19 – 29 October
If you have a bold cinematic vision, why not get animated about it? These four adaptations skirt the inherent problems of traditional filmmaking by drawing from deep within their creators’ lives and taking full advantage of the visual freedoms that the animated medium allows. Each paints a different picture, in a different manner, but all succeed in translating their source material in the most unique way possible.

Dir: Alexander Stitt
Australia 1981 88mins 35mm
The epic Nordic saga of Beowulf is sympathetically retold from the monster’s point of view, in which Grendel is by turns thoughtful and contemplative, then a rampaging monster attacking a Danish kingdom and biting the heads off of would-be defenders. By and large a gentle, humourous take on a classic legend with an oddly affecting ending. Based on the novel by John Gardner, this was only the second animated feature made in Australia. Features the voices of Peter Ustinov and Arthur Dignam. Print courtesy of Alexander Stitt and the National Film & Sound Archive.

Preceded by documentary short Maurice Sendak (1966) and animation Where the Wild Things Are (1973)

Dir: Katsuhiro Ôtomo
Japan 1988 124min 35mm
Neo-Tokyo is about to explode… In the aftermath of World War III, the reconstructed metropolis is rife with political corruption, military brutality and motorcycle gang warfare. Tetsuo, a member of Kaneda’s gang, becomes embroiled in a top-secret government project code named Akira. Kaneda attempts to save Tetsuo while his physically frail friend’s latent psychic powers emerge and threaten to destroy the city once again. A landmark anime film based on the acclaimed manga by Katsuhiro Ôtomo. English language version.

Listed in 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die

Dir: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
France/US 2007 96mins
Cultures collide in Marjane Satrapi’s acclaimed animated adaptation of her own (autobio) graphic novel, telling the coming-of-age story of a middle class girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. With a penchant for Bruce Lee films, punk music and high hopes for change, Marjane finds herself living under a repressive fundamentalist regime. A bold and fearless insight into the everyday lives of the Iranian people as their country continues to transform. Featuring the voice of Catherine Deneuve.

Winner Jury Prize Cannes Film Festival 2007

Dir: Ari Folman
Israel 2008 90mins 35mm
An unexpected visit from an old war buddy hounded by recurring nightmares, poses troubling questions for retired Israeli soldier Ari Folman. Unable to remember his own tour of duty during the Lebanon War, Folman interviews other former comrades in an attempt to unlock his repressed memories. Uniquely told through simple yet stunning animation, this is in actuality both an innovative documentary and an allegory for a nation’s collective amnesia. Powerful, devastating and refusing to offer any easy answers, this is unlike any war film you’ve ever seen before.

Brews & Reviews