"The 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival" Jury and Producer Noriko Matsumoto The fun of film festivals is meeting people [CINEMORE ACADEMY vol.38]

The category of "anime" breaks out of its shell

Q: What is the significance of an animation film festival being held in Japan?

Matsumoto: I have a lot of thoughts about that. I feel that "animation" and "anime" have slightly different meanings now, and so-called "Japanese animation" is called "anime" and is highly regarded overseas. But on the other hand, I wonder if there is a part of it that is closed off to "anime". I think it is necessary to blend into "animation" so that it does not become a niche field called "anime". For example, at a film festival, when overseas works like Pixar and Japanese anime are lined up together, all animations are discussed as one. I think that by holding that film festival in Japan, the category of "anime" can break out of its shell.

It's interesting to see Japanese film Look Back (24) being discussed alongside art films like Papercuts: My Life as an Indie Writer and socially conscious films like The Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease . That's why the judging process may be difficult... (laughs).

Q: I guess the judging process will also give us the opportunity to learn about overseas perspectives.

Matsumoto: Yes. I'm looking forward to hearing what the overseas judges have to say. When our work is viewed overseas, we often find ourselves thinking, "Oh, so that's the perspective they see it from." What do each country value in terms of video works? This may be a Being There to find out.

"Papercuts: My Life as an Indie Author"

Q: Matsumoto, you yourself are an animator. How did you feel about having your work screened at past film festivals?

Matsumoto: I was so happy and pleased. Having a film selected for a film festival means that someone appreciated the film we made. At a film festival, that appreciation can be made visible, and creators want to be praised after all (laughs). Being invited to a film festival is a form of praise, and the fact that we were invited is proof that we were appreciated.

Even before you win a prize in a competition, it's interesting to have the experience of "I see my work is being compared to these works." By being compared to works from around the world, you broaden your horizons, such as "There are works like this," "This is fine," "It's okay if it's difficult to understand," "It's okay if it's this simple," "It's okay if it's this short," and so on. The most obvious thing might be "Why was another work chosen instead of mine?" but it's better to go to various film festivals, including such tough experiences. Works that are evaluated differently depending on the film festival. I think such experiences are interesting too.

Last year, I went to a lot of film festivals with my two films, Bottle George (24) and Komaneko no Kaigai Ryōkō (24). Wherever I went, I met a lot of the same people. That's one of the joys of going to film festivals, and that's how you make friends. Of course, it costs money and takes time, so it can be quite difficult, but now we live in an age where you can do it online.

Animation is an amplifier of expression