Annecy 2008, Kunio Kato

The 32nd International Animation Film Festival in Annecy this year celebrated two anniversaries: The centenary of France’s first animated film (Emile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie) and the 10th annual edition of the festival, which has run since 1960. The International Federation of Film Critics reports on the Annecy Festival.

The 2008 Annecy Cristal for Short Films has been given to Kunio Kato of Japan with “La Maison en Petits Cubes.”  The story is described: “It is difficult to keep the house made of blocks out of the water. The grandfather who has lived in it has been constantly adding to it as the water level rises. This is the story about his family memories.”

I couldn’t find any clips of the actual short film but found some of his animation style in, “The Diary of Tortov Roddle.“  It is a lovely work of imagination. I found the story and animation style almost surreal and the silence of the work, no spoken words, adds to the ephemeral quality of the story.

~ by tarawalch on July 22, 2008.