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A new apocalypse now haunts Brazilian cinema. It’s one in a string of such upheavals over the past year including an envisaged 43% cut to the 2020 budget of Ancine, Brazil’s huge film-tv agency and motor of movie funding, which is already grinding almost to a halt.

Producers are still waiting to receive approved incentives.

“There are several producers, including ourselves, who have projects that won support from the [Pernambuco] regional fund in 2017 and 2018, but never received it,” says Desvia producer Rachel Daisy Ellis (“Divine Love”).

Independent productions are being strangled by the freeze. “It’s bleeding cinema, it’s bleeding culture. There is a sense of doom, an anemia regarding culture and cinema,” says Karim Aïnouz, director of “Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmão.”

Now, Ancine is under threat of disappearing altogether.

On Feb. 19, a proposal will be voted on in congress that extinguishes existing public funds not ratified by the...

New Indie

Filmmakers have made the case that, instead of going to film school, young would-be directors might be better off just listening to director commentaries. And if that’s the educational route you’ve chosen, two of today’s most interesting directors are telling all on new Blu-ray releases. Want to know more about how Barry Jenkins brought James Baldwin’s powerful novel “If Beale Street Could Talk” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) to the big screen, or how Karyn Kusama crafted the bleak neo-noir “Destroyer” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)? They tell all on these essential new releases.

Also available: S. Craig Zahler is at it again with “Dragged Across Concrete” (Lionsgate), a cops-gone-rogue heist saga starring Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson.

See Photo: See Nicole Kidman's Extreme Transformation for Karyn Kusama's Cop Thriller 'Destroyer'

New Foreign

Few directors in the history of cinema have...

In a year of change and growth for Mexico’s Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival (Ficg), the revamped animation competitions, godfathered by Guadalajara native Guillermo del Toro, stand out as key examples of ambitions shared by the event’s new leadership, headed by Vendo Cine co-founder and longtime Ficg Industria head Estrella Araiza.

Where many animation-focused festivals and awards programs in Latin America tend to celebrate domestic or Ibero-American productions – think Mexico’s Pixelatl, Spain’s Quirino Awards – this year’s selected films at Guadalajara demonstrate a global inclusion with less peers – France’s Annecy Festival and Los Angeles’ Annie Awards are good examples.

“I think it’s important that every festival has its idiosyncrasies,” explained Carolina López, Ficg’s animation section curator. “Ficg is a festival with a specific DNA and we are adding to that DNA with what will be almost a festival within a festival.”

Previously Ficg did...

Madrid — Finalists in nine categories for the 2nd Ibero-American Animation Quirino Awards were announced last week in Madrid’s stunning Casa de América. The awards will be held again this year in the Spanish Canary Islands city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on April 6.

In total, 25 films representing seven countries received recognition on the day in nine distinct categories. Spanish animation bagged 13 nominations, while Brazil scored 7, followed by Colombia (5), Argentina (4), Chile (4), Portugal (3) and Mexico (1).

Having already won best short film at Mexico’s Pixelatl Awards, Carlos Baena’s “La Noria” (The Ferris Wheel) scored the most Quirino nominations with three. Pan-Latin-American series “Paper Port Season 2 – The Lives of Others” and Colombian feature “Tropical Virus” were the only other entries with multiple nominations at two each.

This year’s feature competition looks to be one of the event’s most competitive. Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow’s “Another Day of Life...

Winners of the 46th annual Annie Awards were revealed on Feb. 2, 2019 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won all seven of its races including Best Studio Animated Feature. Its main Oscar rival for that award, ‘Incredibles 2,” took just 2 of its leading 11 bids. The Annies, which hand out awards in 32 categories, are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Assn. Scroll down for the full list of winners (and complete roster of nominees).

In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards were presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the...

The far-right has now aggressively infiltrated the politics of countless nations, developed and otherwise, advocating malicious rhetoric that targets vulnerable groups, preaches ethnocentrism, and weaponizes religion. Outside of what happened in the United States in 2016, last year’s presidential election in Brazil, which crowned a candidate holding such extreme views, is a testament to the harmful powers of alarmist populism.

