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Giovanni's Island to Play in LA County for Oscar Qualification

Production I.G will screen the Giovanni's Island anime film at the the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino, California on November 7 to qualify for the 2014 Academy Awards.

The film will also screen at the 31st Chicago International Children's Film Festival on November 2, and then at the Discovery Film Festival: Scotland's International Film Festival for Young Audiences on November 9. Production I.G recently screened the film at the London Film Festival, the 5th Scotland Loves Animation Festival, the 24th Films from the South Festival in Oslo, in Belgium on October 29, and at the 47th SITGES International Film Festival of Catalonia in Spain.

Production I.G's Annecy-winning hand-animated Giovanni's Island film tells the story of two brothers living on the island of Shikotan. Their family and the people of the island hear of Japan's loss in the war and are told not to worry. However, their island gets caught in the middle of the continuing conflict in the west and is invaded by Russian soldiers. The boys meet a western girl on the island named Tanya and the older of the brothers, despite their language barriers, cultural differences, and warnings from friends, starts to fall in love with her. The boys' father gets lured out by the army is and is captured and taken to Siberia. The brothers embark on a journey to see their father again.

Giovanni's Island received the Satoshi Kon Prize for Excellence in Animation and tied for the Audience Award at the 18th annual Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal this September. The film also won the Jury Special Mention at the Nueva Mirada Film Festival in Buenos Aires.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip

[Via Animation Scoop]