TAAF2019] Screening report of "Pachamama," nominated for Feature Length Competition

The Tokyo Anime Awards Festival 2019 (TAAF2019) is being held in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, for four days from March 8 to 11, 2019. TAAF2019 will feature feature and short films, each of which will be nominated and screened during the festival and judged by a panel of judges.

Entries for this competition must be animated feature films of 60 minutes or longer and short films of less than 30 minutes, completed on or after January 1, 2017 (not yet released in Japan). After the entries have gone through the preliminary screening by the first selection committee members, only a few works will be nominated and screened during the festival. After evaluation by the jury there, the Grand Prix and Awards of Excellence are determined and presented.

Here we report on the screening of "Pachamama," nominated in the Feature Length Competition section, and the talk session that followed.

Pachamama" is an animated feature film co-produced by France, Canada, and Luxembourg in 2018. The film is directed by Juan Antin, a native of Argentina, South America. Mr. Antin has directed more than 70 animated films, and his first feature film, "Mercano the Martian," received awards at many film festivals, including the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Pachamama" refers to a god from the Andes region of South America. Set in the Andes region during the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire, this animated film depicts the adventures of a boy named Teppulpay, who dreams of becoming a shaman, and his childhood friend, a girl named Naella. One day, their village is robbed of its sacred treasure, mana, by the lords of the Inca Empire. Teppulpai sets off on a journey to retrieve the mana and prove that he has the organic qualities to be a shaman. Naera, who is worried about him, also follows Teppulpay, and they eventually reach Cuzco, the Inca capital, where the invading Spanish knights, mounted on horses and clad in iron armor, are closing in. ......

Pachamama," an adventure story about a boy and a girl in the Andes who take on invading adults, is somewhat reminiscent of "Laputa: Castle in the Sky," and is probably a royal work of children's literature. The world of "Pachamama" is a beautiful world, and the CG drawings are very smooth, reminiscent of Disney's works. The color design is particularly brilliant, using fantastic and mysterious colors to depict motifs such as the sun, moon, pumas, and condors characteristic of the former Inca Empire, and the viewer is drawn into this dreamlike world. The viewer is drawn into this dreamlike world.

Talk event after the screening of "Pachamama

After the screening of "Pachamama," a talk event was held with the film's director, Phan Anting, and his wife, Maria, who was in charge of graphic design. According to director Antin, the film took 10 years to complete, and there were many twists and turns along the way. Director Antin, who is Argentinean, started various researches to the Inca region and other regions 14 years ago. There, he came into contact with the culture and art of the Indians, as well as the warmth of their people, and decided to make this film so that many people, especially children, would be able to easily understand the splendor of the Indians.

When the film was first planned, it was to be a simpler stop-motion film, but when it was exhibited at a local film festival, it caught the eye of a French producer, who suggested that it should be a larger film, so the family went to France to work on it together. The family went to France to work on the film. However, the film underwent various changes, including a change of producer and production company, and it took more than 10 years to complete the film.

Director Fan Anting (left) and his wife Maria (right), who is in charge of graphic design.

Pachamama" details page on the official website of TAAF2019
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Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2019 (TAAF2019) official website.
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