A film by press KIT The film Can time be made to stand still? Can it be reversed? life and intercuts them with the mother’s surrea- Koji Yamamura’s Muybridge’s Strings is a medi- listic daydreams — a poetic clash that explores the tation on this theme, contrasting the worlds of the irrepressible human desire to seize life’s fleeting photographer Eadweard Muybridge — who in 1878 moments, to freeze the instants of happiness. successfully photographed consecutive phases Enriched by Koji Yamamura’s refined artistry in the movement of a galloping horse — and a and Normand Roger’s soundtrack, Muybridge’s mother who, watching her daughter grow up, Strings observes the ties that cease to bind, fixes realizes she is slipping away from her. Moving its gaze on the course of life, and presents a between California and Tokyo, between the nine- moment in time suspended on the crystalline teenth century and the twenty-first, the film focuses notes of a canon by J.S. Bach. on some of the highpoints in Muybridge’s troubled g N RI Muybridge’S ST — PRESSKIT 2 eadweard Muybridge The designer of an ingenious system for capturing the consecutive movements of a galloping horse, photographer Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) is regarded as a pioneer in the field of photo- graphic analysis of motion. He began his photo- graphic experiments in 1872, but was forced to interrupt them after shooting and killing his wife’s lover. In 1879, he resumed them on various animals and, starting in 1886, on human subjects. In 1880, he developed the zoogyroscope, for projecting photographs in series, and replaced it in 1889 with an improved version called the zoopraxiscope which was inspired by the work of Émile Reynaud. g N RI Muybridge’S ST — PRESSKIT 3 Koji Yamamura Born in Nagoya in 1964, Koji Yamamura is one of the The winner of the grand prize at the Annecy, leading Japanese independent animation filmmakers. Hiroshima and a Zagreb animation festivals, and a He made his first shorts while still a teenager, showing nominee for the Oscar for Best Animated Short, a passion for film that he went on to develop further as the film vaulted Yamamura to a place among the a student at Tokyo Zokei University, where he discov- world’s top animation filmmakers. His subsequent ered the work of foreign filmmakers like Canada’s Ishu productions consolidated his reputation: The Old Patel, Russia’s Yuri Norstein and Estonia’s Priit Pärn. Crocodile (2005), A Child’s Metaphysics (2007) The influence of these masters of animation is and especially Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor apparent in his early films (Aquatic, 1987; Japanese- (2007). They reveal the vision of an artist with a English Pictionary, 1989; Perspektivenbox, 1990), distinctive personal style and a keen interest in graphic which are characterized by technical exploration. and sound experimentation. The allusions to various During the 1990s, Yamamura refined his style, forms of Japanese theatre in Mt. Head and Franz spending much of his time making films for children Kafka’s A Country Doctor give the films greater (Kid’s Castle, 1995; Bavel’s Book, 1996). This period depth and originality. Muybridge’s Strings (2011) is culminated with Your Choice! (1999), which he made Koji Yamamura’s first collaboration with the National collaboratively with a group of children after giving Film Board of Canada. workshops in Japan and the United States. Mt. Head (Atama Yama, 2002) marked a turning point in his career. g N RI Muybridge’S ST — PRESSKIT 4 Filmography 2007 A child’s Metaphysics 2007 Man & Whale 2007 Kafka Inaka isha 2006 Fig Grand Prize, Ottawa International Animation Festival; 2005 The Old Crocodile Best Short Film, Animadrid; Golden Jabberwocky, Etiuda &Anima 2003 Fuyu no hi (Winter Day) International Film Festival Krakow; Grand Prize, I Castelli Animati; 2003 O make (Pieces) Grand Prix, Internationales TrickFilm Festival Stuttgart; 2002 Atama Yama (Mt. Head) Grande Prémio, Monstora Lisbon 2003 Oscar nomination for Animated Film Festival; Best Short Film (Animated); Grand Prize, 2008 Hiroshima Grand Prix (The Annecy Cristal), Annecy 2003; International Animation Festival; Grand Prix, 16th Zagreb World Festival 12th International Animation Festival Prize of Animated Film; for Best Short Film, AniFest Trebon; Grand Prix, 2003 Hiroshima International Best Film in Category III, KROK Animation Festival (Best Animated Film International Animated Film Festival; International Competition); Silver Dove, International Leipzig Festival Grand Prix, 2003 Mediawave Hungary; for Documentary and Animated Film; Grand Prix (1st Prize, International Competition Silver Peg Bar, Animanima International Animated Film), 15th Filmfest Dresden; Animation Festival Serbia; “RICA” Grand Prix for best animated short film, Excellence Prize, Japan Media Arts Festival; Rencontres