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Welcome to the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival website.
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival was launched at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff in November 2010, and hopes to become a yearly event, bringing you the best in Japanese Animation and culture. We are the only festival which focuses on Japanese animation in Wales.
The 2010 event included screenings of Japanese animations from mainstream to independent, workshops for children and a masterclass from repected animator Barry Purves.
The line-up for the 2011 festival is available on our programme page, and a list of this year's raffle prizes can be found on our raffle page.
A 'Kotatsu' is a table unique to Japan, which is draped by a blanket, futon or quilt, and which has a heater underneath. It's ideal to keep your feet and legs warm while you are working away on the cold winter nights. So come on in, pull the blanket around you and enjoy some of the finest Japanese animation available.
Message from Sayoko Kinoshita
I visited Cardiff in 1992, when I cooperated to curate special programs of Japanese animation for an international animation festival held in Cardiff at that time. I remember that I felt very relaxed during my stay, where I enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere of this historical city, and also, by many people I met at the shopping center who were so kind and warm. I even thought of living in a city like Cardiff! Perhaps, the Welsh language might have given me a warm impression too.
Then, in HIROSHIMA '98, I was very pleased to show a very strong special program of Welsh Animation, having originality and individuality in variety, and I also showed the program in Okinawa after our festival. At that time, I was delighted to learn the unique history and climate of Wales, reflected in the films. As such, I truly hope the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2010 will provide a good opportunity for Japanese animation filmmakers to spread their animation culture in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, as well as to study the very high-quality British animation art too.
I also hope that the Festival will serve as a good site for friendship and exchange, just like a family gathering at Kotatsu, supporting many Japanese animation filmmakers to become very successful internationally.
Festival Director
International Animation Festival in Japan - HIROSHIMA
Message from Isao Takahata
Isao Takahata is a Japanese Animation Film Director,
and Co-Head of Studio Ghibli
I am delighted to hear that this Japanese Animation Film Festival will be held at Cardiff, a city with a tradition of hosting film festivals. When I was informed that the title of the Festival was to be KOTATSU, I immediately felt something of a personal affinity; it was very much a serendipitous moment for me. By sheer coincidence one of my own films "Hohokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun" (My Neighbors the Yamadas) has many scenes based around the kotatsu, a Japanese style of room/body heater. The image of sitting around the kotatsu symbolizes the pleasure of happy family life in Japan. If you ever have the opportunity to see the film you will understand what kotatsu means.
And that's why I am particularly pleased to be able to wish every success to the KOTATSU Film Festival.
Message translated by Midori Matsui
