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There arechildrenwhodonotbecomeadults Somewhere, inacountrysimilartoours They areverysimilartous Directed byMamoruOshii Present

©MH/NI,BWDVYHDYCH Somewhere, in a country similar to ours There are children who do not become adults They are very similar to us

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER BY MAMORU OSHII

The story takes place in another possible ‘now’ - a world that has eradicated war and finally attained peace. However, this prolonged state of peace created demand for a new kind of war. A conflict happening elsewhere, that could be seen on TV or read in the papers - in order to get a feeling of reality.

Private war contractors enlist fighter pilots to perform their services in an endless “war as entertainment.” They call these pilots Kildren. Innocent-looking teenagers in appearance, Kildren never age into adulthood, and live in a state of eternal adolescence until the day they drift gracefully through the endless skies.

One day, pilot Yuichi Kannami arrives to his newly assigned airbase. He has only vague memory of his past. The only two things he recalls are that he is a Kildren and how to operate a fighter plane.

A woman is keeping an eye on Yuichi. She is Suito Kusanagi, the base commander. A Kildren herself, Suito behaves as if she’s been waiting to meet Yuichi for a long time. Perplexed, Yuichi is nevertheless gradually attracted by her.

All pilots at the base have to confront the most invincible enemy ace, known as Teacher. His trademark is a black jaguar painted on the nose of his plane. It is said that if you run into him up in the sky, you don’t come back to tell your friends.

Who really is Teacher? What does Suito know about Yuichi’s past? What are the secrets behind the Kildren?

THE WORLD-ACCLAIMED ANIMATION AUTEUR MAMORU OSHII BRINGS HIS LATEST MASTERPIECE TO LIGHT...

Born in Tokyo in 1951, Mamoru Oshii has changed the image of Japanese animation worldwide with his epoch-making GHOST IN THE SHELL that topped the Billboard video chart in 1996. The movie greatly influenced many filmmakers such as James Cameron and the Wachowski brothers. In 2004, Oshii made history again with GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE, the first Japanese animation feature film ever to be nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes.

With his most anticipated animation film, THE SKY CRAWLERS, Oshii moved on from his former filmmaking to a new style, while continuing to collaborate with Production I.G, the most cutting-edge anime studio behind GHOST IN THE SHELL and KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (animation segment).

The story is based on a best-selling 6-volume novel written by MORI Hiroshi, an amazingly prolific writer whose books sold over 10 million copies in Japan alone. ©MH/NI,BWDVYHDYCH MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR MAMORU OSHII

«I have a message for the younger generation.» The protagonists of THE SKY CRAWLERS are children destined to live forever. They are known as Kildren. I turned 56 this year. Their life spans continue indefinitely in a state of eternal I am at an age where I am neither too young nor too old adolescence. It is not because they can’t become adults. to direct a film. Although I still have lots of what I want to It’s because they do not. experience and accomplish, in societal terms, I could be described as in my «prime years.» I sometimes feel aware The story is set on another possible, alternative ‘now’. of my age especially when I’m surrounded by staff that is Here, Kildren fight in a “war as a show” organized and much younger than me, or when I’m face to face with my operated by adults, a situation that can be considered daughter, who is no longer a child. a mirror image of our modern society. Today’s children may not know what to do with their futures, which seems Consequently I’ve thought about these issues in my role as indefinite and everlasting to them. Perhaps the offspring a filmmaker. I felt urged to give a message to the younger of modern consumerism, they are aware that there’s no generation. need to become adults. Couldn’t we say that they are In our peaceful country, there is no more starvation, destined to live their entire life as children? revolution, or war. We have a society where we can live out our allotted spans of lives without ever having to feel At the climax of the movie, we hear a monologue by deprived of food, clothing, or shelter. Ironically, I am the main character, Yuichi: unsure as to whether this is a good thing. Once I read the story of a man who climbed the skies and reached «But today is different from yesterday Heaven, but got bored after a few days. We are animals, And tomorrow is different from today whose true natures come out the moment we possess what You can change the side of the road that you walk we desire. down every day. Even if the road is the same, you can still see new things.» Isn’t this comfortable life that we have achieved, a monotonous purgatory that doesn’t end until we die? This is the theme of the movie and my message to the Perhaps the current society is the essential reason to all youngsters. Even if you had eternal life, your yesterday the painful crimes happening among the young adults would be different from your today. Rustling of the trees, today. Parents killing their own children. Children killing smell of the wind, warmth of a person next to you – all their own parents. Children killing themselves. And all of which may be subtle, but these are the proofs that ABOUT MAMORU OSHII for incomprehensible reasons. you’re alive. If you look at our world this way, the place Mamoru Oshii is one of the most remarkable personalities in THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (2004, first Japanese animated we are living in is not so bad at all. Your life may just be modern Japanese filmmaking. He introduced introspective feature film ever nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Festival The young people who choose not to work after leaving a repeat of everyday, yet everyday you will see something philosophical speculation into the world of animation, de Cannes) and TACHIGUI: THE AMAZING LIVES OF school and don’t pursue employment. Others who make different. influencing at the same time movie creators all around the THE FAST FOOD GRIFTERS (2006, officially selected for the a bare existence as «temporary employees.» The girls globe with his visionary style. Oshii joined the animation 63rd Venice Film Festival). Oshii has also directed a number of who hang out on shopping malls and the boy who killed We should treasure each moment of it and make the best industry in 1977. His main works are URUSEI YATSURA 2: live-action features, including AVALON (2001). Oshii’s latest his parent... out of your given fate. BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (1984), PATLABOR: THE MOVIE new movie, THE SKY CRAWLERS, has premiered in Japan Adults give bad names to these kids as if they were some I don’t want to give young people a hollow sense of justice (1989), the epoch-making GHOST IN THE SHELL on August 2, 2008. kind of plague. or a clichéd pep talk. (1995, N. 1 in Billboard Top Video Sales Chart), GHOST IN In these times, we should be listening to them. So As a filmmaker, I’d like to show them a small and quiet I think about what kind of message would penetrate their but truthful hope with this movie. shriveled heart. SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

1981 URUSEI YATSURA - LUM THE INVADER GIRL (director, TV Series) 1983 DALLOS (director, video series) 1983 URUSEI YATSURA: ONLY YOU (director, movie) 1984 URUSEI YATSURA 2: BEAUTIFUL DREAMER (director, movie) 1985 ANGEL’S EGG (director, movie) 1987 THE RED SPECTACLES (director, movie) 1988 MOBILE POLICE PATLABOR (director, video series) 1989 PATLABOR 1: THE MOVIE (director, movie) 1991 STRAY DOGS: KERBEROS PANZER COPS (director, movie) 1992 TALKING HEAD (director, movie) 1993 PATLABOR 2: THE MOVIE (director, movie) 1995 GHOST IN THE SHELL (director, movie) 1999 JIN-ROH ~ THE WOLF BRIGADE (original script, movie) 2000 BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (planning, movie) 2001 AVALON (director, movie) 2004 GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (director, movie) 2006 TACHIGUI: THE AMAZING LIVES OF THE FAST FOOD GRIFTERS (director, movie)

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