Although produced prior to the recent rise of these traditionalist forces in the country, Brazilian animated feature “Tito and the Birds” is a shrewd response to bigotry, packaged as a spooky adventure achieved through the integration of artisanal and digital techniques. The outcome is a stylistically singular treasure with tonal and aesthetic hints of Laika’s horror-inspired “ParaNorman” and the animated Van Gogh biopic “Loving Vincent.”

São Paulo native Gustavo Steinberg, the creative commander propelling the entire operation, co-directed the film with animators Gabriel Bitar and André Catoto. Steinberg made...

by Nathaniel R

Our final Oscar predictions continue with Animated Feature. Though we've learned never to wholly trust consensus in this race (that shocking omission of The Lego Movie!) we're assuming that Spider-Verse, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs and Ralph Breaks the Internet will be nominated. One spot is free. 

In Ye Olden Times we'd assume that that would be it for the mainstream titles and we'd also get Early Man (animators love Aardman films) or Japan's Mirai in there. But under the new rules we have to assume that The Grinch is a strong possibility since it's a massive hit (#7 of the whole year). But will anyone really put it at #1 on their ballots with Incredibles 2 (even more successful and more beloved) right there for the taking? Ruben Brandt Collector is memorable and stands out from the foreign pack in aesthetics but a qualifying release only was a...

We don’t want to overwhelm you, but while you’re catching up with our top 50 films of 2018, more cinematic greatness awaits in 2019. Ahead of our 100 most-anticipated films (all of which have yet to premiere), we’re highlighting 50 titles we’ve enjoyed on the festival circuit this last year (and beyond) that either have confirmed 2018 release dates or are awaiting a debut date from its distributor. There’s also a handful seeking distribution that we hope will arrive in the next 12 months. U.S. distributors: take note!

The Image Book (Jean-Luc Godard; Jan. 25)

Another miraculous, meticulously feat of cinematic collage, The Image Book finds the French New Wave icon continuing his boundary-pushing editing techniques, both in video and sound (to see this at Alice Tully Hall during New York Film Festival was something truly special). Rory O’Connor said in his Cannes review, “Split into five sections of various lengths titled Remakes,...

While you catch up on the best films of 2018, it’s time to turn to the handful of highlights as we enter the first month of the new year. Along with a handful of festival favorites finally getting U.S. releases, there are a few promising studio features amongst Hollywood’s dumping ground.

Matinees to See: Communion (1/4), Rust Creek (1/4), Buffalo Boys (1/11), The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (1/18), Girl (1/18), Adult Life Skills (1/18)

10. State Like Sleep (Meredith Danluck; Jan. 1)

Starring Katherine Waterston and Michael Shannon, State Like Sleep follows a widow who must dig up a dark past a year after her husband died. A premiere at Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year where it received favorable reviews, it looks like a strong showcase for the Inherent Vice star as she goes down the rabbit hole of a criminal underworld.

9. Touch Me Not (Adina Pintilie; Jan. 11)

After winning Berlinale nearly a year ago,...

From Ralph's Internet to Isle of Dogs' Trash Island, production designers share the inspiration behind the work on some of this year's animated feature Oscar contenders. In part one of this two-part series, The Hollywood Reporter looks at Ralph Breaks the Internet, Isle of Dogs and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, as well as indie films Mirai and Tito and the Birds. (Part two will be appear in Behind the Screen on Jan. 2.)...

From Ralph's Internet to Isle of Dogs' Trash Island, production designers share the inspiration behind the work on some of this year's animated feature Oscar contenders. In part one of this two-part series, The Hollywood Reporter looks at Ralph Breaks the Internet, Isle of Dogs and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, as well as indie films Mirai and Tito and the Birds. (Part two will be appear in Behind the Screen on Jan. 2.)...

Final balloting begins for the 46th annual Annie Awards on Tuesday (Jan. 1) and runs for almost three weeks until Jan. 20. Prizes in 36 categories will be handed out on February 2, 2019, 10 days before the start of final voting for the Academy Awards.

