"Ribbon," a film starring and directed by NON, has been officially invited to the Shanghai International Film Festival!

 

■The first film directed by NON will premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the largest film festival in Asia!
A film starring, written, and directed by NON, "Ribbon" (to be released in 2022) has been selected for a special screening in the GALA category of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival, where it will be officially showcased.

The Shanghai International Film Festival was launched in 1993 and will be held for the 24th time this year. An international film festival officially recognized by the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (Paris, France), the Shanghai International Film Festival is one of the 12 largest film festivals in the world and the largest in Asia.

Among the 500-odd films nominated for screening from around the world, only a handful of films are selected for the GALA category.
"Ribbon" will be screened for the very first time at this festival, which marks its world premiere in Shanghai. NON will also address the audience in a video message before the screening begins.

■"Ribbon" is a film about an art student who reclaims her identity after the COVID-19 pandemic deprives her of the channel through which she can express herself.
"Give us our art back." This is a story of revival for an art student who had been robbed of her future.

It is the winter of 2020, and a graduation project that had taken a year to complete can no longer be showcased at its planned venue because of COVID-19. She has time at home, but she no longer has any motivation to do anything at all...
Having been deprived of the channel to express herself, the art student Itsuka (played by the actress NON) struggles with her internal conflict of being unable to figure out what she should be doing. "Ribbon" is a story of revival that recounts how NON draws on her strength to break out of this miserable situation in an exhilarating way.

■The main visual for the film, which features NON wearing lots of ribbons, has been released!
The main visual for the film has been released in conjunction with the announcement of information about the Shanghai International Film Festival. Ribbons are used to express the protagonist's various emotions, and the adorable sight of NON wearing lots of entangled ribbons also symbolizes the frustrating conflicts experienced by art students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outfit was designed by NON, who paid close attention to its details such as the colors and balance of the ribbons. The look in her striking eyes staring straight ahead, coupled with the tagline "This is not trash," captures the spirit of the film perfectly.

■Look out for the stunning ribbon special effects as well! The special effects team comprises Shinji Higuchi (director and special effects director of Shin Godzilla) and Katsuro Onoue (associate director and special effects supervisor of Shin Godzilla)!
Another highlight of the film is how emotions are expressed through ribbon art, an idea proposed by NON. The protagonist's various emotions are expressed through the use of colorful ribbons. Sometimes the ribbons appear to be sharp and pointed, and at other times, the ribbons look as if they are dancing gracefully. Shinji Higuchi (director and special effects director of Shin Godzilla) and Katsuro Onoue (associate director and special effects supervisor of Shin Godzilla) have joined forces to create the special effects for this film, and the result is a spectacular display of ribbon special effects.

■NON's comments
COVID-19 had wreaked havoc throughout the world in 2020.
Movies, music concerts, stage performances, art exhibitions, and many other forms of entertainment were deemed to be non-essential activities and canceled. It was almost as if we had agreed that entertainment is not essential for us to live our lives.
I wasn't sure how to react to this. When I was spending time at home after the first state of emergency was declared, I decided to make a film that would reaffirm how entertainment has always been and will always be an essential part of our lives.

At around the same time, I was very shocked to come across an interview with an art college graduate who said that she started to perceive a work that she had spent a year creating as trash because she could no longer showcase it. I tried to link this to my own frustrations when I was writing the script for this film.

Although "Ribbon" is a film that portrays the plight of an art student during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is also a story about every student around the world who had to confront these difficult circumstances.

I am absolutely delighted that this film that I have produced by drawing inspiration from these ideas will be screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

【Overview of World Premiere】
The 24th Shanghai International Film Festival
Festival period: June 11th to June 20th, 2021

Information about the film "Ribbon"

■Title of film: Ribbon
■Year of release: 2022
■Starring, written, and directed by: NON
■Special effects: Shinji Higuchi
■Special effects producer: Katsuro Onoe
■Production manager: Atsushi Fukuda
■Executive producer: Tomoyuki Miyagawa
■Creative supervisor: Masaomi Kanzaki, Mitsuko Takizawa
■Producer: Chikako Nakabayashi
■Planning: NON
■Production company: Booster Project
■Production agencies: Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corp., NON, Speedy, Comidia, inkAnkh

 

＜中国語版メインビジュアル＞