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Mixed martial arts thriller “Glass Dragon” has been picked up for international sales by MPI Media. The company is launching the title at the Cannes Market.

The film, now in post-production, is produced by Asia-facing Los Angeles company Eleven Arts and Re:Anime, a firm that adapts beloved anime series into captivating live-action films.

“Glass Dragon” stars Miki Mizuno (“Bayside Shakedown”), a martial artist and single mother who has to accelerate her life plans when things go badly wrong for her and her daughter. The picture also stars the veteran martial arts film star Mark Dacascos (“Cradle 2 the Grave,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “John Wick 3,” “Iron Chef America”). Other acting credits got to Maryjun Takahashi (“Rurouni Kenshin”) and Kiki Sukezane (“Westworld,” “Lost in Space”).

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Nik Shaw, the Los Angeles-based director and producer behind Re:Anime, whose short films have generated over 100 million views and 1 million subscribers on YouTube.

This review may contain spoilers.

Yusuke Hirota makes his directorial debut with STUDIO4 ºC on “Poupelle of Chimney Town” (2020). The director is not new to the film scene, however. Hirota previously worked with the studio as a CGI artist on projects like “Berserk” (2012) and “Mind Game” (2004). Likewise, “Poupelle” is not news, either. Comedian-turned-author Akihiro Nishino worked closely with Hirota to make “Poupelle” an extension of his previously published storybook. While the book covers around “three to four chapters” of Nishino’s ideas, the film intends to cover around “ten” – making it effectively an extension of the world that the book began.

“Poupelle of Chimney Town” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

As a result, “Poupelle of Chimney Town” (the movie) feels like a hodgepodge of storylines that combine into one. Here, under the walled, smog-covered skies of Chimneytown, Lubicchi (Mana Ashida) is a lonely chimney sweep.

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“Encanto” succeeded with the notion of “no villain, except generational trauma,” and Disney keeps that idea going with the delightful “Turning Red” (Walt Disney Home Entertainment), a young woman’s coming-of-age story that’s a metaphor for any number of growing-up issues, including that moment when the “model” child begins to chafe at parental domination. It’s charming and adorable, and the boy-band songs by Billie Eilish and Finneas have already made their way into the latter’s stage act.

Also available:

“The Batman” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) Does a three-hour superhero saga have deleted scenes? You bet your bat-hook, and they’re on the 4K/Blu-ray/DVD release alongside other extras.

“Blacklight” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment) Liam Neeson in the first of two (to date) 2022 thrillers that suggest that maybe it’s time for him to put down the gun.

“Cyrano” (MGM/Universal) Peter Dinklage gives...

Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s film is produced by Mike Elliott and McShane.

Altitude has boarded international sales on Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s thriller American Star led by Ian McShane, with the film completing production on the Spanish island of Fuerteventura.

Screen can reveal a first-look image of the film, above; Altitude will introduce it to buyers during Cannes.

American Star follows an assassin on a final assignment in Fuerteventura, to kill a man he has never met. When his target is delayed, he finds himself drawn to the island, people and a ghostly shipwreck; and when the target returns, everything has changed.

Film grossed over 20m on release in Japan.

UK-based Sc Films International has acquired international sales rights to Japanese animation Poupelle Of Chimney Town, based on Akihiro Nishino’s picture book.

The film grossed over 21m on release in Japan last year; Sc Films will launch sales at Cannes, on both the Japanese and English audio versions.

Poupelle is the story of a chimney sweep who befriends a man made of garbage; the young chimney sweep yearns to know the truths his father always told him about.

It is directed by Yusuke Hirota, and produced by Yusuke Kitahashi for Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.

Based on a children's book written by Japanese comedian Nishino Akihiro, Poupelle of Chimney Town is an anime film which premièred in Japan on Christmas of 2020. That's a fortuitous time of the year to see it for sure, as it is a heart-warming and beautiful film for the whole family, if a bit derivative. Its story takes place in an isolated town-state where the sky is obscured by smoke from an abundance of mines and factories. In fact, the occupants no longer believe there Is a sky, and the few who have ever seen a star peeking through are viewed by the townsfolk as liars, rebels or dangerously mad. The young boy Lubicchi is a chimney sweep who believes his late father's stories of...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Acclaimed Japanese animated film “Poupelle of Chimney Town” will release in North American home entertainment markets from May.

