FRI NOV 9

11:00 PM

THE ROYAL

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TATSUMI

TORONTO PREMIERE | RATED 18A

Director: Eric Khoo | Singapore 2011 | 98:00 | HDCam | Japanese w/English Subtitles
Producers: Tan Fong Cheng, Phil Mitchell, Freddie Yeo, Eric Khoo | Screenplay: Eric Khoo, based on works by Tatsumi Yoshihiro
Editor: Taufik Ramadhan | Sound Design: Kazz | Music: Christopher Khoo, Christine Sham | Cast: Bessho Tetsuya, Tatsumi Yoshihiro

Official Selection–Cannes 2011
Official Selection–International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012

Hailed by the New York Times as “one of Japan’s most important visual artists” with work translated into 17 languages Yoshihiro Tatsumi is a living legend–a manga pioneer and inventor of gekiga, a style of dark adult-themed comics that saw their advent in postwar Japan. The mature stories and bleak visuals of this manga style elevated the comic form from being the purview of children’s stories to a legitimate art form where mature themes could be explored. Like his literary contemporaries, Tatsumi’s stories reflected the major anxieties and alienation of regular people in fast-changing post-war Japan.

Eric Khoo was first introduced to the works of Tatsumi during his military service and was captivated by the sadness and beauty of the stories. It was only when autobiographical manga A Drifting Life was published did Khoo discover Tatsumi was still alive and decided to pay tribute to the legendary artist by creating a film based on his life and work. Khoo lovingly strives to make the original work shine and reflect Tatsumi’s original character, and does so to great effect. Lifting Tatsumi’s arresting images from the page and putting them on the big screen, he strikes a balance between loyal reproduction and new rendition. Tatsumi’s fascinating and sinister short stories get cinematic treatment, as do the biographical elements about Tatsumi’s life. This animated biography is a real treat for Tatsumi’s admirers and those not familiar with his work are sure to become fans after seeing Khoo’s faithful tribute.

- Aram Siu Wai Collier

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Eric Khoo put Singapore on the international film map with his first feature Mee Pok Man (1995), picking up prizes at Fukuoka, Pusan and Singapore. His second feature 12 Storeys (1997) was the first Singaporean film to be invited officially to participate in the Cannes Film Festival. Mee Pok Man and 12 Storeys have together been screened at over 60 film festivals. Khoo’s third feature Be With Me was selected as the opening film for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes 2005. Khoo is a recipient of Singapore’s highest arts honor: the Cultural Medallion by the President, and in 2008, he was awarded the “Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des letters” from the French Minister of Culture.

REVIEWS:
"A heartfelt, beautifully-made homage to anime director Yoshihiro Tatsumi." - The Guardian

PRINT SOURCE:
Emily Laden, PNW Pictures
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