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BLIND WILLOW, SLEEPING WOMAN

Written and Directed by
Pierre Földes

Based on Stories by
Haruki Murakami

Details
2022 – France, Luxembourg, Canada, Netherlands – French, English – 100 minutes – Color

Awards & Festivals
Prix du scénario 2019 – Grand prize
Annecy  International Animation Film Festival 2022 – Jury Distinction
Toronto International Film Festival  2022 – Official selection
Busan International Film Festival 2022- Official selection
Festival international du film francophone de Namur 2022 – Official selection

Distribution

France

Canada
Maison4tiers

France
Gebeka Films

International
The Match Factory

Trailer

Photos

Synopsis

Tokyo, a few days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Kyoko suddenly leaves her husband after spending five days in a row glued to unfolding earthquake footage on TV.

Her helpless husband Komura takes a week’s leave from work and heads north to deliver a box and its unknown contents to two young women. His colleague Katagiri, a simple debt collector by profession and an awkward loner in life, returns home one evening to find a two metre tall frog asking for his help to save Tokyo from an imminent earthquake. Through memories, dreams and fantasies, Kyoko, Komura and Katagiri, influenced by their visions of earthquakes – which are manifested as evil willow trees, giant earthworms, secret vows, mysterious boxes and a dark, endless corridor – attempt to rediscover their true selves.

Crew

Written and Directed by : Pierre Földes
Based on Stories by : Haruki Murakami

Producers: Tom Dercourt – Cinéma Defacto, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Boussaron – Miyu Productions (France)
Coproducers: Pierre Urbain, David Mouraire – Doghouse Films (Luxembourg) Luc Déry, Kim McCraw – micro_scope Galilé Marion-Gauvin – Productions L’Unité Centrale (Canada) Joost de Vries – An Original Picture (Netherlands)

Line producer : Tanguy Olivier
Characters and Production designs : Pierre Földes
Art direction : Julien De Man
Animation supervisor: Julien Maret
Compositing supervisor : Mathieu Tremblay
Editing : Kara Blake
Sound design : Matthew Földes
Sound mixing: Michel Schillings
Original score : Pierre Földes