Online screening: Taku Furukawa
Taku Furukawa, Coffee Break, 1977
In honour of #GivingTuesday 2023, we have partnered with curator Fusako Matsu to present an exclusive, 1-week mini-program of three works by legendary animator Taku Furukawa!
As a thank-you for the ongoing support of our audience, we are offering a classic work by Furukawa, Coffee Break (1977), free for all to view!
Please enjoy this humorous work by Furukawa and consider purchasing the full program featuring two more works, including the brand-new Fiction Mt Shigi, for just $3. This is Furukawa’s most recent film, premiered in April 2023.
The screening will run from November 28 - December 5.
PROGRAM:
Taku Furukawa, Coffee Break・コーヒーブレイク, 1977, 3 min [free]
Taku Furukawa, Fiction Mt Shigi・フィクション信貴山, 2023, 7 min
Taku Furukawa, Nose Tale・はなのはなし, 2010, 6 min
The special screening is available to all, priced at $3.
Please share your thoughts on the films with us via Twitter, Instagram or Letterboxd.
The programs will be available for viewing on CCJ’s viewing platform.
#GivingTuesday 2023
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program
Taku Furukawa, Coffee Break・コーヒーブレイク, 1977, 3 min
In his trademark style, Furukawa uses animation to present two contrasting worlds. A man sits at his desk in a plain room rendered in monochrome. When he takes a sip of his coffee, the world around him becomes colorful, lurid, and filled with trashy objects. An innocent refreshment or symptom of consumer culture? Furukawa explores our daily pleasures in this bite-sized treat of a work.
Taku Furukawa, Fiction Mt Shigi・フィクション信貴山, 2023, 7 min
A story about a dharmapala, a Buddhist deity that often takes on the form of a child, who helps a monk on various adventures. From healing a sick emperor to returning a stolen rice bowl, this charming story is rooted in the mythology of Chōgosonshi-ji temple on Mt Shigi in Nara, Japan.
Taku Furukawa, Nose Tale・はなのはなし, 2010, 6 min
A series of tales featuring characters with abnormally large noses. They are drawn from a range of historical settings - a monk, a cavalier, and a Pinocchio-like figure. Gradually their fates - and their noses - begin to intersect.
Taku furukawa
Born in Iga, Japan, 1941. Out of admiration of animator Osamu Tezuka, Furukawa began writing manga during his high school years. While in school, Furukawa began working at TCJ (Television Corporation of Japan Co.,Ltd, now EIKEN Co.,Ltd.) and worked on the production of TV anime “Tetsujin 28.” After graduating college, Furukawa worked at Yōji Kuri Experimental Manga Studio, and helped with the animation work by artists such as Tadanori Yokoo, Makoto Wada, Akira Uno, Yoshitarō Isaka, and others. In 1969, Furukawa’s work Oxed Man won an award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. In 1972, the film Head Spoon was selected “best of world animation films” by MoMA, gaining recognition for his simple imagery and humorous worldview. Furukawa’s field of work ranges from animation, illustration, manga, to children’s book.
Furukawa has received awards including: Phenakistiscope (1975, Annecy jury special), TarZAN (1990, Hiroshima), From Heart to Heart (1992, Hiroshima), and TYO STORY (1999, 3rd Japan Media Art Festival Excellence Award). Retrospective was held in Ottawa in 2003. Selection and Juries include festivals in Hiroshima, Seoul, Shanghai, Holland, and others. He has served as the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival Honorary Chairman (2014-), Japan Media Arts Festival Operating Committee (2013-), and President of JAA (Japan Animation Association).
Fusako Matsu
Graduated from Musashino Art University, Moving Image Division, Matsu researches photography and animation. Matsu leads the archives of Yōji Kuri and Taku Furukawa. Matsu has contributed “Animated MV, The Third Golden Age—Michael Patterson’s A-HA’s ‘Take On Me,’ AC part, Powder’s ‘New Tribe’” in ECRIT-O vol. 11. Matsu has co-authored Agnès Varda: Cinéaste of Love and Memory (Documentary Series) (Neoneo Magazine, 2021).
