Anime Films to watch at Fantasia Film Festival 2023

Official Description: “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK SHOOTS AND SCORES Basketball has always given Ryota and his teammates a sense of purpose, and they’ll do whatever it takes to win the championship, in THE FIRST SLAM DUNK.
 
The first new feature-length film from the globally cherished franchise in 33 years.
 
An incredibly dynamic, electrifying underdog story loaded with inspiring moments, it’s the latest entry to Takehiko Inoue’s iconic franchise that’s had a huge impact in Japan.
 
Written and directed by Inoue himself, making his directorial debut, his love for basketball is evident from start to finish
through the stunning mix of CG and hand-drawn animation.
 
THE FIRST SLAM DUNK not only made history at the Japanese box office as one of the Top 10 highest-grossing anime films of all time but also won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Animation of the Year. Axis Section. Canadian Premiere.”

Official Description: “Tekemichi gets another blast from the past when his beloved Mio perishes again before his eyes in a freak accident… Or was it?
 
Tekemichi must go back in time to save her, and find out how his involvement with the Tokyo Maji Gang ruined his real life once more.
 
Nothing can prepare you for the amount of action, suspense and emotion TOKYO REVENGERS 2 – PART 1 and TOKYO REVENGERS 2 – PART 2 bring to the big screen!
 
Director Tsutomu Hanabusa surpasses himself with two riveting new chapters in this beloved saga, whose legions of fans break Japan’s box office at every occasion.
 
Come see this acclaimed manga-turned-anime in its ultimate incarnation as a star studded live-action juggernaut. International Premiere.“

Official Description: “Noir Meets Nostalgia In Anime Steampunk Adventure Kurayukaba. Equal parts crazy cartoon caper, shadowy film noir, nostalgic escapade, and steampunk fantasy, KURAYUKABA is a retro-flavoured anime reimagining of the freewheeling Taisho era, Japan’s equivalent of the Roaring Twenties.
 
It’s the long-awaited personal project of director Shigeyoshi Tsukahara, whose resume includes stage design for adventurous pop-rock superstars Sekai no Owari.
 
Preceded by a pair of rare short films by Tsukahara, Fantasia’s world premiere of KURAYUKABA is a chance to discover a distinctive emerging talent in the
anime field. Axis Section. World Premiere.”

Official Description: “From South Korea, comes ‘Mother Land’ an Arctic Stop-motion Adventure.
 
When the health of Krisha’s mother takes a turn for the worse, the village shaman offers her wisdom: follow the North Star to the Ancient Forest and find its guardian and master, the great red bear of legend.
 
The first South Korean stop-motion feature film in almost half a century, director Park Jae-beom’s animated adventure MOTHER LAND is an exquisitely
crafted snowbound fantasy with a potent emotional warmth at its core. It explores the lives and lore of the nomadic, indigenous reindeer herders of the sparse and unforgiving Siberian tundra.
 
Axis Section. North American Premiere.“

Background: “The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is presented by Videotron incollaboration with Desjardins, and is made possible thanks to the financial contributions of the City of Montreal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Government of Quebec, SODEC, Telefilm Canada and Tourisme Montréal.”