
Nobuaki Doi (*1981) is a film critic, prominent producer, founder of the New Chitose Airport Festival and a producer of the revived Hiroshima Festival (Hiroshima Animation Season). He was a co-founder of CALF, a collective of Japanese independent animators that produces DVDs of independent Japanese animations and introduces Japanese audiences to excellent foreign animations through special screening events. After taking over the CALF distribution division, Doi established New Deer, Inc. in 2015. New Deer distributes internatinal acclaimed animated feature films like Boy and the World, Girl without Hands, Ville Neuve, and produces films and other projects with international co-production like My Exercise, Anxious Body, I'm Late, and Bird in the Peninsula. He was a co-founder of CALF, a collective of Japanese independent animators that produces DVDs of Japanese independent animation and introduces excellent foreign animation films to Japanese audience through special screening events.
Festival Anifilm takes place in Liberec 2.–7. May.
Nobuaki Doi: Masterclass / Thursday 4. 5. 2023 / 20:30 / Varšava cinema
Programme section dedicated to Japan you can see every day until Sunday.