In this year’s Camera Crayon, we present three shorts produced by Kawaguchi Kids Movie Club, Kodomono kuni no sora, Pinchi! Ponkotsu Tantei, and Fantasy Book. Kodomono kuni no sora and Pinchi! Ponkotsu Tantei were produced by a group of children who never had any experience in filmmaking. Followed by Q&A and a talk event with the children who made the shorts.

*No English Subtitles

 

Kodomono kuni no sora

produced by Kawaguchi Kids Movie Club

<STORY>
Sora gets lost in the World of Children. With the help of the inhabitants, Sora discovers a mysterious stone. When Sora decides to return to her own world, the inhabitants become disturbed and confused. The film explores the meaning of friendship.

 

Pinchi! Ponkotsu Tantei

produced by Kawaguchi Kids Movie Club

<STORY>
Risa aspires to become a great detective. While reading a detective novel at a library alone, she hears someone making an announcement on the school speaker threatening to bomb the school. She rushes to the broadcast station, but there’s no one there. She engages her old partner Detective Ponkotsu to get to the bottom of this incident.

 

FANTASY BOOK

produced by Kawaguchi Kids Movie Club

<STORY>
This is the story of Ume-chan. What happens when Ume-chan meets Cinderella? The film features composition techniques.

 

*Free Admission (First come first serve)
*For Inquiries, Visual Museum 　TEL:048-265-2590

Kobaton The Movie is a short film program featuring attractions in Saitama. This year, we present two new shorts directed by two emerging directors from two companies based in the SKIP City Incubation Office, Mountain Gate Production Inc. and Vista, Co.,Ltd. The screening is to be followed by a Q&A session. Come and see the shorts, which reveal the undiscovered charm of Saitama.

*No English Subtitles

 

 

Kobaton: Outcast and the Tycoon in Tumulus

©2015埼玉県／SKIPシティ 彩の国ビジュアルプラザ

<STORY>
Evil mascots are causing problems and disturbances at the local mascot events across Japan and now it’s becoming a serious national threat. But there’s one prefecture that evil mascots never dare to violate. It’s Saitama prefecture. That’s because the people of Saitama sincerely believe in their beloved mascots, Kobaton and his sidekick Saitamacchi. The bond between the two mascots bears power to keep evil mascots away from their home turf. But an evil mastermind plans to invade Saitama.

 

Director: Takashi Iitsuka
Production Company: Mountain Gate Production Inc.　　http://mountaingate.jp/

 

Director: Takashi Iitsuka
Iitsuka currently resides in Ushiku City, Ibaraki Prefecture and works at Wahhen Film Studio. His distinctive style features puppetry and miniature sets. His short film Encounters was screened and won awards at film festivals all over the world in 2011. Since then he has directed commercials, co-directed live action films, and organized workshops to introduce the world of puppetry to the general public. He also directed an NHK TV series “Hoketsu Hero MEGA3” featuring the voice of Takumi Saito.

 

 

Paper TORAKO

©2015埼玉県／SKIPシティ 彩の国ビジュアルプラザ

<STORY>
Torako works at a paper doll store in Kasukabe and has an imaginary friend called Tori-san. Growing up in a tough lonely environment, Torako is an introvert and can’t express her emotions. She cherishes her daily routine at the store with the storeowner, his granddaughter Akiko, and a friendly neighbor Yuya. One day, Akiko informs Torako about Kobaton. Torako is surprised to find that Kobaton is exactly like her imaginary friend Tori-san. Then, she receives an order from Yuya to create a paper doll of a tiger.

 

Director, Screenplay: Yusuke Murakami
Cast: Erika Karata, Kaya Hioki, Munetoshi Takubo, Nanami Mashimo, Masayuki Yui
Production Company: Vista, Co.,Ltd.　　http://www.vista.cc/

 

Director, Screenplay: Yusuke Murakami
Born in Kitakyushu City, Murakami began making independent films while attending Kinki University. Upon graduation, he became a freelance director. In 2009, a TV program he directed was nominated for the Sky Perfect Award. Since then, he joined Vista and directed various music videos, commercials, and episodes of “New Ultraman Retsuden.” In recent years, a commercial he directed won a prize in the POPAI Awards Paris 2015.

