Angel Films præsenterer Kontakt: Peter Sølvsten Thomsen, [email protected] Premiere: 25. februar Længde: 120 Minutter Censur: Tilladt for alle, men frarådes børn under 7 år Instruktør: Hiroyuki Okiura Premierebiografer: CinemaxX København, CinemaxX Odense, CinemaxX Århus, Empire Bio, Grand Teatret, Vester Vov Vov, Øst for Paradis, Cafe Biografen Odense, Biffen Aalborg, Valby Kino, Kulturbiografen Frysehuset Holbæk, Palads 1-2-3 Frederikshavn, Baltoppen Bio, Rødding Bio, Bibliografen, Atlas Biograferne i Rødovre, Humle Bio, Nicolai Biograf & Cafe m.fl. Synopsis: Den sidste gang den 11-årige pige Momo så sin far, havde de et skænderi. Nu er alt hun har tilbage fra ham et ufuldendt brev, der begynder med ordene “Kære Momo”. I søgen efter en ny start på tilværelsen flytter Momo og hendes mor ud på en ø, langt væk fra storbyen Tokyo hvor de før boede. Momo har svært ved at falde til i sit nye hjem, og hvad værre er, finder hun ud af, at loftet er beboet af tre Yokaier - magiske åndeskabninger som kun hun kan se. De tre væsener både larmer og stjæler, og Momo ønsker mest af alt, at de vil lade hende være i fred. Det viser sig dog, at de sjove monstre gemmer på en hemmelighed, som kan hjælpe Momo med at finde frem til, hvad hendes far forsøgte at fortælle hende i brevet. BREVET TIL MOMO er en del af børnefilmkonceptet RABALDER BIO. Læs mere på www.rabalderbio.dk Udvidet pressematerial kan downloades fra Angel Films hjemmeside: www.angelfilms.dk Kontakt: Peter Sølvsten Thomsen, [email protected] INDEX Festival History Awards and Recognitions What the World Said Interview with Hiroyuki Okiura Production Notes Staff Profiles FESTIVAL HISTORY 34th Toronto International Film Festival 2011 / World Premiere 27th Warsaw International Film Festival 2011 / International Competition European Premiere 44th SITGES International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia 2011 / Official Fantastic Competition / Spanish Premiere 31st Hawaii International Film Festival 2011 / Golden Orchid Award Nominee / USA Premiere 16th Busan International Film Festival 2011 / Official Selection / Asian Premiere 8th Dubai International Film Festival 2011 / Official Selection / Middle Eastern Premiere 15th New York International Children’s Film Festival (2012) / Continental North American Premiere 14th Future Film Festival (2012) / Italian Premiere 11th AniFest 2012 / Feature Film Competition / Czech Premiere 19th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film / AniMovie Competition / German Premiere 36th Annecy International Animation Film Festival / Official Selection / French Premiere 16th Fantasia Film Festival / Official Selection 60th Melbourne International Film Festival / Official Selection 20th Tokyo Kinder Film Festival / Kinder Jury’s Grand Prize and International Jury’s Special Prize 14th Buster - Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Youth / Official Selection 25th Helsinki International Film Festival / Official Selection 22nd Oslo International Film Festival / Official Selection 36th Gőteborg International Film Festival / Official Selection 32nd Anima - International Animation Film Festival of Brussels / Feature Film Competition 12th Monstra - Lisbon Animated Film Festival / Feature Film Competition 12th Nueva Mirada 2013 / Animated Feature Film Competition 30th Chicago International Children's Film Festival 2013 / Animated Feature Film Competition RECOGNITIONS Excellence Prize, Animation Division, 15th Japan Media Arts Festival (2011). Grand Prize for Best Feature Film, 15th New York International Children’s Film Festival Platinum Grand Prize, 14th Future Film Festival (2012) Best Feature Film Prize, 11th AniFest (2012) Public Prize for Best Animated Feature Film, 16th Fantasia Film Festival Kinder Jury’s Grand Prize and International Jury’s Special Prize, 20th Tokyo Kinder Film Festival Best Animated Feature Film, 6th annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs 2012) Jury Prize, 8th Mon Premier Festival Paris (2012) Prize of Excellence, Animation Category / 36th Japan Academy Prizes (2012) Jury’s Special Mention, Animated Feature Film Category / 12th Nueva Mirada 2013 2nd Children Jury's Prize, Animated Feature Film Category / 30th Chicago International Children's Film Festival (2013) 41st Annie Awards Nominee (2014) WHAT THE WORLD SAID "Seven years in the making, A Letter to Momo is a triumph of traditional hand-drawn animation. [...] A sensitive coming-of-age story that deals with loss and imagination." (Toronto International Film Festival) "This beautifully crafted work [...] is a true labor of love. A Letter to Momo is a story about overcoming loss, but moreover it is a tale about growing up and finding yourself. This film is bound to delight both adults and children alike." (Anna Page, HIFF 