Pompo the Cinephile
Pompo: the Cinéphile is based on a manga series of the same name by Shogo Sugitani. The story centres on Gene Fini, an aspiring filmmaker and personal assistant to the ingénue film producer Joelle Davidovich “Pompo” Pomponette, in the filmmaking capital of Nyallywood. When Pompo gives Gene the unexpected task of directing a film based on her own screenplay, Gene must figure out if he is up to the task – and if he can live up to his own ambitious goals.
Pompo: the Cinéphile is, at its core, a film about the art of filmmaking. It ruminates not only on the process of making a movie itself, but also the drive behind it: the nature of creativity, what makes a compelling story, and the special blend of magic, luck, and necessary financial backing that makes the difference between success and failure. This endeavour would be at risk of coming across as ungainly or navel-gazing if it weren’t for the inherent silliness of Pompo: the Cinéphile, which is where it finds its emotional heart. The film pairs moments of true insight with some of the hallmarks of Japanese animation, such as exaggerated characters and slapstick comedy. These moments of relief puncture any sense of self-importance the film might otherwise have suffered from. This approach also let the characters’ moments of vulnerability shine all the brighter, as they share a more recognizable emotional struggle with the audience: a desire to pursue your dreams, while struggling against the vanishingly small odds of achieving them.
Elisabeth Aslesen
Director
Takayuki Hirao (f. 1979) is a Japanese animation filmmaker. A graduate of Osaka Designer College, he made his debut as an animated feature director in 2008 with Kara no Kyoukai: Paradox Spiral. Pompo: the Cinéphile is his fourth feature film.
This film is part of
Original title 映画大好きポンポさん
Country Japan
Year 2021
Director Takayuki Hirao
Screenplay Takayuki Hirao
Cinematography Kou Hoshina, Masashi Uoyama
Producer Tomohiko Iwase
Cast Konomi Kohara, Hiroya Shimizu, Akio Ôtsuka
Production Company Kadokawa Productions
Runtime 1h 30m
Language Japanese
Subtitles English
Genre Animation
Format DCP
Age limit 9
Links IMDb
This film is in competition for the Audience Award.