News
France's Angoulême to Host Katsuhiro Otomo
posted on by Kyle Hallmark
The official website of the Angoulême comic festival announced on Friday that it will host Katsuhiro Ōtomo, the creator of the Akira manga and the director of its anime movie adaptation, at next year's festival. Otomo (Steamboy, Short Peace) will attend a two-and-a-half-hour presentation, which will include interviews and audio-visual presentations on the making of Akira.
Otomo won the Grand Prix d'Angoulême earlier this year, becoming the first Japanese artist and one of only five non-French creators to take the festival's top prize. The award includes an invitation to serve as the president of the following year's festival. The other nominees for the award were Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta) and Belgian comic artist Hermann (Jeremiah).
Additionally, Otomo's French publisher Glénat is organizing an exhibit of tributes to his work by 40 cartoonists. The announcement also released Otomo's official poster for next year's event (pictured top right), and stated that the event will announce more news about Otomo in the future.
The festival launched in 1974 as an event celebrating comics from countries throughout the world. Next year's festival will take place on January 28-31.
[Via Comic Book Resources]
