"The Diary of a Travel with Anne Frank" Director Ari Folman If the children who watched the movie started to move... [Director's Interview Vol.191]

" Waltz on the Battlefield " (2008) was the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film). The latest film directed by Ari Folman is ``The Diary of Anne Frank''. In this work, Anne Frank's imaginary friend Kitty appears in modern times, and Anne's story is told from a new perspective. The modern perspective that has been incorporated into the book makes us reacquaint ourselves with the era of the Holocaust in which Anne Frank lived, and also brings to light the problems that we face today.

Why did you draw "The Story of Anne Frank" in animation now? We spoke to director Ari Folman.

Index

• Why anime?
• An inevitable modern perspective
• If the children who watched the movie started to move...

Why anime?

Q: Please tell us why you draw animations with the theme of war, such as Waltz on the Battlefield and this work.  

Folman: Personally, I don't think of the two films as war films. ``Waltz on the Battlefield'' is a ``story about memory,'' and this work is a ``coming-of-age story'' about two girls deepening their relationship. Also, by using animation, it is possible to depict the subconscious mind and the world of fantasy. I think anime is the perfect tool for depicting a more complex and layered world.

“The Diary of a Travel with Anne Frank” © ANNE FRANK FONDS BASEL, SWITZERLAND

Q: Compared to Waltz on the Battlefield, this work has the impression that the way the characters are drawn and the fantasy elements are more accessible to children. What is the intention behind that?

Folman: Holocaust survivors are aging, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to hear directly from them. I think it will continue to be passed down as history, but I wonder if it will become an event in a distant world, like the Bible, and we won't be able to relate to it at all. There was such a concern. When we thought about what would be the best way to communicate the Holocaust to children, we came up with animation. The same goes for the fantasy elements and the presence of Kitty. The intention was to convey the history in a way that would be appealing to children.

Q: Japan was allied with Nazi Germany during World War II, but many Japanese people today are unaware of this fact. Even in Japan, the fading of history is becoming unstoppable.

Folman: I believe that history should be conveyed with emotion. Even if you are taught and memorized over and over again, it doesn't really sink in. It is also important to tell the story from a new perspective and give it a fresh feel. In 2018, I created a graphic version (manga version) of "Anne Frank's Diary," and it is also necessary to convey the story in that way. I think it should continue to be passed down in new ways.

An inevitable modern perspective