This year’s Oscar frontrunner, “Incredibles 2,” leads with 11 nominations. The four other films that we are predicting to reap Oscar bids for Best Animated Feature are also well-represented at these precursor prizes. “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the sequel to the 2013 Annie winner “Wreck-It-Ralph,” is second with 10 bids. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which is winning with the regional critics, has a lucky seven nominations. Wes Anderson‘s critically acclaimed “Isle of Dogs” reaped four while the Japanese import “Mirai” by acclaimed animator Mamoru Hosoda is up for two.

The first four of these films contend for Best Studio Animated Feature as does Aardman Animations “Early Man,” which has seven bids in all.

Every Saturday this month, Tim will be taking a look at one of the films submitted for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

First things first: the Brazilian Tito and the Birds, a newly-minted Annie Award nominee for best animated independent feature, is a preposterously beautiful motion picture. The film's style is perhaps best described as looking like a digital oil painting, with swirling smears of color defining every background and character. It is not by any stretch of the imagination looking to present a realistic vision of the world, creating spaces defined only in outlines and crude shapes, and then filled in with dramatic swatches of barely-motivated reds and yellows and blues that function expressively and emotionally rather than to build out the narrative. It is, at an absolute minimum, one of the most eccentric, distinctive animated features released in 2018, but it's not just eccentric: the aesthetic is thoughtful, consistent,...

Nominations for the 46th annual Annie Awards were announced on Dec. 3, 2018 and winners will be revealed on Feb. 2, 2018 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2,” which is the frontrunner at the Oscars, leads with 11 nominations while Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is right behind with 10. The Annie Awards cover 32 categories and are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Association. Scroll down to see the full list of nominations.

In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards will be presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award will be presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the June Foray...

This year’s Oscar frontrunner, “Incredibles 2,” leads the roster of contenders at the 46th annual Annie Awards with 11 nominations. The four other films that we are predicting to reap Oscar bids for Best Animated Feature are also well-represented at these precursor prizes, which will be presented on Feb. 2, 10 days before the start of final voting for the Academy Awards.

“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the sequel to the 2013 Annie winner “Wreck-It-Ralph,” is second with 10 bids. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which just won over the New York Film Critics Circle, has a lucky seven nominations. Wes Anderson‘s critically acclaimed “Isle of Dogs” reaped four while the Japanese import “Mirai” by acclaimed animator Mamoru Hosoda is up for two.

The first four of these films contend for Best Studio Animated Feature as does Aardman Animations “Early Man,” which has seven bids in all. “Mirai” is up for Best Independent Animated Feature as are “Ce Magnifique Gateau!

Pixar’s Oscar-frontrunner “Incredibles 2” led the pack for Asifa-Hollywood’s 46th Annie Awards (February 2nd at UCLA’s Royce Hall) with 11 nominations, followed by Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with 10.

Tied for third was Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and Aardman’s “Early Man” with seven. This gives an Oscar boost to “Spider-Verse” and its innovative Miles Morales origin story.

The biggest surprises were in the shorts competition, with Pixar’s Oscar frontrunner, “Bao,” getting shut out along with DreamWorks’ two contenders, “Bilby” and “Bird Karma.”

Joining “Incredibles 2,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Into the Spider-Verse,” and “Early Man” for animated feature is Wes Anderson’s stop-motion “Isle of Dogs.” Competing in the indie race are GKids’ “Mirai” and “Mfkz,” Sony Classics’ “Ruben Brandt, Collector,” Shout! Studio’s “Tito and the Birds,” and “Ce Magnifique Gâteau!”

“Incredibles 2” also picked up nominations for effects, character animation,...

Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” topped the 46th annual Annie Awards nominations with 11 and 10, respectively. All told, the Walt Disney Company, which owns Pixar, snapped up a total of 42 nominations among a wide array of film and TV projects.