The rights in the U.S. and Canada are controlled by Eleven Arts which has appointed Shout! Factory to handle distribution. Following its theatrical release, the film will kick off with a premium VoD outing on May 3, 2022, have digital download availability from May 17 and finally launch as a Blu-ray and DVD combination from May 31.

Directed by Hirota Yusuke and produced at Tokyo’s STUDIO4ºC, “Poupelle” debuted in Japan at the end of 2020 and played at some the top festivals of 2021, including Rotterdam, Shanghai and animation specialty event Annecy.

The film’s awards and nominations haul includes a Japan Academy Film Prize for excellent animation of the year, a Cristal Award nomination from Annecy for best feature, an Annie awards nomination for best music – feature, and a Satoshi Kon Award nomination from...

Continuing our Oscar Volley series at The Film Experience. Abe Friedtanzer and Timothy Lyons on Best Animated Feature

My Sunny Maad, Belle, and Poupelle are all hoping to interrupt the Disney party in Best Animated Feature

Abe Friedtanzer: Most years after the Oscar nominations come out I have to play catch up on everything I've missed. That's not the case in a second consecutive season where the Oscars are later in the calendar. I have caught most of the contenders here. The mainstream American studio options are actually all great but of course I'd love to see some international choices make the cut. Belle seems like a decent bet to crack the list, and while it's a terrific film, I want to champion another Japanese movie, Poupelle of Chimney Town. I do worry that it's too under-the-radar to get enough votes, but it was the most visually striking animation I saw all year.

It’s tempting to draw a straight line between the Academy’s increasingly global composition and the unprecedented triumph of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” in 2019. And if we regard the Academy’s changing attitude less as a driver and more as a symptom of a more general broadening of cultural horizons, the correlation is more than pure coincidence.

But the real story of international talent making waves at the Oscars is more complex, differing from category to category and complicated by varied international release strategies. With respect to the role international festivals can play in this process, “Parasite’s” win at Cannes gave it an enviable profile boost in 2019, but even that was a little anomalous: in recent years Venice has eclipsed Cannes and U.S. festivals as a launchpad for Oscar players.

Cannes prizewinner “Drive My Car” has a shot at Oscar noms in several categories.

After 2020’s instability,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday revealed the 276 feature films that are eligible for consideration at the 94rd Oscars, which are set to air live March 27 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The number is 90 fewer than last year’s 366, but this year’s eligibility period was only 10 months.

To be eligible for Best Picture consideration, films must have submitted a confidential Academy Representation and Inclusion Standards entry as part of the submission requirements. Nominations voting begins January 27 and concludes on February 1. The Oscar nominations will be revealed on Tuesday, February 8.

Today’s news comes about a month after the Academy released its shortlists in the International Film, Documentary Feature, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Sound and the Live-Action, Documentary and Animated Shorts categories.

Here is the full list of films eligible for Best Picture at the 94rd annual Academy Awards,...

“Poupelle of Chimney Town” begins where “Toy Story 3” ends, with a daring escape from a dangerous garbage incinerator. You see, it’s not always easy to tell the trash from the treasure in Chimney Town, a richly imagined steampunk metropolis where smokestacks crowd the skyline, belching so much thick black haze into the air that an entire generation of soot-covered townspeople has ceased to believe in the stars. The lone exception, a bobble-headed boy named Lubicchi (Antonio Raul Corbo), is always looking up, determined to prove to everyone that there’s something beyond all that “smoky smoke.”

To prove his theory, this pint-sized Galileo’s gonna need help, and he finds it in the form of an unlikely friend, magically brought to life one night from the local landfill — a literal “garbage man” he decides to call Poupelle. This stinky scarecrow-looking character might not seem like the most appealing of companions,...

The Animated Fantasy Poupelle Of Chimney Town opens in St. Louis Friday at Marcus Ronnie’s Cinema, Marcus Des Peres Cinema, and the AMC Classic Chesterfield 14

Poupelle of Chimney Town is the story of young Lubicchi living among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town, yearning to see the “stars” — to know the truth — his father always told him about. One Halloween night he meets Poupelle, a man made of garbage, and together they look to the sky as their adventure begins. Spectacularly beautiful, filled with inspiring performances and splendid music and sound effects, and produced at Tokyo’s famed STUDIO4ºC, Poupelle of Chimney Town brings laughter, tears and joy.

The film stars Tony Hale (Poupelle), Antonio Raul Corbo (Lubicchi), Stephen Root (Bruno), Misty Lee (Lola) and Hasan Minhaj (Scoop). Running time: 100 minutes.

