These are our ten recommended films from the Niigata International Animation Film Festival which is taking place from March 15 – 20, 2024 in Niigata, Japan.

Four Souls of Coyote by Áron Gauder – Hungary | 2023 – 103 minutes

Native American teenagers confront an oil pipeline project, down the hill from their ancestral land. The grandfather evokes the tale of Creation, reminding all of us that we need to find our place in the great circle of creatures. (Mubi)

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Grave of the Fireflies by Isao Takahata – Japan, USA | 1988 – 89 minutes

After their mother dies following an air raid, a young brother and sister in Japan at the height of World War II struggle to survive and protect one another in an abandoned shelter. (Mubi)

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Junk Head by Takahide Hori – Japan | 2017 – 115 minutes

It has been centuries since human beings abandoned mortality and natural reproduction. Centuries since they delegated danger and drudgery to clones, only to see their subjugated creations revolt and exile themselves in the vast subterranean underworld. (Mubi)

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Kensuke’s Kingdom by Neil Boyle, Kirk Hendry – UK | 2023 – 74 minutes

When young Michael is shipwrecked on a remote Pacific island he struggles to survive alone. But what if he is not alone? And what if there is something more frightening than being alone? Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. (Mubi)

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Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons by Veerapatra Jinanavin – Thailand | 2023 – 90 minutes

A story inspired by the original RAMAYANA, retold in a futuristic universe, involving brave warriors who possess ancient powers from another dimension. (Mubi)

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Mars Express by Jérémie Périn – France | 2023 – 85 minutes

Aline Ruby, a stubborn private detective and Carlos Rivera, an android replica of her partner who died five years before, set off on a race against time to Mars. Their mission is to find Jun Chow, a cybernetics student on the run, before the assassins hot on her heels kill her. (Mubi)

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On the Bridge by Sam and Fred Guillaume – France, Switzerland | 2022 – 48 minutes

Men and women board a mysterious train that takes them to a suspension bridge between heaven and earth. Some of them try to understand why they are here, others talk about their hopes and fears Everyone is on their way to a mysterious goal – the presumed end of the bridge – but does it really exist? (Mubi)

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Sultana’s Dream by Isabel Herguera – Spain | 2023 – 86 minutes

Taking her inspiration from a feminist sci-fi short story written in Bengal in 1905, Inés sets out on a voyage of discovery around India in search of Ladyland, the Utopian land of women. (Mubi)

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The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey – Ireland | 2017 – 93 minutes

Parvana is an 11-year-old girl who lives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001. After the wrongful arrest of her father, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her family. Working alongside a friend, she soon discovers a new world of freedom and danger. (Mubi)

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The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Mamoru Hosoda – Japan | 2006 – 98 minutes

Makoto, a teenage girl, finds that she has the ability to leap through time. She tries to use her newfound power to her advantage, but soon finds that tampering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results. (Mubi)

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For more information, please visit: https://niigata-iaff.net/en/