IOC-commissioned “Tomorrow’s Leaves” selected for BFI London Film Festival
“Tomorrow’s Leaves”, an animated film commissioned by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH), has been selected for the prestigious London Film Festival, under the “Family Shorts” category. The eight-minute film, produced by the Tokyo-based Studio Ponoc, provides a fresh perspective on the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. It will be screened in London on 17 October.
Produced by the Academy Award-nominated Yoshiaki Nishimura, “Tomorrow’s Leaves” celebrates the Olympic spirit, and reinforces the links between sport, culture, education and environmental responsibility.
“It is a matter of great pride for us that this film has been selected for the London Film Festival,” said Angelita Teo, Director of the OFCH. “We commissioned the film to celebrate Olympic spirit with an entirely new audience, especially young people.”
Teo added: “This film is an important work of art that will inspire future generations, especially as it highlights the importance of protecting the environment, as well as the unifying power of sport.”
The hand-drawn animation features five children from diverse origins, who are dispatched as envoys to a distant land, when the annual arrival of the “message leaf” causes concern. Each envoy has their own strengths and vulnerabilities. They compete and support each other as they draw closer to their destination, facing treacherous terrain and difficult conditions. Through athletic challenges and the uniting power of sport, they discover the positive fundamental values that come with playful competition. Together, the envoys approach the source of the message and try to restore life to a future in peril.
The commission is in keeping with the OFCH’s mission to offer opportunities to artists to create new work that explores the relationship between art, sport and the Olympic values, through its International Arts and Culture Programmes.
“Tomorrow’s Leaves” is directed by the renowned Yoshiyuki Momose, who played a central role in famed works including celebrated director Isao Takahata’s “Grave of the Fireflies” and “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya”.
The music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu, a prolific film and television score creator who crafts musical experiences that challenge the boundaries between music and sound effects to accompany the story. His recent works include the score compositions of Studio Ghibli’s “When Marnie Was There” and Studio Ponoc’s “Mary and The Witch’s Flower”.
The BFI London Film Festival is Britain's leading film event and one of the world's foremost film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding audience and attracts significant international film industry participation. The 65th edition opens on 6 October 2021.