The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness delivers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Japanese Ghibli studios, with a specific focus on idiosyncratic director Miyazaki Hayao and his exceptional methods and daily rituals. Filmmaker Sunada Mami follows him, producer Suzuki Toshio and other Ghibli employees during the production - from drawing the elaborate storyboards to finding the right voice-actors - of Miyazaki’s most recent and possibly last film: The Wind Rises (2013).
The documentary does not only offer an intimate portrait of the director as an eccentric, charming and hardworking artist, but also subtly lets through a shimmer of the dark sides of creativity: Miyazaki, a self-proclaimed ‘man of the twentieth century’, seems to represent a craftsmanship on the verge of extinction. In combination with reflections on the extraordinary history of dream factory Ghibli, this results in a film that is not only a must-see for seasoned animation-lovers, but also an accessible introduction for newcomers.
- Director
- Sunada Mami
- Country of production
- Japan
- Year
- 2014
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2015
- Length
- 118'
- Medium
- DCP
- Original title
- Yume to kyôki no ôkoku
- Language
- Japanese
- Producer
- Nobuo Kawakami
- Production Company
- Dwango
- Sales
- Wild Bunch
- Screenplay
- Mami Sunada
- Cinematography
- Mami Sunada
- Editor
- Mami Sunada
- Music
- Masakatsu Takagi
- Website
- http://wildbunch.biz/movie/the-kingdom-of-dreams-and-madness