A Silent Voice director Naoko Yamada’s latest anime film, Kimi No Iro, won the Best Animation Film Award at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 22, 2024.
This marks the first time in five years that a Japanese film has received this award.
Yamada, who attended the award ceremony, was pleasantly surprised and delighted to receive the award. She emphasized the powerful impact of animation, expressing her aspirations to continue creating compelling works that resonate globally.
“Thank you very much. I never thought I would receive an award, so I had nothing prepared. I believe animation has a wonderful power. I hope to continue creating many animations for the world. I am grateful to all the staff who worked with me on this wonderful project. I look forward to working with you all in the future.“
Following the ceremony, Yamada expressed her eagerness to share the moment with her team.
“I just want to share this moment with the staff as soon as possible. Congratulations to everyone. I was a bit stunned because I didn’t understand what was being said,” she recounted, reflecting on the overwhelming experience.
Speaking about the red carpet, she added, “I thought, this is just like what I see on TV. I was completely blank and felt strange. I want everyone in Japan to see it as soon as possible. And I want to sing, dance, and laugh together. Thank you very much.“
Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France had recently screened Kimi No Iro on June 13, 2024, where it received a standing ovation.
Kimi No Iro, animated by Science SARU, will release in Japan on Aug 30, 2024.
The staff working on the movie includes:
- Director: Naoko Yamada
- Script/Screenplay: Reiko Ushida
- Music: Kensuke Ushio
- Original Character Designer: Daisuke Richard
- Character Designer/Animation Director: Takashi Kojima
The plot of Kimi no Iro is described as:
The story revolves around Totsuko, a high school student at a mission school in Nagasaki City. She can see people’s heart in colours. Happy colours, sad colours, peaceful colours, frightened colours…. In order not to have her friends and family’s “colours” darkened, she is careful, reads the atmosphere, and tells lies to mend the situation. Then, Totsuko meets a beautiful girl in a second-hand bookstore in a corner of the city. She ends up forming a band with a beautiful girl who radiates beautiful colours and a boy who loves music. These three overly sensitive people get together and begin to play the music of their youth…
Source: Kimi No Iro’s Official Website