Poupelle of Chimney Town was an Official Selection at this year’s Annecy...

Sony Pictures Entertainment follows its release of Parallel Mothers last week with Jockey in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Friday in a specialty market crowded by holdovers and wide releases, and amid a Covid-19 surge that’s particularly tough on art houses. The frame isn’t ideal for new specialty fare in any case, but gets it on the board for a January rollout ahead of Oscar nominations.

SPC acquired Jockey out of Sundance where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury award for star Clifton Collins Jr. as an aging rider trying to win one last championship race. The directorial debut of Clint Bentley will expand nationwide following its exclusive debut. The Oscar hopeful (87% Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics’ score) was one of Deadline critic Todd McCarthy’s top ten picks of the year. See his review here.

Collins plays Jackson Silvan,...

A strong contender for the finest animated film of 2021, Poupelle Of Chimney Town is a high concept fantasy film charting the adventures of young chimney sweep Lubicchi (Mana Ashida), a boy who, despite his fear of heights, strives to climb as high as he can in the hope of seeing the stars. This was his father’s dream and his father has been missing for a long time, perhaps a victim of Chimney Town’s secretive authoritarian government, which doesn’t like the concept of stars. Smoke has blotted out the sky for as long as anybody can remember and it suits them to keep their people believing that the city is the whole world. So far, Lubicchi has been too small to concerns them, but he’s reached the age when colleagues are starting to warn him that he needs to be more circumspect. Everything comes to a head when he meets.

Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” the studio’s first Southeast Asian action-adventure, led Asifa-Hollywood’s 49th Annie Awards with 10 nominations, including best animated feature. Disney’s Colombian-set musical “Encanto,” followed with nine nods, while Pixar’s Italian-set “Luca” tied for eight with Sony Animation/Netflix’s innovative, 2D-inspired “The Mitchells vs. The Machines.” This year’s ceremony is scheduled to return live on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

The best feature noms went to “Raya,” (from “Big Hero Six” Oscar-winning director Don Hall), “Encanto”, “Luca,” “The Mitchells” (from “Spider-Verse” Oscar-winning producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller), and Illumination’s “Sing 2.” The competitive studio race for best feature could go Disney’s way or “The Mitchells'” (winner of the NYFCC animated feature award).

The race for best independent feature, meanwhile, was led by GKids’ “Belle,” the metaverse “Beauty and the Beast”-inspired musical from director Mamoru Hosoda...

Netflix’s investment in animation has paid off in a big way, as the streamer picked up a whopping 52 nominations at the 49th Annie Awards. Following behind is Disney, which received 29 bids between its film and TV projects.

Taking place on Feb. 26, 2022 at UCLA’s Royce Hall and presented by the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, the Annie Awards recognize excellence in cinema and television.

Netflix picked up nine nominations for “Arcane,” its series based on Riot Games’ online multiplayer game “League of Legends.” The hit film from Sony Pictures Animation “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” earned eight nods, and Netflix’s own limited series “Maya and the Three,” directed by Jorge Gutierrez, has seven.

While Disney lagged behind Netflix for total nominations, the studio’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” led all content with 10 nominations, followed by its studio sibling “Encanto,” which picked up nine.

Animation, documentary submissions also tallied.

The Academy has confirmed it has received 93 country submissions for the international feature film category in the run-up to the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022.

The Academy said on Monday (December 6) it had also received 26 animated feature and 138 documentary feature submissions.

The entire list of international feature film submissions can be viewed here and includes a first submission from Somalia. The Academy said some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfil that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.

Animation, documentary submissions also tallied.

The Academy has confirmed it has received 93 country submissions for the international feature film category in the run-up to the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022.

The Academy said on Monday (December 6) it had also received 26 animated feature and 138 documentary feature submissions.

The entire list of international feature film submissions can be viewed here and includes a first submission from Somalia. The Academy said some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfil that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.

Eleven Arts, the Los Angeles-based distribution company known for bringing high-quality Japanese animation from world-renowned studios to North America, announced today it will release the breathtakingly beautiful and moving feature-length animated film Poupelle of Chimney Town in cinemas nationwide starting December 30, 2021. Poupelle of Chimney Town, created at Tokyo’s renowned STUDIO4ºC and directed by Yusuke Hirota, is based on the bestselling picture book and screenplay by internationally known Japanese comedian and illustrator Akihiro Nishino. Poupelle of Chimney Town made its English World Premiere at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles. Eleven Arts will qualify the film for 2021 awards consideration and release the film theatrically in English and in Japanese.