Joining “Incredibles 2” and “Ralph” in the contest for best animated feature are Aardman Animations’ “Early Man,” Wes Anderson’s stop-motion “Isle of Dogs” and Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

In addition to its bid for animated feature, “Incredibles 2” picked up nominations for director (Brad Bird), animated effects, character animation, character design, music, voice acting (Holly Hunter); writing (Bird), editorial and two for storyboarding.

Additional nominations for “Ralph” include director (Rich Moore and Phil Johnston); animated effects, character animation, character design, music, storyboarding, voice acting (Sarah Silverman), writing (Johnston and Pamela Ribon) and editorial.

In addition to Bird, Moore and Johnston,...

Two sequels from Disney/Pixar, “Incredibles 2” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” led all films in nominations for the 46th Annual Annie Awards, the top prizes given out in the field of animation.

In nominations announced on Monday morning by Asifa-Hollywood, Brad Bird’s “Incredibles 2,” a Pixar Animation Studios film, landed 11 nominations, including Best Animated Feature, Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production and Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production. Phil Johnston and Rich Moore’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” from Walt Disney Animation Studios, received 10 nominations.

Aardman Animation’s “Early Man” and Sony Pictures Animation’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” each received seven nominations, while Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” received four.

Also Read: 'Incredibles 2' Film Review: Pixar's Superhero Family Is Back, Baby - and What a Baby

“Mary Poppins Returns,” a live-action film that features an extended sequence of hand-drawn animation,...

With Tito and the Birds, his first animated feature, Gustavo Steinberg took on the most timely and complex of themes, striving to make them accessible to children. Based in a dystopian city that looks a lot like São Paulo—but could really be any metropolis—Shout! Factory’s Brazilian Oscar entry watches as the world is overcome by a disease of fear. Seeking a cure for the contagion in birds—creatures of mythological weight, which have quietly observed human life since the dawn of time—young protagonist Tito discovers that the salve may well exist within himself.

“The idea was to tell a story to kids about this culture of fear that is brought by the media, by the social networks, this new kind of fear that is emerging in the world,” the director says, sitting down with executive producer Daniel Greco. Seeing the world falling ever further into a demented,...

The “outbreak” started years ago when the twenty-four hour news cycle broke onto the scene by stoking fear for ratings out of a necessity for content. We used to only get an hour of local news every night — itself needing to be bolstered by a public interest story or two — with a few national programs enlightening us on world events. Information dispersal became editorializing. Editorializing became for-profit politicization wherein truth was filtered through a partisan prism pre-packaged for Election Day rather than relevancy. News became entertainment, snuff videos of beheadings and tragedies a click away on the internet for us to bask in a nationalist fervor of retribution and bloodlust. Race, religion, sexual orientation, and culture became our enemies as that pre-manufactured fear transformed into strength through hate.

America isn’t alone in this. Nations around the world are beholden to state-sanctioned news sources feeding a skewed truth and their...

Gustavo Steinberg was searching to make a movie about the fear that he sees in people these days, but had a specific audience in mind that he wanted to reach. “The idea was to make a movie to talk about this new kind of fear that is going on in the world,” he reveals during our recent chat (watch the exclusive video above). “But I wanted to make this film about fear for kids. That’s why we came up with the idea of a fear disease because we thought that would be easy for kids to understand.”

See 2019 Oscars: Best Animated Feature race at 91st Academy Awards has 25 entries

Steinberg’s film, “Tito and the Birds,” tells this story using teenager Tito, who lives in Brazil with his mother after his father left them after a scientific near-catastrophe. When a new sickness that’s caused by fear starts spreading throughout the country,...

As Brazil falls heedlessly into far-right political clutches, the liberal message of Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar and André Catoto’s ravishing animated feature “Tito and the Birds” turns out to be more unhappily timely than its makers would have hoped: Put simply, a society gripped by fear will never take flight. If the boy-against-the-world allegory carrying this moral is painted with a broad brush, so — often quite literally — is the film itself. Employing a darkly iridescent fusion of oil paint and digital embellishment, it renders a growing dystopia in shifting, seasick colors, distorted into about as much exquisite, Expressionist-inspired nightmare fuel as its family-film remit will allow.

