ABOUT / MESSAGE
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival is an animation festival dedicated to animated films held at the terminal building of New Chitose Airport (Hokkaido, Japan), which connects Hokkaido with the rest of the world as an entertainment airport.
The festival not only attracts attention as one of the few film festivals in the world where all screenings, lodgings, and stays are completed at the airport but also boasts the largest number of entries in the competition section in Japan. The festival also offers a multifaceted program introducing animation, including lectures by Japanese and foreign creators and exhibitions in public spaces. It has now grown into one of Japan’s top animation film festivals.
For the 11th edition, by utilizing the unique venue for close interaction between guests and audiences and as a “playground” to create new values that extend the significance of animation, we continue to aim to create a cultural exchange center where people can take home the energy.
We believe that by providing animation experiences at New Chitose Airport every fall that will lead to a diverse future, we can cultivate global human resources that will connect with the wider world and ultimately promote cultural tourism in Hokkaido. We look forward to your continued support.
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival Committee
Director’s Message
New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival has reached its 12th edition. At its inception, we were running around, focused on creating a trustworthy movie festival, but now, the team can concentrate on the joy of organizing one more edition and searching for what feels unique about “NEW CHITOSE”.
Hokkaido prefecture, where New Chitose Airport is located, is a region affected by extreme snowfall for several months in a year. As I was pondering this idea of New Chitose’s uniqueness the other day, I realized it had a lot to do with Hokkaido’s uniqueness, and I remembered something HONDA Meiji, the first sculptor to settle in Hokkaido and make a living from his art, told as follows.
“Things that are “Hokkaido-style” or “unique to Hokkaido” are not created by purpose with special shapes or colors. If such a thing as “Hokkaido-style” exists, it is something immaterial, born from harsh battles with long winters’ heavy snows.”
I believe that the reason our festival has been able to introduce strong movies and works of art for so long lies in this tough region’s appreciation for diversity and experimental forms of expression. “New Chitose’s uniqueness” is also a positive force created by all the people that gather in this place. Some things can only exist because of the scale of New Chitose Airport, such as more intimate interactions with creators, and the time spent immersed in the animation. I believe movie festivals exist to inspire and motivate creators to keep at their crafts, and so we are currently striving to update several projects to nurture this potential.
As for the spectators, I want to remind them again and again that this festival is an open forum that is not only reserved for those involved in the industry. There is no need to confront the movies with a notion of understanding. Whether it’s experiencing a fun lively time or even feeling confused, those memories of shifting emotions are what will be the basis for the movie festivals of the future.
Up until last year, the competition’s Feature Film category was only open to movies over 40 minutes, but from this year on, it will take movies over 30 minutes into consideration as well. Over the past few years, more and more short films have been getting longer, and this trend will probably continue. We have set this new condition as we would like to introduce audiences as much as possible to the charm that is specific to short films and also introduce medium-length films during the short few days our movie festival lasts.
The 2025 edition of New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival will start at the beginning of winter, a little later than previous years. I hope to see you all at New Chitose Airport this year too!
ONO Tomoko
