Pompo: The Cinéphile (2022)
Director: Takayuki Hirao Run Time: 94 min. Release Year: 2021
Starring: Ai Kakuma, Akio Otsuka, Hiroya Shimizu, Konomi Kohara, Rinka Otani
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
About the film:
“Packed with visual homages and a deep abounding love for film in all its forms, from campy B-movies to Oscar-winning material, it’s a must-watch if you love cinema”
—Kim Morrissy for Anime New Network
Nominated for Best Indie Feature at the 2022 Annie Awards. A love letter to filmmaking from a popular and prolific animator and adapted from the popular manga of the same name, Pompo the Cinephile (2021) is a rollicking, exuberant ode to the power of the movies, and the joys and heartbreak of the creative process.
Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?
About the filmmakers:
Takayuki Hirao is a veteran Japanese animator and director best known for his work with animation studio Ufotable on projects like the God Eater franchise, the The Garden of Sinners films, and Magical Sisters Yoyo and Nene (2013). For his adaptation of Shogo Sugitami’s web manga, Pompo: The Cinéphile (2022), Takayuki worked with brand-new animation studio CLAP in pursuit of creating a masterpiece.
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