Miss Hokusai anime makes official selection at Annecy Int’l Film Fest

Production I.G. has never been one to shy away from a little competition. And why should they,, they know how to craft great anime. So much so that their Miss Hokusai feature has been selected for the Official Feature Film Competition at the 39th Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is the oldest of its kind, and is running from June 15 to June 20 at the French community of the same name.

The anime is an adaptation of Hinako Sugiura’s acclaimed historical manga Sarusuberi, with Keiichi Hara at helm

Synopsis reads:

The time: 1814.
The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo. One of the highest populated cities in the world, teeming with peasants, samurai, townsmen, merchants, nobles, artists, courtesans, and perhaps even supernatural things.

A much accomplished artist and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Dharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Short-tempered, utterly sarcastic, fond of sweets but with no passion for sake or money, he would charge a fortune for any job he is not willing to undertake.

Third of Tetsuzo’s four daughters, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father’s talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. “We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, we’ll get by anywhere.”

Decades later, Europe was going to discover Tetsuzo’s immense talent. He was to become best known by one of his many names: Katsushika Hokusai. He would mesmerize Degas and Monet, Debussy and Baudelaire.

However, very few today are even aware of the woman who assisted him all her life, and greatly contributed to his art while remaining uncredited.

This is the untold story of O-Ei, Master Hokusai’s daughter: a lively portrayal of a free-spirited and outspoken woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father, unfolding through the changing seasons.

The released an English-subtitled trailer. Check it out in the trailer below:

Miss Hokusai comes to the UK cinemas Autumn 2015

“Have you got Production I.G. for the win? The next Grave Of The Fireflies? Let us know what you think in the comment section”