The film is about how a blind player of the Japanese lute and a Noh dancer created a musical explosion in 14th century Kyoto.
An animator long showered with awards and critical praise, beginning with his 2004 full-length directorial debut “Mind Game,” Yuasa Masaaki is no stranger to the festival circuit. But Venice, where his new animated feature “Inu-Oh” is screening in the Horizons section, is his first Big Three festival. And his film is the only one from Japan in the lineup. “I don’t feel that I’m representing Japan or anything like that, but Venice is a festival with a certain status and influence,” he tells Variety in a Zoom interview. “It was the first international festival to invite Kurosawa Akira. And Kitano Takeshi won its biggest prize. So it’s a festival that has recognized the very top people in Japanese cinema.” The Japanese media has reported that “Inu-Oh,” an animation about how a blind player of the biwa (Japanese lute) and a Noh dancer with a differently formed body created a musical explosion in 14th century Kyoto – will be the 56-year-old Yuasa’s last as a director, but he denies that he is quitting animation permanently. “I’m not retiring, but I am taking a break to study,” he says. “I’ve been working too hard lately, so I couldn’t prepare for my next step. I’m taking time off to do that.” In the meantime, he is promoting “Inu-oh,” the rare anime to focus on the music and dance – not the wars – of Japan’s Middle Ages.
