Interest

Tokyo Residency Program for Foreign Animators Launched

The Japan Image Council (JAPIC) and the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs have launched the Animation Artist in Residence program, which will offer three applicants room and board for 75 days in Tokyo for education, training, and workshops, with the goal of creating all or part of a new work by the end of their stay. The program is open to all participants ages 20-35 who have screened at least one work at any international film festival, are from a country other than Japan, and speak Japanese or English well enough to get by in Tokyo. The deadline for applications is September 10, 2010, and the program itself will run for 75 days between January and March 2011. Successful applicants will be provided with travel and living expenses, as well as opportunities to interact with Japanese creators.

On its official website, JAPIC's says that the project "is an artist in residence program which aims to provide three outstanding young animation artists from around the world with an opportunity to come to Tokyo and create new works while directly interacting with Japanese animation culture. In doing so, we aim to promote both the creation of excellent works of animation and a better understanding of Japanese culture."

The Agency for Cultural Affairs also has a program in place with the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA) to train young animators. The young animators will train alongwise veterans animators at four studios as each studio creates an original half-hour animated short. The studios for this program were announced this past June.