The 48th annual Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain has announced that Keiichi Hara’s Miss Hokusai anime film won the festival’s Best Animated Feature Film award.
The story is described as:
The time: 1814.
The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo. One of the highest populated cities in the world, teeming with peasants, samurai, townsmen, merchants, nobles, artists, courtesans, and perhaps even supernatural things.
A much accomplished artist and now in his mid-50’s, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Dharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Short-tempered, utterly sarcastic, fond of sweets but with no passion for sake or money, he would charge a fortune for any job he is not willing to undertake.
Third of Tetsuzo’s four daughters, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father’s talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. “We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, we’ll get by anywhere.”
Decades later, Europe was going to discover Tetsuzo’s immense talent. He was to become best known by one of his many names: Katsushika Hokusai. He would mesmerize Degas and Monet, Debussy and Baudelaire.
However, very few today are even aware of the woman who assisted him all her life, and greatly contributed to his art while remaining uncredited.
This is the untold story of O-Ei, Master Hokusai’s daughter: a lively portrayal of a free-spirited and outspoken woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father, unfolding through the changing seasons.
The film by Keiichi Hara adapts Hinako Sugiura’s acclaimed historical manga Sarusuberi. Anne Watanabe stars in the role of O-Ei, daughter of acclaimed ukiyo-e painter Hokusai.
Source: ANN
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