Aug 19th (Wed) 13:00～ @JMS ASTER PLAZA Grand Hall
Following the previous programs on Water at HAS 2022 and Earth at HAS 2024, this special program continues to explore the relationship between the elements of nature and animation. This edition focuses on Wind, bringing together animated works inspired by this element. The screening will be accompanied by commentary from the curator, Koji Yamamura, the Artistic Director of the festival. (Curator: Koji Yamamura)
Guest: Koji Yamamura
The film begins with pinhole camera photographs taken by Yoshiyasu Suzuka, known as a photographer. Within a pitch-black space, a meticulously crafted abstract animation, made from the same materials as Memory of Cloud, then unfolds.
Nobuhiro Aihara (1944-2011) Born in 1944 in Kanagawa prefecture. After attending design school Aihara began working as a commercial animator in 1965 at “Studio Zero”. Around the same time, Aihara began making independent animation, starting with “Rain” (1965) as his first independent work. In 1974, Aihara left “Studio Zero” and traveled to Europe, returning to Japan and joining “Oh! Production” in 1975. In 1986, Aihara began his position as a lecturer in the moving image department at the “Kyoto College of Art” and guided the younger generation of artists (he later transferred to “Kyoto University of the Arts”). Besides his work at the university, he contributed to the popularization of independent animation through regional animation workshops as well as the establishment of “Earth Club”. He served in the international selection committee at the “5th International Animation Festival in Japan – HIROSHIMA ‘94”. His representative works include “Yamakagashi (Rhabdophis Tigrinus)” (1972), “Fairy Flower” (1973), “Stone” (1975), “Karma” (1977), “Under the Sun” (1979), “Dusk” (1985), “Image (Shadow)” (1987), “Wind” (2000), “Lotus” (2007), as well as a collaborative work with Keiichi Tanaami, “Breathing of the Wind: Animation Correspondence” (2001). In 2011, Aihara passed away during his stay in Bali.
A child's first discovery of wind--the silent, invisible something that tickles his fancy, ruffles his hair, ripples the grass around him--portrayed here in winsome animated drawings. But the artist also shows the elemental force that carries all before it. Without words but with sound effects, this is a film of universal appeal.
Ron Tunis is a Canadian animator and director celebrated for his whimsical, abstract, and educational shorts produced for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He is best known for visually capturing the imaginative and free-spirited perspectives of children in his distinct animated style. Tunis's work at the NFB is frequently lauded for its tactility, sensory approach, and highly illustrative rendering. His 1979 short This Is Me notably earned international attention and was nominated for an award at the BAFTA Awards. His directing, writing, and animation portfolio often reflects a deep understanding of youth psychology and a vibrant, unbound aesthetic.
WIND is an animated short about the daily life of people living in a windy area who seem helplessly exposed to the weather. However, the inhabitants have learned to deal with their difficult living conditions. The wind creates a natural system for living.
Robert Loebel (born 1984 in the former GDR) is a German animator, illustrator and filmmaker. Influenced early on by Eastern European animated films on television, he developed a deep passion for animation at a young age. He studied graphic design on the Baltic Sea coast of Germany and later illustration in Hamburg. His graduation film Wind received international acclaim and was screened at numerous festivals worldwide. In 2017, his short films Link and Island were released simultaneously and also gained international festival recognition. Since 2018, Loebel has been hosting the independent animation interview podcast Trickfilmforscher (Animation Explorer). Together with Max Mörtl, he founded the animation collective Klimpa in 2019, focusing on experimentation in stop motion and 2D animation. Alongside his independent films, he works as a freelance animator, illustrator and teacher. After several years of creative searching, he completed the short film TIME in 2025 with Klimpa. A new short film, currently titled Bla Bla Bla, is funded and scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
An improvised dialogue of two little girls is the background for the expressive visualization of their view of marriage and babies, love and death.
John Hubley (1914–1977)
Began his career at Disney, serving as art director on Fantasia and Dumbo before quitting during the 1941 strike. He later became a creative leader at United Productions of America (UPA), developing the stylized Mr. Magoo character, but was blacklisted in the 1950s for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Faith Hubley (1924–2001)
Originally a music editor and script supervisor, she married John in 1955 and became a major independent voice in animation. After John’s death in 1977, she continued to produce a new animated film every year until her death in 2001.
A turbulent day, painted by the air.
In his own work, Lokman explores the boundaries of computer animation. This resulted in his first short film Barcode (2001), which has been selected for many international animation festivals and has won acclaim for its innovative use of computer animation. It won among others the Grand Prix at the Annecy animation festival and at the Holland Animation Film Festival, the jury prize at the Bittburg Festival in Hamburg and an honorable mention at the animation festival in Zagreb. His second short film Shredder (2002) was a combination of live action and animation. Another distinguishing feature of Lokman's work is the symbiosis of music and image. Both in Barcode and Shredder, he worked closely with composers Erik Stok and Jeroen Verheij. In Forecast the music was composed by Oscar van Dillen and performed by the Telesto Trio.