Animation Is Film, a major animation festival produced by GKIDS in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Variety, takes place every October at the historic TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. This year’s event scheduled to be held on 21-23 and 29 October in Los Angeles announces the screening of the legendary anime title Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama.
The classic anime film, co-directed by the father of Indian animation the late Ram Mohan, and Japanese helmers Yugo Sako and Koichi Sasaki, has been cleaned up and digitally remastered in 4K.
“One of the latest additions to the #AIF2022 special events line-up is a rare screening of RAMAYANA: THE LEGEND OF PRINCE RAMA! The hidden gem anime film will play on the big screen on 23 October in a stunning 4K restoration,” Animation Is Film shared on their official twitter handle.
The production of the original English version of Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama anime began in 1984 when Yugo Sako, the planner and the producer for the film, on the Japanese side and Ram Mohan came together. Koichi Sasaki joined as a director later.
Ram Mohan and team were in charge of the scenario, art settings, dialogue recording, music, while the Japanese creators were in charge of the storyboards, background, original drawings, animation, colouring, photography, and editing. On the Indian side, top-notch scenario writers, music directors, artists, and film actors of the day participated.
The film was released in India for the first time at 24th International Film Festival of India, New Delhi, 10-20 January 1993. But its theatrical distribution was limited due to the heated political situation following the Babri Masjid demolition and disinterest from Indian moviegoers towards animated films. Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama, however, gained acclaim thanks to the repeated telecasts on television.
Recently Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama was screened at the 70th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for documentary, short and animation films. The MIFF release is being done in association with Japanese company TEM Co – which initially financed it and holds its copyright, on the occasion of the celebration of 70 years of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Japan and India.