A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
Among its many traits, Tekkonkinkreet was the first significant Japanese-produced animated feature directed by a non-Japanese person: Michael Arias.
With its bright and saturated visual style and powerful story of brotherhood, Tekkonkinkreet remains a standout among the animated features released in the ‘00s. Celebrate the film’s 15th anniversary with director Michael Arias and screenwriter Anthony Weintraub as the pair take us behind the making of the film.
This live presentation will be moderated by film critic Kurt Halfyard.
Image © 2006 Studio 4°C Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Michael Arias
Filmmaker // Independent
(Tekkonkinkreet, Harmony, Tokyo Alien Bros., The Animatrix)
Filmmaker Michael Arias enjoys a colourful and varied career, spanning the worlds of live-action storytelling, visual effects, computer graphics, and anime, the unique realm of Japanese traditional animation.
Though Arias has worked variously as a visual effects artist, animation software developer, and producer of the animated Matrix spin-off The Animatrix, he is best known for his directorial debut, the anime feature Tekkonkinkreet, which established him as the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film.
He has continued to direct, both animated and live-action feature films, as well as a television series (the quirky sci-fi comedy Tokyo Alien Bros.). In addition to his filmmaking work, he is also known for his English-language translations of manga by Taiyou Matsumoto.
Anthony Weintraub
Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Founding Partner // A-Line Pictures
(Bel Canto, The Master Builder, Tekkonkinkreet)
Anthony Weintraub is an accomplished screenwriter, film and TV producer and director, with a foot in industries ranging from feature films, television and children’s media to branding and communications. Through their company A-Line Pictures, Weintraub and his partner/wife Caroline Baron recently produced the feature film Bel Canto, which Anthony adapted - with director Paul Weitz - from the bestselling novel by Ann Patchett.
A-Line launched in 2004 with the production of the Best Picture nominee Capote, and has continued to produce and develop literary adaptations and other dramatic properties.
Prior to A-Line, Anthony adapted two anime properties to the screen - Taiyo Matsumoto’s groundbreaking graphic novel Tekkonkinkreet, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and the classic anime omnibus series The Animatrix (based on the sci-fi masterpiece The Matrix). In 2012, Anthony co-founded children’s media company Yummico with creator Traci Paige Johnson (Blue’s Clues), whose offerings included the award-winning game app Yummiloo as well as a DreamWorks deal for the series App Squad. Anthony’s video and commercial work has included making films for non-profits as well as for hotels and other brands. Anthony is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he teaches Screenwriting, History of Mass Media, and Producing. He lives in New York with Caroline and their sons Asher and Emmanuel.
Website // IMDb // Instagram // LinkedIn
A celebration of the talent and legacy of important animated projects with the creators who made them happen.
Among its many traits, Tekkonkinkreet was the first significant Japanese-produced animated feature directed by a non-Japanese person: Michael Arias.
With its bright and saturated visual style and powerful story of brotherhood, Tekkonkinkreet remains a standout among the animated features released in the ‘00s. Celebrate the film’s 15th anniversary with director Michael Arias and screenwriter Anthony Weintraub as the pair take us behind the making of the film.
This live presentation will be moderated by film critic Kurt Halfyard.
Image © 2006 Studio 4°C Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Michael Arias
Filmmaker // Independent
(Tekkonkinkreet, Harmony, Tokyo Alien Bros., The Animatrix)
Filmmaker Michael Arias enjoys a colourful and varied career, spanning the worlds of live-action storytelling, visual effects, computer graphics, and anime, the unique realm of Japanese traditional animation.
Though Arias has worked variously as a visual effects artist, animation software developer, and producer of the animated Matrix spin-off The Animatrix, he is best known for his directorial debut, the anime feature Tekkonkinkreet, which established him as the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film.
He has continued to direct, both animated and live-action feature films, as well as a television series (the quirky sci-fi comedy Tokyo Alien Bros.). In addition to his filmmaking work, he is also known for his English-language translations of manga by Taiyou Matsumoto.
Anthony Weintraub
Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Founding Partner // A-Line Pictures
(Bel Canto, The Master Builder, Tekkonkinkreet)
Anthony Weintraub is an accomplished screenwriter, film and TV producer and director, with a foot in industries ranging from feature films, television and children’s media to branding and communications. Through their company A-Line Pictures, Weintraub and his partner/wife Caroline Baron recently produced the feature film Bel Canto, which Anthony adapted - with director Paul Weitz - from the bestselling novel by Ann Patchett.
A-Line launched in 2004 with the production of the Best Picture nominee Capote, and has continued to produce and develop literary adaptations and other dramatic properties.
Prior to A-Line, Anthony adapted two anime properties to the screen - Taiyo Matsumoto’s groundbreaking graphic novel Tekkonkinkreet, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and the classic anime omnibus series The Animatrix (based on the sci-fi masterpiece The Matrix). In 2012, Anthony co-founded children’s media company Yummico with creator Traci Paige Johnson (Blue’s Clues), whose offerings included the award-winning game app Yummiloo as well as a DreamWorks deal for the series App Squad. Anthony’s video and commercial work has included making films for non-profits as well as for hotels and other brands. Anthony is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he teaches Screenwriting, History of Mass Media, and Producing. He lives in New York with Caroline and their sons Asher and Emmanuel.
Website // IMDb // Instagram // LinkedIn
