The Anime Festival is being held in Moscow on Novem-ber 2-5. Its array of offerings prove cartoons aren't just for kids.
Origin: Spirits of The Past
This film, produced by Gonzo, is the story of Agito, a young boy living in a dystopian Japan set 300 years in the future. It takes place after an apocalypse brought about by extensive genetic engineering on trees conducted at a research facility on the moon in order to produce trees capable of growing in arid conditions.
The trees became conscious and spread to Earth in a fiery holocaust, wiping out most of modern civilization and shattering the moon itself. Agito lives in a world covered mostly by the Forest, a huge expanse of living trees, ruled by the tree-like Druids, which now inhabit the earth and control the water supply of both trees and humans. But in fact the story is not about the trees, but about a young boy's obsession with following in his father's footsteps, and who encounters a helpless girl his age whom he repeatedly saves from militaristic opportunists.
Paprika
A team of scientists have created a medical breakthrough: a device that allows the wearer to enter the dreams of a patient, for the purpose of healing.
The talented Paprika is a master at her profession, but complications have now appeared in the form of a "dream terrorist" - an unknown foe who inserts nightmares into the minds of those who use the device. The victims are swept up in a ghoulish parade of dolls, kitchen appliances,and musical animals, and are reduced to a vegetable state - or worse. Now, Paprika and the team of scientists must save Japan as well as the whole world. What else can we say when the traffic lights are marching along the streets? Paprika presents us with a rich world filled with detail and beauty, and is being called one of the best anime films of the year.
It is already being hailed as a masterpiece.
Afro Samurai
This is a creative collaboration between the Japanese animation company GDH, Samuel L. Jackson, and Takashi ‘Bob' Okazaki. Afro Samurai is based on a graphic novel by Takashi Okazaki. Academy Award-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson stars as the uncompromising hero in this stylish series, and the GDH company is responsible for everything else. The story is about Afro Samurai, a warrior who travels a solitary path encountering a myriad of enemies and friends as he embarks on a mission to avenge the death of his father.
Tekkonkinkreet
Two orphans are struggling to survive in the streets of mysterious Treasure Town by beating up anybody who reaches their territory. But a mega-corporation threatens to tear down the area and build an amusement park. Some think the movie is a collection of colorful anime parts that never really come together, and because of this Tekkonkinkreet becomes senseless. Though there is another point of view: Michael Arias wanted to say many different things in this movie. And he shows as many of them as he can.
Film Times
35 MM Pokrovka, 47, M. Krasnie Vorota www.kino35mm.ru
Tekkonkinkreet - November 3, 8 p.m., November 4, Noon, November 5, 10.30 p.m.
Paprika - November 3, 1.30 p.m., November 4, 7 p.m.
Afro Samurai - November 2, 9 p.m., November 3, 5.30 p.m., November 5, 4 p.m.
Origin: Spirits of The Past - November 2, 7 p.m., November 4, 5 p.m., November 5, 8.30 p.m.
