The 1st Aichi-Nagoya International Animation Film Festival (ANIAFF) will be held in Nagoya from December 12th to 17th. This is the first international anime film festival to be held in Nagoya, and it aims to be an unprecedented film festival with a "creator-first" approach. Japanese anime has attracted a lot of attention around the world, but the domestic anime business faces many challenges. We spoke to general producer Maki Taro and festival director Inoue Shinichiro about the significance of the film festival and the challenges facing the anime business.
◇Appeal to the creators
--Maki and Inoue, you both served as general producers and festival directors at the Niigata International Animation Film Festival. How did you come to hold the festival in Nagoya?
Inoue: We've held three film festivals in Niigata and have received positive feedback. I was thinking of stepping down as festival director after three, but Maki said to me, "Wait a moment. I'm thinking of something new," so I decided to take part with a fresh mindset.
Maki: Aichi is also home to Ghibli Park, the World Cosplay Summit, and the Aichi Triennale. It's a large city. Continuity is important for a film festival. With that in mind, I spoke to Governor Omura about it.
Inoue: There's an international airport, and it's easy to get to from Tokyo and Osaka by Shinkansen. On the other hand, as the saying goes, "skip Nagoya," and tourists often go to Kyoto or Osaka after Tokyo, but I hope the film festival will help bring them to Nagoya. Nagoya is also a big anime hub. Mobile Suit Gundam was originally broadcast on Nagoya Television (Me-Tele). When I was working on an anime magazine, sales in the Nagoya area were very good. I would like to build a track record of attracting people to the Nagoya anime film festival.
-We have a policy of "creators first."
Maki: The anime industry has two sides: business and creativity, and there are many events on the business side. With the global demand for Japanese anime increasing, one of the reasons for thinking about this film festival is the need to better promote the creative side, that is, the creators. There's a phrase called "Monozukuri Nippon" (Japan's manufacturing), and although it's an old phrase, I don't think it will become obsolete. Even from overseas, there is respect for "Monozukuri Nippon." I want to show the power of "monozukuri" (manufacturing) of anime creators. I hope to be a catalyst for that.
-Will there be talks by creators?
Maki: We are also planning talk events with directors and producers to coincide with the screenings. We will also hold seminars and pitch markets. A film festival needs a market. We want to provide a place where creators and businesses can match up. We have prepared two stages, one for established creators and the other a market for fresh creators. This is a very important part of the festival's mission.
Inoue: There will also be a special screening of films directed by Mamoru Hosoda, and Hosoda himself is scheduled to appear on stage.
◇We should be more conscious of overseas markets
--There is also a collaboration with the Annie Awards, which is known as the Academy Awards of the animation world.
Maki: The executive director of ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest branch of the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA-Hollywood), the organization that administers the Annie Awards, will serve as a judge and will also give a speech related to the Annie Awards. Japanese anime has become global, but it is still somewhat one-way. I believe that making this two-way will be a future challenge for Japanese anime. While many Japanese hits are expanded overseas, the next stage should be to be more conscious of overseas markets. I hope this will serve as an opportunity to further consider this. We will also be inviting Marge Dean, an Emmy Award-winning producer and executive and president of Women in Animation (WIA), a global organization dedicated to improving diversity and equity in the anime industry.
--Japan has been able to do business solely within the domestic market. Will that no longer be possible?
Maki: Because there is a decent market, we have been able to get by without thinking about overseas markets until now. The reason Korean music and movies have been successful in expanding overseas is that the domestic market is small, so they had no choice but to expand overseas. I think Japan will also need to think more about expanding overseas in the future.
◇I want you to have an adventure
--If we roughly divide them into two categories, there are commercial works and art works, but what is the balance?
Maki: Basically, most of the works are feature-length, so they are commercial works, but I think there are some foreign works in the competition that are more artsy.
Mr. Inoue: There is no wall there. I think they can coexist.
-What measures are you taking to attract young fans?
Inoue: We are considering ways to get cooperation from Animate, a popular destination for young anime fans, and to draw attention to the film festival through the media and social media.
Maki: I want to create a solid entry point so that young people can easily enjoy films they have never encountered before. At the same time, as it is an international film festival that brings together many creators and fans from all over the world, I also want people to feel confident in coming.
Inoue: That's right. We live in an age where quality assurance is important, and more and more people only watch films that are sure to be reliable. That can't be helped, but on the other hand, it's the films I ventured to see that have enriched my life. When I was a student, I had a huge impact on myself when I saw "Metropolis" and a Polish film at the Kyobashi Film Center (now the National Film Archive of Japan). In everyday life, you might not have many opportunities to take risks, but at a film festival, you can, and you might even get to talk to the director. Such experiences enrich your life. I hope you will come to the festival and have that experience. I believe it is our role to lower the barriers and widen the entrance. (Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB)