2011) "Hiroyuki Okiura needed seven years to complete this incredibly beautiful, handmade animated story, but I can assure you it was worth the wait." (Angel Sala, Director, Sitges) As gorgeous as A Letter to Momo is to behold, the film's sensitive portrayal of a teenager dealing with grief proves its most compelling element. [...] Okiura is so finely attuned to capturing the girl's experience in an authentic way that A Letter to Momo seems as likely to interest child psychologists as it is to entertain actual children. With its complex characterizations and multiple storylines, [A Letter to Momo] rivals mature live- action drama. Even so, the animation medium is essential to its unique surreal touches - especially the stunning climactic sequence, which rivals even "Spirited Away” [...]. (Peter Debruge, Variety) A compelling coming-of-age story dealing with important themes such as loss and sense of guilt, but unconventionally elaborated through humour-filled and heart-moving narrative paths, and featuring a visually essential and meticulously accurate animation rendering. (Future Film Festival’s Jury) A visual feast that also provides both hilarious comedy and moments of well-developed drama to create what will surely become an anime movie classic. 9/10. (Andy Hanley, UK Anime Network) A Letter to Momo is a wonderfully expressive and beautifully hand drawn tale that combines bursts of whimsy and kinetic humor with deep felt emotion and drama. The animation is superb throughout, from the painstakingly rendered serenity of the island’s Shinto shrines to the climactic finale – a frantic chase featuring thousands of squirming, morphing ghosts and goblins that is the best flight of supernatural fancy since Spirited Away. (New York International Children’s Film Festival) Tremendously enjoyable and surprisingly realistic. (Hong Kong International Film Festival) The story of Momo, a girl who’s moving from Tokyo to an island with her mother after the death of her father is a brilliant example of classic hand-drawn animation and presents the best in contemporary anime production. Momo meets mysterious little elves on the island and they help her overcome the loss and find out, what the letter to Momo was supossed to say…a moving story about grief, great loss, growing up and finding your own self is full of imagination, sometimes scary, sometimes black-humoured or even absurd. The screening in Teplice might be a unique chance to see it on the big screen – a must-see not just for all anime-fans. (AniFest 2012) Hiroyuki Okiura invested seven years in crafting A Letter to Momo, enlisting the finest talent in Japanese animation for this madly ambitious project in which every frame is hand-drawn, with an absolute minimum of digital effects. The resulting beauty and visual richness is nothing short of enchanting - a true work of art! Okiura, however, isn’t content to offer a technically accomplished film, and he has invested Momo with a storyline that’s both funny and fascinating, peopled with finely honed, complex characters. The worldly and the wondrous walk hand in hand here, and in this respect A Letter to Momo evokes the milestone moments is Studio Ghibli’s filmography, favourably comparable to the family classic My Neighbor Totoro by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Lively and amusing enough for youngsters and marked by mature themes that will impress the fussiest cinephile, A Letter to Momo isn’t just one of the most remarkable animated films of recent vintage, it’s among the best films of any stripe you’ll see in 2012. (Nicolas Archambault, Fantasia 2012) Seamless in both the storytelling and rendering... an excellent film. (Minhee Bae, The Film Stage) Manages to capture all the essence of the best Ghibli movies. (Guillem Rosset, Twitchfilm) Avec un grand soin apporté à son univers visuel, ses dialogues et ses enchaînements, cet anime simple et lumineux enchante. (Sandrine Marques, Le Monde) Le scénario, tout en mélancolie (...) laisse (...) place à l'humour, et apporte beaucoup de chaleur aux personnages très attachants pleuplant ce joli conte. (Yann Lebecque, L’Ecran Fantastique) Hiroyuki Okiura revient avec une fiction sensible et visuellement étonnante. (Gérard Delorme, Première) Le réalisateur met l’accent sur la psychologie de la jeune fille mais aussi sur les paysages sublimes de la mer intérieure de Seto tout en offrant des moments de sourire bienvenus grâce à la présence des yokais. (...) Une œuvre totalement maîtrisée mêlant les genres et les émotions pour nous emporter. (Caroline Vié, 20 minutes) Hiroyuki Okiura Interview + Press Material 1) As a young boy, did you like going to the movies? Do you remember your first love for film? And what kind of movies did you like, were there animation films?