Summary Kotatsu Festival Aberystwyth 2024
Fri 25th Oct
17:30
Millennium Actress (PG)
19:30
Venus Wars (12)
Sat 26th Oct
10:30
Blue Giant (12A)
13:00
Komada – A Whisky Family (12)
15:00
Memories (12)
17:30
Raffle
18:00
City Hunter the Movie: Angel Dust (15)
Sun 27th Oct
13:45
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (PG)
15:35
The Concierge (PG)
17:00
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom (15)
Unless otherwise stated, all films are in Japanese with English subtitles.
For ticket information please contact
Aberystwyth Arts Centre Box Office on +44 (0)1970 62 32 32
Fri 25th October 2024
17:30 Millennium Actress
With the renowned Ginei Studios shutting down and their buildings about to be demolished, film-maker Genya Tachibana sets out to commemorate this historical moment by interviewing the studios former superstar – the now-reclusive Chiyoko Fujiwara. Thirty years on from her disappearance from the limelight, one question lingers – why did she end her career and vanish at the peak of her acting powers?
As Chiyoko recounts her story, Genya and his cameraman are pulled into a wide-ranging journey through the lens of her films. Interviews and recollections, acting and reality, all blur into the single rich tapestry of a remarkable life.
Japan | 2001 | 87m | PG | Satoshi Kon, Kô Matsuo | Japanese with English Subs
19:30 Venus Wars
When an ice comet slammed into the planet Venus, terraforming its toxic atmosphere into one capable of sustaining human life, mankind’s dream of colonizing other worlds became a reality. Unfortunately for the colonists, Venus isn’t the paradise they’d dreamed of. As crops fail and competition for resources intensifies, hostilities grow until the two inhabited continents stand on the brink of war.
Japan | 1989 | 103m | 12 | Yoshikazu Yasuhiko | Japanese with English Subs
Saturday 26th October 2024
10:30 Blue Giant
©2013 Shinichi Ishizuka, Shogakukan
Dai Miyamoto’s life changes when he discovers jazz. He picks up a tenor saxophone and practices every day. After leaving his hometown Sendai, he pursues a music career in Tokyo with the help of his friend Shunji. One day, Dai plays passionately from the heart and convinces talented pianist Yukinori to start a band together. Along with Shunji, a beginner drummer, they form JASS. With each live performance, they get closer and closer to performing at So Blue, the most famous jazz club in Japan, in hopes of forever changing the world of jazz. Based on the manga by Shinichi Ishizuka, with original music by HIROMI.
Japan | 2023 | 120m | 12A | Yuzuru Tachikawa | Japanese with English Subs
13:00 Komada – A Whisky Family
Kotaro, a novice editor for a web news, visits Komada Distillery for a project on Japanese craft whisky. Led by a young female president Rui who recently took over the family business, the distillery works hard to reproduce its signature whisky KOMA they had to stop making years ago. KOMA was a brand that Rui’s family had lovingly preserved and a symbol of happiness for all. However, not to mention financial backing, too many clues are missing to revive the whisky once lost. Rui, Kotaro, and the distillery supporters pull together every thread to bring back the whisky filled with family memories.
Japan | 2023 | 91m | 12 | Masayuki Yoshihara | Japanese with English Subs
15:00 Memories
From the creator of AKIRA, Katsuhiro Otomo, comes three unforgettable animated tales.
Episode 1: Magnetic Rose – Alone on a mysterious ship in deepest space, she waits. Once a beloved diva, she is now nothing more than memories. And for unsuspecting travellers that respond to her beacon, she will be their undoing.
Episode 2: Stink Bomb – A junior scientist gets the flu, and decides to try out some newly developed pills. But he takes the wrong ones, turning him into a walking, talking, and exceptionally clueless weapon of mass destruction.
Episode 3: Cannon Fodder – A day in the life of a small family in a big city. In this city, there is only war. There are no dreams, there is only labour. And there is no god, only a gigantic cannon.
Japan | 1995 | 113m | 12 | Katsuhiro Otomo | Japanese with Eng Subs
17:30 Raffle
Raffle tickets will be available for just 50p each, from the Kotatsu Festival stand.
Full details of the prizes can be found on our raffle page.
18:00 City Hunter the Movie: Angel Dust
When fate confronts Ryo Saeba, the final chapter of City Hunter begins!
