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2010 Anime Film Junod Screens at Animation Day in Cannes Event

The filmfestivals.com website announced on Tuesday that Shinichiro Kimura's 2010 anime film Junod will screen at the Animation Day in Cannes event in Cannes, France on May 23.

Animation Day in Cannes is a joint event between Animaze – LeMiaff and filmfestivals.com. The event launched in 2015 to "facilitate the promotion of Animation during the Cannes Film Festival which does not [traditionally] offer a window for animators besides the likes of Pixar or Disney." The event last year featured 29 animated shorts and features chosen from among 189 entries. The event is independent of the Cannes Film Festival.

Kimura (A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Karin, Juden Chan) served as the director, storyboard artist, and technical director for the film at Studio Hibari (Duel Masters, Venus Versus Virus). Yasunori Yamada (The Slayers Next, A Certain Scientific Railgun S) wrote the script, and Tomoko Iwasa (Kasimasi - Girl Meets Girl) was the character designer and overall design director. Noriyuki Asakura (Knights of Sidonia, Rurouni Kenshin) composed the music. The film recounts the life of the first foreign doctor to arrive at Hiroshima after its atomic bombing. Marcel Junod was a Swiss doctor who served in the Red Cross throughout the entire course of World War II, but he is best known in Japan for organizing the delivery of 15 tons of medical supplies to Hiroshima after the bombing.

In the film, two middle school girls, Mii (Aki Toyosaki) and Yuko (Ayahi Takagaki) are visiting Hiroshima when they are transported back in time to World War II. The schoolgirls not only see efforts of Junod (Hiroshi Yanaka) in Hiroshima firsthand, but also his efforts to improve the conditions of prisoners of war. Shinji Ogawa plays Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during Japan's post-war occupation.

The main Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 17-28.

Sources: Financial Tribune, Animation Magazine (Mercedes Milligan)