These are our five recommended Asian feature films from the ANIMA Brussels International Animation Film Festival taking place from February 23 until March 3, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium.

Art College 1994 by Jian LIU – China | 2023 – 118 minutes

Campus of the China Academy of Art, 1994. As the country opens up to the West, a group of students slowly transition into adulthood, where love and friendships collide with lofty ideals and personal ambitions. Caught between tradition and modernity, they will have to choose who they want to become. (Anima 2024)

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Blue Giant by Yuzuru TACHIKAWA – Japan |2023 – 120 minutes

After attending his first live jazz concert, Dai decides to change his life overnight. Hypnotized by this music he knows nothing about, the young student throws himself heart and soul into learning the saxophone and jazz becomes his new passion. Will he succeed in becoming a great musician? (Anima 2024)

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Deep Sea by Tian XIAOPENG – China | 2023 – 112 minutes

Shenxiu, a 10-year-old girl, is sucked into the depths of the sea during a family cruise. She discovers the fantastic world of the abyss, an unknown realm populated by amazing creatures. This mysterious place is home to the Deep Sea restaurant run by the iconic Captain Nanhe. (Anima 2024)

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The Boy and the Heron by Hayao MIYAZAKI – Japan | 2023 – 124 minutes

After his mother dies in a fire, Mahito, an 11-year-old boy, has to leave Tokyo and goes to live in the countryside, in the village where his mother grew up. He moves in with his aunt and father in an old manor house on a huge estate. There he meets a mysterious grey heron …. Hayao Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece. (Anima 2024)

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The First Slam Dunk by Takehiko INOUE – Japan | 2022 – 124 minutes

Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local basketball player from an early age, Ryota gets hooked on basketball and plays for his high-school team, Shohoku. In the second round of the inter-high championship, Ryota, inspired by his late brother’s dream, takes on the defending champions, Sannoh High School, with his team. (Anima 2024)

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More information: https://animafestival.be/en