Modest Heroes

Thursday, April 11, 9:45 PM
Saturday, April 13, 3:30 PM
Sunday, April 14, 3:15 PM

Modest Heroes
Directors: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, Akihiko Yamashita, Animation, Japan, 53 min.

Studio Ponoc, the new animation studio founded by two-time Academy Award®-nominee Yoshiaki Nishimura (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There) and featuring many artists from the venerable Studio Ghibli, made an immediate splash with their acclaimed debut film Mary and The Witch’s Flower last year. The studio returns this year with Modest Heroes, an ambitious anthology of three thrilling tales created by some of the greatest talents working in Japanese animation today.

Together, the stories (Kanini & Kanino, Life Ain’t Gonna Lose, Invisible) explore ideas of heroism in everyday life, and the infinite potential of the short film format allows the directors and Studio Ponoc to experiment with breathtaking, action-packed visuals, concise human drama, and gorgeous fantasy worlds in this unforgettable showcase that is further demonstration of the studio’s exciting future.

“Modest Heroes is solid from start to finish, and does a great job illustrating Studio Ponoc’s range. The three shorts are all incredibly different from one another while still nailing the theme of the anthology with flying colors.” -Amber Emberwing, Birth. Movies. Death.

“Seeing the creativity and the boundless imagination so tightly condensed in such a blissful way leads to a wonderful experience throughout.” -Nick Valdez, Comicbook.com