News
Stop-motion Feature Junk Head London Screening on Monday, Other Independent Anime in London and Online
posted on by Andrew Osmond
Tickets are available for a screening of JUNK HEAD, a 2021 stop-motion animated feature film directed by Takahide Hori, on Monday November 29 at London's Barbican Centre at 6.20 p.m. The film is described on the Barbican website:
"In the distant future, mankind has lost its ability to procreate, a human-created species has revolted and developed a separate society underground. When a virus wreaks havoc on the surface, an expedition is launched to study how this newly developed species procreate, in an ultimate but desperate attempt to save humankind.
"The human delegate immediately finds himself in a pickle and as he travels deeper and deeper underground, his chances to complete his mission diminish with every step taken. Instead, his journey becomes an ultimate struggle for survival.
"Over seven years in the making, JUNK HEAD is the work of one obsessively dedicated man, Takahide Hori, who has singularly created the sets, puppets, sound, music and special effects and then animated everything to bring this masterpiece to the big screen."
The film is being shown as part of the London International Animation Festival, which runs from November 26 to Dec 5. UK Anime Network reports that the festival is the festival is running both at particular London cinemas and on the Eventive website, although some of the online screenings are UK-only. Rentals of individual programmes are available, as are festival passes.
The festival will include a retrospective on the independent Japanese animator Atsushi Wada (left) on Friday December 3 at 8 p.m.
There will also be a retrospective programme on independent anime on Friday December 3 at 9.30 p.m, and also an online talk with Atsushi Wada and fellow animator Sarina Nihei (right) on Saturday December 4 at 1 p.m.
Before that, the following Japanese shorts will also be screened in late November and early December within London International Animation Festival programmes:
"Anxious Body" ("Fuan na Tai"), directed by Yoriko Mizushiri, in International Competition Programme 3 (UK only, Sunday November 28, 8.30 p.m)
"A Bite of Bone" ("Honekami"), directed by Honami Yano, in International Competition 4 (UK only, Monday November 29, 9 p.m.)
"Half of an Apple" ("Jūnigatsu"), directed by Zhou Xiaolin, and "Flying Squirrels and the Pyrotechnician" ("Momogi to Hanabishi"), directed by Momoka Katō, in Best of the Next 1 (worldwide, Thursday December 2, 7.30 p.m.)
"Follow," directed by Zhang Lihong, and "The Balloon Catcher", directed by Isaku Kaneko, in Best of the Next 2 (worldwide, Thursday December 2, 7.30 p.m.)
The video for millenium parade's (BELLE) song "Trepanation", directed by Ryoji Yamada, in the Music Video Session (worldwide, Saturday December 4, 8 p.m.)
"Parasite and Me" ("Kiseichū to Watashi"), directed by Kannosuke Enomoto, in Late Night Bizarre (worldwide)
Thanks to Jordan Scott for the information.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history