“We are very proud to bring Poupelle of Chimney Town to North American audiences. It’s an incredibly impactful animated feature that audiences will relate to and be deeply moved by,” said Ko Mori, CEO of Eleven Arts.

The Animation Podcast Ep. 139 — The Animation Podcast is an official podcast of FilmBook. The Animation Podcast is an animation news podcast on the latest animation movie news and animation television show news. Each week, FilmBook contributor Ephraim Birney discusses that breaking United States and international news. Shownotes Top News Stories (1:41) Marvel [...]

Continue reading: The Animation Podcast Ep. 139: Poupelle Of Chimney Town Review, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie Announcement, Platinum End Dub, & More...

Poupelle of Chimney Town Review — Poupelle of Chimney Town (2020) Film Review from the 4th Annual Animation Is Film Festival, a movie directed by Yusuke Hirota and starring Tony Hale, Antonio Raul Corbo, Stephen Root, Misty Lee, Hasan Minhaj, Tristan Allerick Chen, Candace Kozack and Aleks Le. Filmmaker Yusuke Hirota’s Poupelle of Chimney Town is quite an [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: Poupelle Of Chimney Town: An Entertaining And Heartfelt Story Of Friendship [Aif 2021]...

After a year-long delay due to the pandemic, the Animation Is Film festival returns this year for its fourth edition, taking place Oct. 22-24. The festival will be held, as it traditionally has been, at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood and will feature a competition lineup of the best animation films of the year, as well as other special events.

“If you look at the lineup, you’ll see that there are titles … that have played at Sundance and Cannes and Annecy, and the festival is an opportunity for everyone to see these films,” says Matt Kaszanek, director, Animation Is Film. “We’re really happy with the lineup we were able to put together this year in the strange times of 2021, so we’re really excited for the program and we hope everyone else is too.”

The festival kicks off with the North American premiere of the Netflix feature “The Summit of the Gods,...

Animation is Film announced the competition lineup and other special events for the fourth edition of the festival, which will take place from Oct. 22-24 at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. The lineup includes 12 feature films in competition as well as 20 programs overall including shorts.

The festival will open with the North American premiere of upcoming Netflix animated feature “The Summit of the Gods,” directed by Patrick Imbert and adapted from Jiro Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura’s manga series. Imbert will appear for a post-screening Q&a. The centerpiece film on Oct. 23 is the West Coast premiere of Gkids’ “Belle,” directed by Mamoru Hosada who will also appear for a Q&a. The West Coast premiere of Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee” will close the festival.

Also among the competition features are the world premiere of the English dub of Yusuke Hirota’s “Poupelle of Chimney Town,” the North...

On Thursday, the Austin Film Festival unveiled its 2021 lineup, comprising 26 World, North American, and US Premieres, setting Oscar nominee Peter Hedges’ The Same Storm as its Opening Night Film.

The feature examining the tumult of the Covid-19 pandemic boasts a stacked cast, with Noma Dumezweni, Mary-Louise Parker, Sandra Oh, Elaine May, Raúl Castillo, Ato Blankson-Wood, Corey Michael Smith, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston and Alison Pill amongst its ensemble.

Other marquee titles to look out for at the 28th edition of the festival, taking place from October 21-28, include Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, Mike Mills’ latest A24 pic C’mon C’mon, led by Joaquin Phoenix, Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II, starring Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton and more, and Joachim Trier’s Neon festival favorite The Worst Person in the World.

Spencer King’s Dark Star Pictures title Time Now will make its World Premiere alongside...

The fourth edition of the Animation Is Film festival (Aif) returns in-person October 22-24 to the Tcl Chinese 6 in Hollywood, and will kick off opening night with the North American premiere of Netflix’s “The Summit of the Gods,” the breathtaking French 2D feature from director Patrick Imbert (“The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales”), who will do an in-person Q&a.

“The Summit of the Gods” (opening November 24 in select theaters and streaming November 30) is adapted from the popular manga and concerns a Japanese adventure photographer and mountain climber obsessed with finding a legendary climber obsessed with scaling Mount Everest.

Other highlights include the West Coast premieres of GKids’ “Belle” on October 23 and Neon’s award-winning “Flee” on October 24. “Belle” is the musical fantasy 2D reworking of “Beauty and the Beast” from Oscar-nominated anime master Mamoru Hosoda (“Mirai”), who will do an in-person Q&a. “Flee” (December 3) is the...