 

*Free Admission (First come first serve)
*For Inquiries, Digital SKIP Station 　TEL:048-264-7777

Go-all Project is a film initiative program created to support emerging filmmakers based in SKIP City Sai-no-kuni Visual Plaza, the hub of Saitama Prefecture’s audio-visual industry. The 3rd round of the Go-all project is an omnibus of shorts directed by four emerging filmmakers with one rule: to portray people and situations surrounding a station where a cat lives. The project is slated for a theatrical release in Japan this December and it will be partnered with a release of a feature film Cats Don't Come When You Call (starring Shunsuke Kazama).

*No English Subtitles

 

Cat Mamma

<STORY>
Shota and Mihoko are a comedy duo on the verge of success. Just as they are offered a chance to become a star, Mihoko decides to quit. When Shota receives the news of his father’s death, he has to make a decision.

 

Director: Shinichiro Ueda
Cast: Masaki Miura, Haruka Kinami
Running Time: 24min.

 

Director: Shinichiro Ueda

Ueda began making films with friends when he was in junior high. In 2009, he established PANPOKOPINA, a filmmaker’s collaborative in order to become the very best of pop in the world. The group produced 10 films, which screened and won awards at more than 30 domestic and international film festivals. Its motto is to produce endearing entertainment that is fun to watch even if it were to be seen 100 years after it was produced.

 

Lived, Loved, Stole

<STORY>
Kiki and her daughter Koko make their living as thieves. They save money to realize their dreams of leading normal lives some day. When they almost get caught stealing, they move to another place to start a new life.

 

Director: Naoya Asanuma
Cast: Kinuo Yamada, Kanna / Aki Asakura
Running Time: 20min.

 

Director: Naoya Asanuma

Asanuma’s first feature Heart Beat screened at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL and was later released theatrically in Japan. He participated in the New Directors in Japanese Cinema program in 2013 and directed Iron Horse in the Wind, which screened in the Jury Selection section at the Hong Kong Independent Short Film & Video Award. His latest The Salad Rudies will open theatrically in Japan soon.

 

A Story of Hikari and Lies

<STORY>
Hikari is a junior high school girl who loves science fiction. She sends a random e-mail to an anonymous address declaring she is the future daughter of the e-mail recipient. A man who believes Hikari is his future daughter appears and they together decide to do something for their future.

 

Director: Ryosuke Hayasaka
Cast: Kyoka Shibata / Tomoharu Hasegawa
Running Time: 20min.

 

Director: Ryosuke Hayasaka

After graduating from Keio University, Hayasaka studied filmmaking at the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts. His thesis film, Socratic Love was released theatrically at Eurospace in Shibuya. His films screened at various film festivals including Nomadic Cinema - Akari no sanpo, which participated in a special event at the 25th Tokyo International Film Festival, and Song of My Village, which screened at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL.

 

Hotel Nanohana

<STORY>
Hotel Nanohana stands deep in the mountains of Chichibu. The hotel is closed for business, but Orita, the quiet owner and three strange men live there. One day, a mysterious woman with a problem appears at the hotel.

 

Director: Yuya Nakaizumi
Cast: Takashi Yamanaka, Eriko Kumazawa
Running Time: 22min.

 

Director: Yuya Nakaizumi

Nakaizumi began his career as an actor in 2002. He studied filmmaking at Asia Box in 2011 and his first short film Enzai screened at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL in 2012. In the same year, he established film_puzzle, a filmmaker’s collaborative and produced his next short Trip With Mother, which also screened at SKIP CITY INTERNATIONAL D-Cinema FESTIVAL and won three Best Film awards at other festivals.

 

4 Stories with a Cat

Distributor: Tokyo Theatres Co.,Inc
©2015 埼玉県／SKIPシティ 彩の国ビジュアルプラザ
2015/Japan/94min.
www.nekobunno4.com

 

*Free Admission (First come first serve)
*For Inquiries, Digital SKIP Station 　TEL:048-264-7777

Friday, July 24 17:30 - At Convention Hall

July 24 is an Anime Day. We will screen 10 episodes of “Urawa no Usagi-chan”, an animation series set in the Urawa district of Saitama followed by a Q&A with the producers.

*No English Subtitles

©浦和の調ちゃん製作委員会

Admission: Free

For inquiries, please call Digital SKIP Station at 048-264-7777

*Please see our website for details.