A classy acquisition for newbie distributors Shout! Studios, this Annecy and Toronto premiere is among the 25 titles submitted in this year’s animated feature Oscar race. Comparisons to fellow Brazilian dazzler “Boy and the World,” a surprise 2015 nominee, are both obvious and merited,...

Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” and Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” are two of the 25 movies that have been officially submitted this year for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the official submissions list, which includes titles from regulars of the category, such as Walt Disney Animation Studios (“Wreck-It Ralph 2”), GKids (“Mirai”), and Illumination Entertainment (“The Grinch”).

The Oscar for best animated feature includes five nominees. Both “Isle of Dogs” and “Incredibles 2” are frontrunners for a nomination at this point, with the Pixar superhero adventure being a likely candidate for a win thanks to its critical acclaim and its more than $1 billion at the global box office. “The Incredibles” won the category in 2004, when the award was in its fourth year. Recent winners of the Oscar include “Coco,” “Zootopia,” “Inside Out,” and “Big Hero 6.”

Nominations for the 91st Academy...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that 25 films have been submitted into the Oscars Animated Feature race, meaning there will be a full slate of five nominees in the category this year. Highlights among the group include “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs” and “Sherlock Gnomes.”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. Sixteen or more films must qualify for the maximum of five nominees to be voted, meaning that this year the submitted films have crossed that threshold.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture.

Also Read: 'Roma,' 'Cold War' Lead Academy's List of 87 Films in the...

On Wednesday (October 24), the academy announced that 25 films qualified for consideration in this year’s Oscar race for Best Animated Feature. That is one shy of last year and two off the record number of entries in 2017, which in turn had eclipsed the 2014 record of 20 features. There could be up to five nominees depending on how they score with the screening committee. All of the major players in the animation field have at least one film in the running. (See the full list at the bottom of this post.)

Will Disney continue its Oscar winning streak and claim Best Animated Feature for the seventh year running? The mouse house has two films in the competition this year: “Incredibles 2” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” The studio’s most recent Oscar winners are “Brave” (2012), “Frozen” (2013), “Big Hero 6” (2014), “Inside Out” (2015), “Zootopia” (2016) and “Coco” (2017).

This marks the second year that the entire...

Several films have not yet had required Los Angeles qualifying run.

Incredibles 2, Tito And The Birds, and Ruben Brandt, Collector are among 25 animation feature submissions announced by the Academy on Wednesday (24) for consideration in the run-up to the 91st Academy Awards.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: Ana y Bruno, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Early Man, Fireworks, Have A Nice Day, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and Incredibles 2.

The list continues with: Isle Of Dogs, The Laws Of The Universe – Part I, Liz And The Blue Bird, Lu Over The Wall, Mfkz, Maquia: When, The Promised Flower Blooms,...

Oscar organizer the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday revealed a list of 25 films that have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 91st Oscars. The Academy said several of the films on the list have not yet made their required Los Angeles qualifying run.

Here’s the full list:

“Ana y Bruno”

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch”

“Early Man”

“Fireworks”

“Have a Nice Day”

“Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation”

“Incredibles 2”

“Isle of Dogs”

“The Laws of the Universe – Part I”

“Liz and the Blue Bird”

“Lu over the Wall”

“Mfkz”

“Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms”

“Mirai”

“The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl”

“On Happiness Road”

“Ralph Breaks the Internet”

“Ruben Brandt, Collector”

“Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero”

“Sherlock Gnomes”

“Smallfoot”

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

“Tall Tales”

“Teen Titans Go! To the Movies”

“Tito and the Birds”

According to Academy rules,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the 25 animated features submitted for consideration in this year’s Oscar race. Among the entries is Pixar’s box office hit “Incredibles 2,” Wes Anderson’s stop-motion “Isle of Dogs” and Sony’s upcoming “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Also in play are a number of films from indie distributor Gkids, which has a strong record of landing nominations alongside the major Hollywood distributors. Among them are “Fireworks,” “Lu Over the Wall,” “Mfkz,” “Mirai of the Future” and “The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl.”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. Sixteen or more films must qualify for the maximum of five nominees to be voted.