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival got an early 25th birthday present in the form of James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad,” which will receive a special screening on Aug. 4, the day before Fantasia officially kicks off with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s zombie thriller “Brain Freeze.” Gunn is a long-time friend of the fest, having first attended in 1997 before later returning for the Canadian premiere of his Marvel blockbuster “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Fantasia also unveiled its second wave of features participating at this year’s festival, joining a raft of titles announced in May, and will announce the rest of its slate in late July along with details on several virtual events and this year’s juries.

New world premieres, joining the a six-pack announced last month, include Ruth Platt’s “Martyrs Lane,” Anna Zaytseva’s feature debut “#Blue_Whale,” Jonathan Rhys Meyers-starrer “Yakuza Princes” from filmmaker Vicente Amorim,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary edition in style, with the announcement of a special screening of James Gunn's The Suicide Squad! We also have a look at more of their impressive lineup, as their second wave has been announced (with a third wave announcement still to come):

The Fantasia International Film Festival will launch its 25th edition this summer as an exciting virtual event composed of scheduled screenings, on-demand library, panels, and workshops, taking place from August 5th to August 25th. The festival will be accessible across Canada, geo-locked to the country, and will maintain unique film admittance quantities in line with the cinema experience.

Fantasia is thrilled to reveal a second wave of programming and will return in late July with a third and final line-up announcement, including features, virtual events, and juries.

In celebration of Fantasia’s 25th anniversary, the international film...

New independent label will handle sales on five to six high-end animated features a year.

Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch International (Wbi) and leading French animation distributor Gebeka Films are joining forces to create joint animation world sales label Gebeka International.

“The long-term goal is to handle sales on five to six big independent animated features with festival and awards potential a year,” explained Wbi co-head Vincent Maraval.

He will oversee the new venture with Gebeka Films president Réginald de Guillebon.

Lyon-based Gebeka Films specialises in releasing high-end French and European animated features in France. Past releases include Rémi Chayé’s Calamity,...

The one-off summer edition ran in cinemas from June 2-6 and continued online until today (June 9).

My Name Is Francesco Totti, Alex Infascelli’s feature documentary about the legendary Roma football star, has won the audience award worth €5,000 at the one-off summer edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

The event ran in cinemas from June 2-6 and continued online until today (June 9). The IFFR’s 50th edition in early February was forced online due to Covid-19.

Festival director Vanja Kaludjercic talked of the emotion she felt on the opening night of the summer edition, introducing the screening of...

The one-off summer edition ran in cinemas from June 2-6 and continued online until today (June 9).

My Name Is Francesco Totti, Alex Infascelli’s feature documentary about the legendary Roma football star, has won the audience award worth €5,000 at the one-off summer edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

The event ran in cinemas from June 2-6 and continued online until today (June 9). The IFFR’s 50th edition in early February was forced online due to Covid-19.

The audience award was given to the film which earned highest average vote in an audience poll.

Festival director Vanja Kaludjercic talked...

Ever since the 1960s, animators from the world over have assembled in the Alpine French city of Annecy to celebrate animated film. Initially a biannual event, the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival switched to a once-a-year gathering back in 1998, and continued thus until last year, when the pandemic forced the festival to go online only.

Now back for a 60th anniversary observance, Annecy will present a full-sized lineup of official competition films, works-in-progress, TV content and showcases from June 13-19. With travel restrictions keeping the fest from resuming at its usual capacity, artistic director Marcel Jean says Annecy is striving to present a “hybrid” festival. Some offerings will be restricted to in-person at­­tendees, and others available online.

“When we began to work concretely on the festival last November, we already had in mind the idea of a hybrid festival,” Jean says. “A lot of people told us that we were too optimistic,...

The closing part of this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) kicks off Wednesday with a vast program of films and events that includes an all-new section and a showcase of works from up-and-coming filmmakers.

The first part of IFFR’s 50th edition, which ran Feb. 1-7, focused on the main Tiger, Big Screen and Ammodo Tiger Short competitions as well as the Limelight sidebar, a preview of upcoming arthouse releases. From February to June, the fest continued to stream films from its rich history as part of the IFFR Unleashed: 50/50 program.

A total 139 features, short and mid-length films are screening in the Harbour, Bright Future, Cinema Regained, Classics and Short and Mid-Length Film sections. Harbour is the festival’s newest and largest program.

“The port is the backbone of the city of Rotterdam and in the same way Harbour is the backbone of the festival itself,” says festival director Vanja Kaludjercic.