The Masterpiece of Tamagata
A secret child, a powerful adversary & a boundless painted world
UK | 40 mins | 2024 (in PRODUCTION)
Tamagata Blog
“For several years, we had secretly sheltered a young boy to prevent him being separated from his mother by the oppressive apartheid government. I think my mother wrote Tamagata to process that experience, setting it far away from South Africa to avoid the child being forcibly taken and she and my father being sent to prison.”
love, defiance and Escape
Set in ancient Japan, this hand-painted animation is based on a secret story by acclaimed author Betty Misheiker.
60 years in the making, it was too dangerous to be released when it was first written. Today, it can finally be brought to life by artist Ilona Suschitzky (Misheiker’s daughter), Director/Producer Leo Crane and a noteworthy team of Japanese and European creatives.
The project has been developed with expert guidance to inform the script, design, music and performance. The result is a striking cinematic language that draws on the rich cultural traditions of Japan and resonates with a contemporary, universal audience.
The 40-minute film will be released on the international festival circuit in 2024 before public distribution on a premier streaming platform.
“Hearing the story of Tamagata really resonates with me as someone that’s experienced an internalisation or an internal fantasy based on external trauma.”
EXPANDED CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE
Paris Projections (image: Artcrush / Amir Azari)
Beyond the film, Tamagata is a cinematic experience that extends into the museum, concert hall, cityscape and metaverse.
We plan to develop our prototype installation into a fully immersive museum experience, combining fine art, digital projections, an architectural set and orchestral music. Accompanying this, we are devising a programme of creative workshops, including Japanese ink painting (sumi-e), kimono design and dressing, frame-by-frame animation, visual storytelling, and more.
In the digital realm, we would like to build the Floating World Metaverse, a fantasy world to mirror Shikishi and Tamagata’s imagined land. This is an opportunity to explore the visuals and music of the film through 3D installations with behind-the-scenes content, including storyboards, concept art and interviews with the creative team. It would also be a virtual venue for live events such as screenings and panel discussions.
“I was absolutely taken away to old Japan but also into the drawing itself. With the ink swirling I felt completely part of the piece.”
Orchestral Music
The Tamagata score combines Western orchestral music with feature soloists on traditional Japanese instruments, including shamisen, shakuhachi and koto. Composer Anna Rice has been a key part of the creative team since the development phase of the project, driving the emotional narrative and character development.
We would like to present the most prestigious film screenings with a live orchestral performance. We also plan to develop a metaverse music experience where visitors can walk amongst a virtual orchestra to understand the complex composition. The full orchestral score will be recorded once the animation is complete in 2024.
“I feel that all of us can make a bond with the story. What I mean is this contrast between the real world and our own inside world.”
THE TAMAGATA COLLECTION
The Masterpiece of Tamagata is one of the first ever animated features to use revolutionary blockchain technology.
Throughout the production, we are releasing a series of digital artworks to record the evolution of the project and grow a community of supporters. Revealing the film’s striking design at key creative moments, these artworks can be collected as NFTs, offering special access to production insights and events.
The collection was previewed as an immersive experience at the Non-Fungible Conference 2023 in Lisbon, curated by Galerie Iham. The official launch took place on 21 June as a featured project on Makersplace in partnership with AnimusNFT. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our community, the collection sold out in two hours - thank you! Look out for news of a second drop soon. Every Tamagata NFT supports independent cinema and the #film3 movement.
“It is amazing. Touching. Intense. It makes you think about how we process all the information we feel and the pressure we feel from this reality and how we can just release it differently.”
Behind the scenes
CAST & CREW
The team is guided by specialist advisers, who are helping us shape a world that is respectful of the rich cultural traditions of Japan. We are particularly grateful to Hamish Todd and Yasuyo Ohtsuka at the British Library; Haemin Ko and the University of Seoul; Anna Jackson at the V&A; Diana Roberts at the Royal College of Music; Sam Meech for his projection mapping expertise; Gregory Magee for his generous contribution to the music; and William Simpson and Richard Crane for their feedback on script and story.
Music published by First Name Music Ltd / Novello & Co Ltd © 2021. All rights reserved.
“The imagination, the sensitivity – beautiful; the visualisation – beautiful; it’s got to be taken right as far as it can.”
