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Children Who Chase Lost Voices Wins Gold Prize at Tehran Int'l Animation Fest

Director Makoto Shinkai announced over Twitter on Wednesday that his film Children Who Chase Lost Voices received the Golden Award for best feature animation at the 8th Tehran International Animation Festival, which was held March 3-7. The festival's official website lists the film won the award for "its imaginative design and visionary storytelling that carries forward the tradition of Japanese anime."

Children Who Chase Lost Voices was released in Japan in May 2011, and had its North American premiere at Otakon 2011. Sentai Filmworks licensed and dubbed the film for North America, giving it a limited theatrical run last summer.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices centers on Asuna, a girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her father as a memento. However, she embarks on a journey of adventure to find a mysterious boy she just met, and thus comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.

Makoto Shinkai is also the creator of Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5 Centimeters Per Second. Takayo Nishimura (5 Centimeters Per Second, Before Green Gables) designed the characters and oversaw the animation process. Takumi Tanji (5 Centimeters Per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days) directed the art, and musical composer Tenmon (5 Centimeters Per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Voices of a Distant Star) collaborated with Shinkai again on this project.

Shinkai's newest film, The Garden of Words, will be released in English this year by Sentai Filmworks.