Born in the late 1950s, director Kōji Morimoto was formed at a time when Japanese manga and anime were becoming an unprecedented cultural phenomenon. Inspired by Osamu Tezuka, one of the pioneers of the genre, even called the “Father of Manga”, Morimoto followed his childhood passion for drawing without hesitation, already working on some of the biggest titles in the industry by the early 80s.
His work caught the attention of the creator of Akira, the film that changed the face of anime, Katsuhiro Otomo who, impressed by his talent, made Morimoto a collaborator on the anthologies Neo-Tokyo and Robot Carnival, where he made his directorial debut with the short film Franken’s Gears.
Kōji Morimoto’s name became known to the industry with his work on the animated film Akira, where he collaborated with Japan’s top animators to bring Otomo’s complex vision of a dystopian Tokyo to life. He then founded STUDIO4°C alongside Eiko Tanaka, known for her production work at the iconic Studio Ghibli on titles such as My Neighbor Totoro, and began to establish himself as a director. He has produced highly impactful works such as Magnetic Rose, in which two astronauts are drawn to an S.O.S. signal. to an asteroid that represents a whole world created by the memories of a woman, the revolutionary video of the song EXTRA (Ken Ishii), laureate at the 1997 MTV Gala for Best Video of the Year, but also The ANIMATRIX: Beyond, one of the spin-off episodes – the animated film inspired by the famous film The Matrix.
At Animest.19, the public will be able to see two of Kōji Morimoto’s most famous films on the big screens. Internationally acclaimed for its experimental form of narrative structure, the short film Noiseman Sound Insect (1997) tells the story of a scientist who creates a life form that feeds on music, which he runs out of control. It can be seen at the Cinemateca Eforie from 21:00. Earlier, from 19:00, the audience has the chance to see Genius Party Beyond, an omnibus of five short films produced by STUDIO4°C, including Dimension Bomb, directed by Kōji Morimoto. It flows like a form of visual poetry that traverses the inner world of a lonely character, passing through his pains, joys, fears and desires, until finally he can reach a new dimension. The screenings of the films will take place in the presence of the director, and at the end the audience will be able to meet him and ask him questions.
Animest.19 program and tickets will be available soon on the Eventbook platform.