According to reports from Hollywood blog ‘The Wrap’, Summer Wars has been submitted for consideration as an Oscar nominee in next year’s Academy Awards. So far, Summer Wars is the only Japanese submission in the category of Best Animated Feature. Other films that have been submitted are:
Below are some of the prizes on offer as part of our 2010 raffle. To be in with a chance of winning, be sure to buy your raffle tickets when they become available nearer the festival date.
The Bamboo Fun combines multi-touch functionality and pen tablet technology in a single device! A simple tap of the finger will select an icon or open a menu and with two fingers you can easily zoom and rotate photos or scroll down. Styled in silver, Bamboo Fun allows you to create natural-looking paintings or drawings. You can retouch your photos with the pen – or personalise your documents using handwritten notes, sketches or doodles. That’s not all! A variety of useful Bamboo Mini software applications inside Bamboo Dock are kept ready for download – for example Animator: A handy tool for sketching animations. Draw sheet by sheet with your Bamboo Fun and then bring your drawings to life. You can even export your image series to use them in any other application.
Stop Motion Pro V7 has been developed in consultation with Aardman Animations (the makers of Wallace and Gromit). The software offers students, animators and animation producers the most comprehensive and easy to use toolset yet. Stop Motion Pro requires a video camera, webcam or digital stills camera and is compatible with Win XP, Vista and Windows 7. It can also be used on Apple Macs using either Boot Camp or Parallels.
You are able to hook the yarn easily with smooth head and soft cushion grip. The ergonomically shaped grip developed independently by Tulip is very comfortable to hold and tireless. This soft cushion grip uses elastomer and its texture is very soft. ETIMO gives you smooth knitting and fits comfortably in your hand.
Smooth hook tip
The finely polished hook tip provides a smooth feel to crocheting without catching on the threads.
Cushion grip
A special rubber material is used which fits gently into the fingers, greatly reducing the load which the fingers bear.
Easy-to-grip shape
The shape of this hook was developed independently by Tulip, and is easy to hold, easy to turn, and does not slip.
Contains 35 designs with comprehensive step-by-step instructions, including a pack of 60 pieces of origami paper to help you make every project in the book. Origami for Children is the perfect introduction to origami, the fun Japanese papercraft for parents and children of all ages.
The Simple Art of Sumi-E: Mastering Japanese Ink Painting
All the techniques to create works of outstanding beauty are here, presented by Takumasa Ono, a master and teacher of many years’ experience. He begins by looking at the “Four Treasures” of Sumi-E (paper, brushes, ink, and stone), and demonstrates simple brushstrokes and traditional ways of composing the picture. Fifteen easy, yet lovely projects range from greeting cards to wall paintings, from decorated fabrics to tiles. A special feature is an “Inspirations” chapter with 100 common Western first names done in calligraphy, as well as haikus and Zen proverbs to enhance the projects.
The Art of Japanese Papercrafts reveals traditions of old-style beauty, charm, and delicacy that are the basis of the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. Mari Ono presents top Japanese paper folding techniques, including origami and embellishments, in more than 30 easy-to-understand projects. Blending centuries of tradition with modern techniques, this delightful text gives readers the skills they need to create lastingly beautiful gifts and home accessories.
The vouchers are valid until 31st May 2011, and only for use at TK Trading’s online shop. Please enter voucher details (number and amount) into the space provided when checking out.
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival is happy to present a special Japanese themed teddy bear called, rather affectionately, ‘Akiko’. Aki in Japanese means “Autumn”, and female given names often end in the syllable -ko, written with the kanji meaning “child” (子). So this teddy is a girl of Autumn, or “Autumn Girl”. Akiko is a limited edition Teddy, handmade by Jules Bears and Crafts in Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, GB. She is made out of 100% mohair, with glass eyes, hardboard cotter pin, and polyester filling. She is one of a limited edition of 25. Akiko is only being made especially for the Festival, and she will be on display at Chapter during the festival weekend. She can be purchased through Isabella’s, at the bargain price of £80. Please feel free to say hello to her when you come to the festival.
I visited Cardiff in 1992, when I co-operated to curate special programs of Japanese animation for an international animation festival held in Cardiff at that time. I remember that I felt very relaxed during my stay, where I enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere of this historical city, and also, by many people I met at the shopping centre who were so kind and warm. I even thought of living in a city like Cardiff! Perhaps, the Welsh language might have given me a warm impression too.
Then, in HIROSHIMA ’98, I was very pleased to show a very strong special program of Welsh Animation, having originality and individuality in variety, and I also showed the program in Okinawa after our festival. At that time, I was delighted to learn the unique history and climate of Wales, reflected in the films. As such, I truly hope the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2010 will provide a good opportunity for Japanese animation film-makers to spread their animation culture in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, as well as to study the very high-quality British animation art too.
I also hope that the Festival will serve as a good site for friendship and exchange, just like a family gathering at Kotatsu, supporting many Japanese animation film-makers to become very successful internationally.
Sayoko Kinoshita Festival Director International Animation Festival in Japan – HIROSHIMA
We are very honoured to have received a personal message from the one of the biggest and most respected names in Japanese animation, Isao Takahata, Film Director, and Co-head of Studio Ghibli
Isao Takahata – Studio Ghibli
I am delighted to hear that this Japanese Animation Film Festival will be held at Cardiff, a city with a tradition of hosting film festivals. When I was informed that the title of the Festival was to be KOTATSU, I immediately felt something of a personal affinity; it was very much a serendipitous moment for me. By sheer coincidence one of my own films “Hohokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun” (My Neighbors the Yamadas) has many scenes based around the kotatsu, a Japanese style of room/body heater. The image of sitting around the kotatsu symbolizes the pleasure of happy family life in Japan. If you ever have the opportunity to see the film you will understand what kotatsu means. And that’s why I am particularly pleased to be able to wish every success to the KOTATSU Film Festival.
Lots of cool prizes are up for grabs in our raffle to be drawn on Sunday 28th November at 8pm. Tickets are £1 each, and will be available during the event, with the prizes being donated by various companies and festival supporters.
Hello everybody, Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival has some great news. One of the greatest animation directors, Barry Purves, has agreed to do a guest talk for our festival. He made a beautiful Japanese-themed short film ‘Screenplay’ in 1992. At the event he is going to talk about the making of the film and his current work. Tim Allen will be the interviewer.
This event will be held at 20:00hrs on Saturday November 27th. We are also arranging a book signing event too.
The Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2010 has been announced and will take place from the 26th – 28th November at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, South Wales, UK.
“We really hope it’s a big success and will lead to closer working relationships between Wales and Japan. We are in negotiation with various special guests to come along and give workshops and talks for the general public and anyone who is interested in getting into the animation industry.”