“Funan,” the story of a young mother trying to reunite her family during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia of the 1970s, won both the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at the Animation Is Film Festival, held Oct. 19-21 in Los Angeles. The film, directed by Denis Do, made its North American debut at the event.

“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story. This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well,” said Peter Debruge, jury chairman and Variety’s chief film critic. “With ‘Funan,’ Do explores what his Cambodian mother experienced at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime, finding unexpected beauty within the horror of the situation. The jury agreed that the profound result actually feels more powerful by virtue of being made in animation.”

In addition,...

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week […]

The post This Week In Trailers: Tito and the Birds, All Creatures Here Below, Unlovable, Weightless, Don’t Be a Dick About It appeared first on /Film.

"This is the story of how fear contaminated the world." Shout Factory has debuted the first official trailer for an animated adventure from Brazil titled Tito and the Birds, also known as Tito e os Pássaros. The film tells the story of a boy who discovers, along with his father, the the cure for fear, an epidemic that is sweeping the world and turning people into rocks. It's animated by hand in a gorgeous oil painted style that is truly mesmerizing to look at. Even if there isn't as much detail as usually seen in animation, it's just so spectacular, I could stare at the frames for hours just admiring them. I caught this film at the Annecy Film Festival this summer and wrote a rave review. It also just played at Tiff and is playing at the Animation Is Film festival next, before hopefully getting a theatrical release later this year.

Mamoru Hosoda’s “Mirai” will open the second Animation Is Film Festival, slated for Oct. 19-21 at Hollywood’s Tcl Chinese Theatre. Hosoda will attend the screening, which will be the North American premiere of the film, which debuted in Cannes.

“Mirai” is also among the initial films in competition announced by the festival, produced by independent animation distributor GKids in partnership with animation festival Annecy, Fathom Events and Variety.

Other competition titles hail from all over the world and include “Another Day of Life,” “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” “Funan,” “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas,” “Okko’s Inn,” “Pachamama,” “Penguin Highway,” “Ruben Brandt, Collector,” “Seder-Masochism,” and “Tito and the Birds.”

The Animation Is Film jury will once again be presided over by Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge, who will be joined by Warner Animation Group Evp Allison Abbate, NBA star and now Oscar winner Kobe Bryant,...

The second-annual Animation Is Film Festival (October 19 – 21) will once again offer a diverse range of indie features from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America. Just as last year’s festival drew many animation fans to the Tcl Chinese in Hollywood, this iteration will impact the Oscar race because of the prestigious exposure.

Produced by GKids in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Variety and Fathom Events, the festival will offer more than 30 titles, including 11 films in competition. Aif kicks off with the premiere of GKids’ Oscar contender, “Mirai,” a time-traveling story about a brother and sister from acclaimed Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda. There will also be a four-film retrospective of Hosodo’s work.

Aif will additionally spotlight footage from Disney’s Oscar contender, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (November 21), and Sony’s highly-anticipated “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse” (December 14). There will also be a 20th anniversary screening of DreamWorks’ “Prince...

Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, which Gkids is releasing in North America, will open the Animation Is Film Festival on Oct. 19 at the Tcl Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The film, which will be a North American premiere, is part of the event's preliminary competition lineup, which was announced Wednesday. 

The fest, which is set to run through Oct. 21, also will screen such competition films as Tito and the Birds and Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.

The event will also feature select footage from such upcoming pics as Ralph Break the Internet from Disney and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from ...

Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai, which Gkids is releasing in North America, will open the Animation Is Film Festival on Oct. 19 at the Tcl Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The film, which will be a North American premiere, is part of the event's preliminary competition lineup, which was announced Wednesday. 

The fest, which is set to run through Oct. 21, also will screen such competition films as Tito and the Birds and Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.

The event will also feature select footage from such upcoming pics as Ralph Break the Internet from Disney and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from ...