EXCLUSIVE: Gold Valley Films International (GVFI) has acquired global rights (excluding Brazil and Japan) to animated feature My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin, ahead of its world premiere this week at Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
GVFI acquired the film from Brazilian production company Pinguim Content following the film’s work-in-progress screening at the Marche du Film in Cannes.
The sales firm is presenting Nihonjin to buyers in Annecy.
My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin is directed by Celina Catunda, co-founder and creative director of Pinguim Content. Based on Oscar Nakasato’s novel Nihonjin, the hand-drawn animation follows Noboru, a 10-year-old Brazilian boy of Japanese descent, who begins to uncover his cultural roots when his grandfather Hideo reluctantly opens up about his past.
Kiko Mistrorigo and Ricardo Rozzino produce the film for Pinguim, with the film inspired by the work of Brazilian-Japanese contemporary artist Oscar Oiwa.
My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin will have its world premiere screening in the Annecy Presents section on Thursday, June 12, with additional festival screenings scheduled this week.
“São Paulo is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan,” said Catunda. “With My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin, we set out to tell a story that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. It’s about identity, memory, and belonging.”
“My Grandfather Is A Nihonjin is artistically bold and emotionally resonant – a rare animated film that speaks across generations and geographies,” said Allen Tsang, head of international at US-based GVFI. “We were instantly moved by its themes and visual language.”
Pinguim Content’s previous work includes series Fishtronaut, De Onde Vem? and Earth to Luna!. Nakasato’s novel Nihonjin won the Jabuti Prize, a leading Brazilian literary award, in 2012.
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