“Angel Dust” is an evil technology that turns its users into superhuman soldiers. Assassins arrive in Tokyo to get hold of the Angel Dust’s latest model. The struggle over the forbidden invention that once took the life of Hideyuki Makimura, Ryo’s former partner, leads Ryo and his partner Kaori into a fateful battle…!
“Ryo Saeba’s destined battle begins!”
Japan | 2023 | 94m | 15 | Kazuyoshi Takeuchi | Japanese with English Subs
Sunday 27th Oct
13:45 Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
© Monkey Punch All Rights Reserved.
© TMS All Rights Reserved.
The Castle of Cagliostro is the first feature film directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Here, our iconic super-thief Lupin pulls off a thrilling heist at a Monte Carlo casino, only to discover the spoils are counterfeit. Lupin traces the fake bills to the country of Cagliostro where an evil Count is generating forged money and distributing it worldwide. With partners in tow (including a retired gangster, a modern-day samurai, and a beautiful female thief) Lupin heads to Cagliostro where he also finds a promise of hidden treasure and Clarice, a beautiful Princess in need of rescuing from the Count’s dastardly clutches.
Japan | 1979 | 100m | PG | Hayao Miyazaki | Japanese with English Subs
15:35 The Concierge
It’s Akino’s first day on the job as a trainee concierge at the “Arctic Department Store”, an unusual department store that caters exclusively to animals. Under the watchful eyes of the floor manager and senior concierges, Akino is tested by customers with myriad needs and problems in her pursuit to become a full-fledged concierge.
Japan | 2023 | 70m | PG | Yoshimi Itazu | Japanese with English Subs
17:00 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
In C.E.75, the fighting still continues. There are independence movements, and aggression by Blue Cosmos… In order to calm the situation, a global peace monitoring agency called COMPASS is established, with Lacus as its first president. As members of COMPASS, Kira and his comrades intervene into various regional battles. Then a newly established nation called Foundation proposes a joint operation against a Blue Cosmos stronghold.
Japan | 2024 | 126m | 15 | Mitsuo Fukuda | Japanese with English Subs
Also available in our Marketplace – open all day (11am – 5pm)
Kotatsu Festival Stand
A selection of Japan/Anime/Manga related goods. All money raised on this stand will be used to help fund future Kotatsu Festival events. To reduce the use of plastic bags, please bring your own bags if possible.
Japan-bits
Selection of cute amigurumi – hand made characters, and Japan-themed items.
Manga Kissa (Manga Café) – free of charge
Why not settle down in our comic corner and read some of your favourite manga or general Japan-related books or magazines. If you have any spare reading material, please consider donating them to our reading area.
Please don’t take them home, so others can enjoy!
2024 Kotatsu Film Critics’ Award
The 2024 Kotatsu films will be judged by a panel of three critics.
Nia Alavezos
Nia Alavezos is an animation director, writer, and producer based in South Wales. Originally from America, she made the great pilgrimage across the pond in 2019 to pursue her dreams of living abroad. Previously working at DreamWorks Animation, you can now find her in the production trenches at Sun & Moon Studios as a Creative Production Manager.
Her first short film, Passenger, was commissioned by Ffilm Cymru Wales, BBC Wales, and BFI Network Wales in 2022. Just recently, Nia finished producing another Ffilm Cymru funded film, Spectre of the Bear, which is now making the festival circuit. When Nia isn’t binge-watching anime, studying Japanese, or thinking about her next film idea, she continues to spend her time collaborating with local Welsh talent and helping them get their TV pilots and short films made.
Gustavo Arteaga
Gustavo is a stop-motion animator living in Wales. Trained on the job at the Bolex Brothers Studio (U.K.) and NukuFilms Studio (Estonia). He has won the “Best British Film” award at London International Animation Festival ’09 among other recognitions. A Berlinale Talents alumni, and a regular contributor to the international film festival circuit. This year his work has shown at Animafest Zagreb, Filmfest Dresden, KinoForum São Paulo, and Hiroshima Animation Season among other festivals. He has an MA in Animation from UWN and teaches Stop-motion at the University of South Wales, Cardiff.
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Masaaki Mori
Animation Artist and Professor Emeritus of Tokyo Zokei University.
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1955. During his university years, he self-taught to produce stop-motion puppet animations using 8mm film, which gained a reputation and led him to devote him to the animation. After graduating, he worked at an animation commercial production company, where he produced a wide range of special effect commercials, using from cel animation to early CGI and motion control, but he discovered the charm of handmade clay animation and became independent and set up his company. He has created numerous clay animations, including commercials and TV program opening animations.
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