Calling Planet Earth
Pom Poko
A forest near Tokyo is set to be cleared for a new housing development, much to the dismay of the tanuki (raccoon dogs) who live there. So they band together to stand against the humans. A touching and delightfully amusing eco-fable, directed by master filmmaker and co-founder of Studio Ghibli Isao Takahata.
When Tokyo’s population exploded in the 1960s, a massive residential development project was launched to alleviate the housing shortage. To make way for the buildings planned on the outskirts of the city, a traditional forest was slated for clearance – much to the dismay of the tanuki (raccoon dogs) living there, who feared for their very existence. Using their magical shape-shifting ability to take on any form, the creatures blended in with the humans and began to sabotage their construction plans.
Isao Takahata, who passed away in 2018, ranks among the most prominent names in the world of Japanese animation. He achieved worldwide fame as a co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of the television series “Heidi”, as well as the poignant war drama “Grave of the Fireflies”. In “Pom Poko”, based on an idea by his longstanding friend and collaborator Hayao Miyazaki, he depicts the end of a fairy-tale world that must yield to the harsh realities of modern efficiency.
Despite the sombre theme, the film never succumbs to melancholy; instead, with plenty of humour and numerous allusions to Japanese mythology, the film celebrates an unconventional struggle of resistance whilst simultaneously making a case for treating nature with care.
When Tokyo’s population exploded in the 1960s, a massive residential development project was launched to alleviate the housing shortage. To make way for the buildings planned on the outskirts of the city, a traditional forest was slated for clearance – much to the dismay of the tanuki (raccoon dogs) living there, who feared for their very existence. Using their magical shape-shifting ability to take on any form, the creatures blended in with the humans and began to sabotage their construction plans.
Isao Takahata, who passed away in 2018, ranks among the most prominent names in the world of Japanese animation. He achieved worldwide fame as a co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director of the television series “Heidi”, as well as the poignant war drama “Grave of the Fireflies”. In “Pom Poko”, based on an idea by his longstanding friend and collaborator Hayao Miyazaki, he depicts the end of a fairy-tale world that must yield to the harsh realities of modern efficiency.
Despite the sombre theme, the film never succumbs to melancholy; instead, with plenty of humour and numerous allusions to Japanese mythology, the film celebrates an unconventional struggle of resistance whilst simultaneously making a case for treating nature with care.
Info
Duration 119'
Country JP, 1994
Appointments & Tickets
trailer
Presenting Partner
In cooperation with
le mudac, Plateforme 10, Lausanne
Discounted admission to the le mudac for festival pass holders until the end of September.
Curated by
Mischa Haberthür, Ivana Kvesić