Sun Xun's 'Magic Atlas' First Animated Feature in Tokyo Film Fest Competition
The decade-in-the-making film is set in Luocha, a coal-mining empire where flying is forbidden, and Sun Xun has already begun a new feature, 'All or Nothing.'
Sun Xun's animated feature "Magic Atlas" has become the first animated film selected for the competition section of the Tokyo International Film Festival, according to Variety. In the same interview, the Chinese artist and filmmaker revealed that he has begun work on a new feature, "All or Nothing," whose Mandarin title, Fuyou, means Mayfly.
"Magic Atlas" took about a decade to make. The film is set in Luocha, a coal-mining empire where flying is forbidden. In the story, a magician who is arrested and imprisoned meets an orphan boy and gives him the Magic Atlas.
Sun Xun put all his savings into the project and took out loans to keep production going. His father died a year before the film was completed.
A new film and a wider rollout
"All or Nothing" will continue the world of "Magic Atlas" and focus on an individual experience of memory loss. Sun Xun filmed its first shot at an exhibition space in Hangzhou and hopes to finish it within two years.
Exhibitions tied to "Magic Atlas" are also planned in the U.S. and Singapore, though venues and dates have not been revealed.
Quick answers
Is 'Magic Atlas' the first animated film in the Tokyo International Film Festival competition?
Yes. According to Variety, it is the first animated feature selected for the festival's competition section.
What is Sun Xun's next film?
It is called 'All or Nothing,' with the Mandarin title Fuyou, meaning Mayfly. It continues the world of 'Magic Atlas' and focuses on an individual experience of memory loss.
Where is 'Magic Atlas' set?
In Luocha, a coal-mining empire where flying is forbidden.