Aragne no mushikago / Aragne: Sign of Vermillion
Saku Sakamoto
Japan / 2018 / 74' 0''Screenings
Synopsis
A residential building stands on the outskirts of town. As of recent, the area is plagued by rumours of paranormal activity following the discovery of a female high school student's corpse. A college girl named Rin has moved into one of the rooms in the building. One night, she sees a huge insect coming out of the arm of a woman. Curious about the bug she saw, Rin looks for answers in the library, and meets folklore scholar, Tokiyo, to find out many sightings in the past of these strange bugs in this area. These bugs are called ‘spirit bugs’, and have had its existence kept secret since the ancient times. Rin attempts to unravel the mystery of the Spirit Bugs, but this is only the prelude to a new form of terror...
Saku Sakamoto graduated from Tama Art University's Department of Graphic Design in 2000. After making several short films, he made his feature film directorial debut with Aragne: Sign of Vermillion. It was the only Japanese film nominated for the Grand Competition Feature Film section at Animafest Zagreb 2019, and was officially screened in the Midnight Special section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Kon Satoshi Award, the highest animation award at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and has been screened at a number of prominent film festivals. Currently he is a full-time lecturer at Shobi Gakuen University, Faculty of Art and Media Studies.
Director
Saku Sakamoto
Production
Zelicofilm, LLC
Screenplay
Saku Sakamoto
Storyboard
Saku Sakamoto
Compositing
Saku Sakamoto
Music
Saku Sakamoto
Animation
Saku Sakamoto
categories
GRAND COMPETITION FEATURE FILM