A Place Where Unreal Things can be Created

What was interesting for me was that I could be part of a jury which agreed on the outstanding nature of thesame works using the same criteria, regardless of whether they were made by students or professionals, in Japan or overseas, with small budgets or on a large-scale. That with Approved For Adoption a work from abroad won the Grand Prize, marks a rare case in the history of the festival so far. The work thoughtfully expressed,through the childhood of the creator, the instability of identity using hues characteristic of a bande dessinée (French-language comics) artist. I would like to praise the fact that, while being CG-based, it combined 8mm film and photos to achieve a balance of expression without adhering to any one technique.Filled with the wondrous sensation of falling through the air, Patema Inverted was impressive for adopting the concept of "thinking in reverse" and effectively giving it coherent form as a piece of entertainment. I was also able to simply enjoy the story of Golden Time, an animated short film leading one to realize that "wherever you are, there is always a place for you". The fantasy work Premier Automne, depicting in minute detail two youngsters who live in incompatible worlds, and Airy Me, where "desire" can be enjoyed as the visual sensation of movement through space also left an impression. In comparison to commercial animation, animated short films occupy a field where the individuality of the artist can be expressed in its entirety, but in many recent short films there is not only a keen sense of artistic individuality but also a strong entertainment value. However, I still think there is room for styles with stronger originality. I want the work to exist as the "creator's scream".Animation is "a place where unreal things can be created". It is where things that cannot fly can be madeairborne, where the cosmos or cells can be visualized, and where unlimited expression in any dimension is possible. In order to break through walls encountered, we may say that, less than expression achieved through cumulative addition, it is expression born from the subtraction of ideas which is more effective. Perhaps there is an important hint to be found within haiku or tanka, in contrast to the density of today's urban society, filled to overflowing.