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Mamoru Oshii to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Montreal's Fantasia Fest
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival announced on Thursday that it will give director Mamoru Oshii the Lifetime Achievement Award on July 17, before a special screening of the new HD master of Ghost in the Shell. The festival will run from July 17 through August 5.
Oshii is known for directing numerous animated films, original video anime (OVA), anime television series, and live-action films. His early career included directing the first original video anime, Dallos. He also directed Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Angel's Egg, and several Patlabor projects.
The 1995 science fiction animated feature Ghost in the Shell led him to international critical and commercial success. After the success of Ghost in the Shell, Oshii was involved in various projects such as Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade, Blood: The Last Vampire, and The Sky Crawlers.
In addition to the current live-action Patlabor: The Next Generation project, Oshii worked recently on the live-action film The Last Druid: Garm Wars.
The event will host the international premiere of Ralph Ziman's live-action Kite film.
The film stars lead actress India Eisley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Underworld: Awakening, Maleficent), Callan McAuliffe (I Am Number Four, New Director), and Samuel L. Jackson. The Deadline website describes the project as "a character-driven action film that charts the story of Sawa (Eisley), a young woman living in a failed state after the financial collapse, where a corrupt security force profits on the trafficking of young women. When Sawa's policeman father is killed, she vows to track the murderer down with the help of his ex-partner, Karl Aker (Jackson)."
Anchor Bay acquired the distribution rights in April.
Fantasia will also host the North American premiere of Toshiaki Toyoda's Crows Explode ( the third live-action film inspired by Hiroshi Takahashi's Crows fighting manga), Noboru Iguchi's Live, Eisuke Naito's Puzzle, and Daigo Matsui's Sweet Poolside films.
Production I.G's award-winning Giovanni's Island and Hideo Nakata's Monsterz films will also screen at the event for their Canadian premieres.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip
