Silent Voice director’s new animated film wins prize at 26th Shanghai International Film Festival

A silent voice the latest animated film from director Naoko Yamada, Kimi No Irowon the Best Animated Film Award at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 22, 2024.

This is the first time in five years that a Japanese film has received this award.

Yamada, who attended the award ceremony, was pleasantly surprised and delighted to receive this award. She highlighted the powerful impact of animation, expressing her aspiration to continue creating captivating works that resonate on a global scale.

“Thank you so much. I never thought I would receive an award, so I didn’t prepare anything. I believe animation has wonderful power. I hope to continue creating many animations for the world. I thank all the staff who worked with me on this wonderful project. I look forward to working with you all in the future.“

After the ceremony, Yamada expressed his desire to share this moment with his team.

“I just want to share this moment with the staff as soon as possible. Congratulations to all. I was a little stunned because I didn’t understand what was being said.“, she said, reflecting on this overwhelming experience.

Speaking from the red carpet, she added: “I thought it was just like what I see on TV. I was completely empty and felt strange. I want everyone in Japan to see it as soon as possible. And I want to sing, dance and laugh together. Thank you so much.“

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France recently screened Kimi No Iro on June 13, 2024, where he received a standing ovation.

Kimi No Irohosted by Science SARU, will be released in Japan on August 30, 2024.

The team working on the film includes:

• Director: Naoko Yamada
• Scenario/Scenario: Reiko Ushida
• Music: Kensuke Ushio
• Original character creator: Daisuke Richard
• Character designer/animation director: Takashi Kojima

The plot of Kimi no Iro is described as follows:

The story revolves around Totsuko, a high school student at a missionary school in Nagasaki City. She can see people’s hearts in colors. Happy colors, sad colors, peaceful colors, scared colors…. To avoid seeing the “colors” of her friends and family darken, she is cautious, reads the atmosphere and lies to fix the situation. Then, Totsuko meets a beautiful girl at a second-hand bookstore in a corner of town. She ends up forming a band with a beautiful girl who radiates beautiful colors and a boy who loves music. These three overly sensitive beings come together and begin to play the music of their youth…

Source: Kimi No Iro official website