Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, a painter and animation creator known for his borderless activities, will direct his first feature-length animation, "A NEW DAWN," set to be released in theaters in 2025. This marks Shinomiya's debut as a director of a feature-length animation based on his original screenplay.

The film has also been selected for the "Animation Day" Annecy Animation Showcase at the "77th Cannes International Film Festival" Marché du Film, taking place this year. On May 19 (local time), Director Shinomiya will present making-of footage and discuss the film during this program, which highlights productions currently in development.

The setting of "A NEW DAWN" is the Taito Fireworks Factory, a 330-year-old business threatened with forced eviction. The story unfolds over two days, focusing on three young people who grew up there and their quest involving a legendary firework called Shuhari.

Shinomiya, primarily known as a painter, has engaged in various creative activities, including three-dimensional art and video production. He has contributed to art direction and special scenes in live-action and animated films, such as the flashback scenes in Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name" and the watercolor scenes in Sunao Katabuchi's "In This Corner of the World." In 2018, he directed the animated sequence "Tokino Crossing Shibuya Vernacular" using the giant screens at Shibuya Scramble Crossing, though this is his first attempt at directing a feature film. "A NEW DAWN" is a joint French-Japanese production with Shin-Ei Animation and France's Miyu Productions, known for "Anzu the Cat" (opening July 19) selected for Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, and "Linda Wants Chicken!" which won the Crystal Award at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The animation production is handled by Studio Outrigger, which includes directors like Yoshitaka Kosaka and Mori Masa. Character design is by Ushita (Nanfang Institute), who has created popular music videos such as Hatsune Miku's "Sand Planet" under the name Hachi and Yorushika's "Semi-Transparent Boy," and has worked on the character design for the anime "Heaven's Grand Scheme." Art director Ryoko Majima, known for "Your Name" and "Flavors of Youth," and composer Natsuki Seta, known for "5 Windows" and Masayuki Tomioka's "The Man Who Leapt Out of Manga – Fujio Akatsuka," among other domestic and international performances and exhibitions, lead the main staff in this project.

Comments from Director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya

This film marks my first foray into feature-length animation.
I began developing the project in 2016. Over the years, my surroundings and landscapes changed, and I started a family.
One day, my child spotted what seemed to be the "ocean" through a gap in a copse, which turned out to be just an array of solar panels. The changing landscapes of Japan, perceived negatively, seemed to gain a new interpretation from the next generation's sensitivity, which felt very meaningful to me.
At that moment, the story began to move forward. Initially, it depicted only a fraction of events, but over time, it seemed to gain more reality.
Eight years after starting the project, sharing this information with you all feels somewhat miraculous.
The road to completion is still long, but I would be pleased if you could gradually get to know more about it as we continue to develop the film.