internationales du cinéma Ofuji Noburo Prize, Mainichi Film Awards. d’animation de Wissembourg; Best Film Animation, Festival Internacional de Filmets de Badalona; Best Short Animated Film, 2003 AniFest Trebon, Annual International Festival of Animated Films; Auszeichnung Computeranimation/ Visual Effects, Ars Electronica Festival; Silver Dove, International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film; Silver Jabberwocky, 2005 Etiuda & Anima International Film Festival Krakow; 2nd Prize, 2004 Festival Internazionale Cinema d’Animazione e Fumetto; Special Jury Award, Chiavari International Animated Film Festival; g N Special Jury Prize, 8th I Castelli Animati; RI Special Jury Prize, International Animated Film Festival Vilnius; Excellence Prize 2002, 6th Agency for Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival; Muybridge’S ST Excellence Prize, Interfilm 19th Short Film Festival Berlin; — PRESSKIT 5 Best Animation selected by jury, Kinofilm 1995 Kid’s Castle Manchester International Short Film Festival; Prix du Public for Best Short Film, 1995 Kipling Jr. 9th Cinema Tout Ecran Festival; Honourable Mention, Short Animation Film, Best Soundtrack Creation Award, Festival Adult Jury, Chicago International Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival; Children’s Film Festival; invited to 96 Seoul Special Mention, 19th International International Cartoon and Animation Festival; Short Film Festival Berlin; Fantoche International Animation Special Mention 12th Internationales Film Festival Baden; Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart. Festival of Light Filmfest and Animac Mostra International de Cinema d’Animacio Lleida; 1999 Docchini suru ? (Your choice?) Certificate of Participation Awards, Ottawa 1st Prize from the Adult Jury, Animated Shorts, International Animation Festival. 1999 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival and Jury Special Prize, 4th Seoul 1995 Pacusi International Family Film Festival; Certificate of Participation Awards, 14th 1993 Ame no hi International Festival of Film and Video Anifilm Praha prize for unconventional for Children and Young Adults Iran; and inventive animated film techniques, 7th ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film 1994 Zlin Film Festival; Festival; Annecy 2000; Asian Panorama Section, Second Prize, Category C, 1994 Hiroshima 11th Golden Elephant International Children’s International Animation Festival; Film Festival. Best Director-Animation Film, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival; 1999 REMtv CARP invited to 5th International New England Children’s Film Festival, Cairo International 1998 Chikyu rokkotsu otoko (Mr. Rib Globe) Film Festival, Best of Hiroshima 1994 in Canada & USA, World Youth Film Festival Canada, 1996 1996 Baberu no hon (Babel’s Book) Anima Mundi Festival, Festival of Cartoons 1st prize, Animation, Adult Jury, Chicago and Animated Films Brussels, and Festival International Children’s Film Festival; of Light Filmfest. Prize for Outstanding Film Animation for TV Category, 1997 Seoul Animation Expo; Certificate of Participation Awards, World Animation Celebration, Cianima 1997, Cartoombria 3rd International Animation Film Competition, Anima mundi 1998 and 1998 Ottawa International Animation Festival; Panorama, Annecy 1997. g N RI Muybridge’S ST — PRESSKIT 6 1993 Sandoicchi (The Sandwiches) 1987 Suisei (Aquatic) Anifilm Praha prize for unconventional Certificate of Participation Awards from 1987 and inventive animated film techniques, Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 1994 Zlin Film Festival; Festival International du Court Métrage de Best Director-Animation Film, Chicago Clermont-Ferrand, 1988 Shanghai International International Children’s Film Festival; Animation Film Festival; invited to 1990 Certificate of Participation Award from Hong Kong International Film Festival 5th International New England Children’s and Internationaler Experimentalfilm Film Festival. Workshop, Osnabrück. 1993 Karo to Piyobuputo “O-uchi” 1985 One night serenade (Karo & Piyobupt “A House) 1985 Nature History 1991 Fushigina Erebêtâ (The Elevator) 1990 Enkin. hô no hako-Hakase no sagashimono (Perspektivenbox) 1989 Hyakka zukan (Japanase-English Pictionary) Special Jury Prize Award, 1990 Image Forum Festival Tokyo; invited to ICA Young Japanese Cinema UK in 1990, Young Japanese Cinema USA in 1991 and Cinema Jove 1992 in Valencia. Certificate of Participation Awards from 1991 Tampere Film Festival in Finland and 1992 Shanghai International Animation Film Festival. g N RI Muybridge’S ST — PRESSKIT 7 Interview with Koji Yamamura How did Muybridge’s Strings come about? In my mind, there are two distinct events associated with the project. The first was a conversation I had with my wife about our daughter. We talked about the fact that she was growing