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Studio Ghibli Documentary Screening in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles
posted on by Emma Hanashiro
Director Mami Sunada's The Kingdom of Dreams & Madness (Yume to Kyōki no Ōkoku) documentary film about Studio Ghibli will screen on Tuesday in Pittsburgh and in Los Angeles on November 23. The Pittsburgh screening is part of the Three Rivers Film Fetsival and the L.A. screening is part of Cinefamily's five-day Animation Breakdown 2014 festival. The documentary, released in Japan last year, follows Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki as he works on the The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) film, director Isao Takahata as he works on the film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari), and producer Toshio Suzuki as he works on both projects.
Cinefamily's official website describes the film:
Animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle) needs no introduction. This was certainly not lost on director Mami Sunada, who took full advantage of the unprecedented access granted her by Ghibli's brain trust to produce this rare documentary glimpse into the studio's inner workings. Eschewing any sort of broad overview, Sunada takes a more intimate, fly-on-the-wall approach to the production of Hayao Miyazaki's final masterpiece The Wind Rises. Following the process from initial storyboards to the final edits, the characters of Miyazaki and Ghibli are revealed through small, casual moments and conversations. Those who are curious about the feature animation process will find many questions answered here, in what is possibly the most detailed documentation of traditional, hand-drawn animation in film form. This comes at an especially essential time, as that medium — much like the master behind this studio — will soon be retired.
According to those involved, Sunada seemed as invisible as air as she filmed the actions of the staff in the Ghibli office, letting them proceed with their work with no interruption.
Sunada also explained why she put the word "Madness" in the title of the film:
I think that having a dream entails having a bit of madness, no matter what the profession. There are times when you will go to extremes, and times when you are feared by others for that.
Cinedigm Entertainment will release the documentary on DVD in North America on January 27.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter and ravegrl for the news tips
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
