On August 15th, they told us we had lost the war.
At that time, we did not really understand.
Then one day, everything changed.
Many soldiers, wearing uniforms we had never seen before, arrived on the island.
That was the day I met Tanya.

- Jury Distinction, 38th Annecy Animation Film Festival (2014)
- Satoshi Kon Award, 18th Fantasia Film Festival (2014)
- Audience Award, 18th Fantasia Film Festival (2014)
- Jury Special Mention, 13th Nueva Mirada (2014)
- Jury Award, 5th Scotland Loves Animation (2014)
- Children's Jury Prize, 31st Chicago Int'l Children's Film Festival (2014)
- Adult Jury Prize, 31st Chicago Int'l Children's Film Festival (2014)
- Excellence Prize, 18th Japan Media Arts Festival (2014)
- Excellence Prize, 38th Japan Academy Prizes (2015)
- Best Animated Film, 69th Mainichi Film Awards (2015)
- Public Award for Best Animated Feature Film, 9th Navarra Anime Festival (2015)
- BeTV Award for Best Animated Film, 34th Anima Film Festival (2015)
- Jury Honorable Mention, 15th Monstra - Lisbon Animated Film Festival (2015)
- Adult Jury Best Picture Award, 18th Reel 2 Real Film Festival for Youth (2015)
- Platinum Grand Prize, 17th Future Film Festival (2015)

Giovanni's Island (original title: Giovanni no Shima) is a hand-drawn animated feature film directed by Mamoru Oshii's longtime collaborator, Mizuho Nishikubo, and penned by Shigemichi Sugita (Kita no kuni kara / From the Northern Lands) and Yoshiki Sakurai (Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.). The film is presented by the Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME) to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and opened nationwide in Japan on February 22, 2014 by Warner Entertainment Japan. Production I.G is handling international sales worldwide.

Watch the international trailer here

What the World Said
In a manner relatively uncommon for animation, Giovanni's Island deals in historical events including occupations, deportations and concentration camps (...). It's a brave choice that works much as The Book Thief or The Diary of Anne Frank have done, offering young viewers a window of understanding into incomprehensible events. (Variety)

A timeless drama. (NYICFF)

A touching work of wisdom and poetry. Superb. (Le Figaro Magazine)

Charming. (The Times)

Affecting. (The Guardian)

Enchanting. (Première)

Blends different styles with poetic charm. (Studio Ciné Live)

This historical melodrama is a superior work of animation. (Fantasia Film Festival)

Powerful, humane and unexpectedly magical. (Melbourne IFF)

An example of the finest in contemporary Japanese anime. (Discovery Film Festival)

An incredibly affecting story, incredibly well told - this is surely a future classic that will be spoken of for decades to come. (UK Anime Network)

To call it stunning would be an understatement. (Playback)

Story
In the aftermath of the most devastating conflict mankind had ever experienced, the tiny island of Shikotan became part of the Sakhalin Oblast... and on this forgotten border in a remote corner of the world, friendship among children from two different countries timidly blossomed, striving to overcome language barriers and the waves of history. Based on true events.

About Shigemichi Sugita
Born in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, in 1943. A multi-awarded director, scriptwriter and film producer, he is probably best known for directing the hugely successful Hokkaido-set TV drama series, Kita no Kuni kara (From the Northern Lands), that started in 1981 and ran for 21 years, spanning one season and several specials, with audience share peaking 38.4%. He directed a number of other popular dramas (including Shonen H / A Boy Called H, from the award-winning novel by Kappa Senoo) and three feature films, namely Yushun - Oración (1988, from Teru Miyamoto's novel), Last Song (1994), and Japan Academy Prize-winner Saigo no Chushingura (The Last Ronin, 2010). He is currently chairman of the All Nippon Producers Association and President & CEO of Nihon Eiga Satellite Broadcasting Corporation.

About Mizuho Nishikubo
Born in Tokyo in 1953. A longtime and most trusted collaborator of Mamoru Oshii, Nishikubo has worked as animation director under his real name of Toshihiko Nishikubo in most Oshii's animated films, including Ghost in the Shell (1995), Palme d'Or-nominee Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) and Golden Lion-nominee The Sky Crawlers (2008). It is said that Oshii's movies wouldn't look the same without his contribution. His credits as director include, Video Girl Ai (1992, OVA), Otogi Zoshi (2004, TV series) and Atagoal: Cat's Magical Forest (2006, movie). He also directed the music clip Tsepi i kol'tsa / Chains & Rings (2003) for Russian rock star Linda, and the internationally praised NEXT A-Class commercial film for Mercedes-Benz (600,000 views on YouTube in 3 days). His latest feature film, Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai (2009), written by Mamoru Oshii, screened in Locarno, Sitges, Warsaw, Stockholm and Vladivostok.

Release in Japan: February 22, 2014
Format: 102 minutes

© 2014 JAME