DEVA ZAN, a Yoshitaka Amano Masterpiece, to Debut Globally in Spring of 2012

Monday, 27 December 2010, 17:00 HKT/SGT

TOKYO, Dec 27, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - DEVA ZAN, visual conceptualist Yoshitaka Amano's directorial debut, is expected to debut globally in the Spring of 2012. In addition to having worked on the visual concept behind Final Fantasy, Yoshitaka Amano is active throughout the world, and takes a first step in a new direction with this work in anime for the theater.

DEVA ZAN, a Yoshitaka Amano Masterpiece

At a press conference held in Tokyo, panels displaying the visual images of the hero ZAN and footage specially created for this occasion were premiered. This promotional video can be viewed at the DEVA ZAN official website at http://devazan.com/ . The conference room was full with press from home and abroad, showing high expectation for Amano, the director. While introducing the 105 second video, Amano talked about the movie, not-as-yet officially revealed, and introduced its characters.

"Having worked on various movies up to now, I decided that it was about time to create my own. I have been working on the concept behind the movie for around ten years and was able to realize this dream through collaboration with the wonderful animation director Shinmei Kawahara," explained Amano. "I took the myth straight on. There are many wonderful works of art, and I transformed a science-based modern Japanese/Asian myth into a movie. I incorporated all the elements of my previous creative endeavors into this. The movie is the beginning, not the end, of this project. I intend to give this project breadth that extends from video to paintings."

On the world-wide release, Amano said "we are conscious of western countries such as France, Spain, and the United States, but within Asia, we are also conscious of China, which has begun to develop an anime culture. Japanese anime has spread widely in the United States and Europe, and I feel that it has also started to draw attention in China. Non-Japanese see anime as coming from the same culture that produced the paintings of Shigeru Mizuki and the Ukiyoe of Hiroshige. I am looking forward to see what type of reviews DEVA ZAN receives within Asia, the same cultural zone as Japan. I want people throughout the world to see this so please tell everyone about it."

Finally, when questioned on the role of Chinese myths in the movie, Amano suggested, "I am a professor emeritus of the Hangzhou National Arts College and where I gave a lecture just the other day. I have extremely strong ties with China, which is one country that has influenced my world view. One of the female characters being in development for this work has a costume and clothing whose design is based on a robe of feathers, which may give it a Chinese feeling. But I hope all people are looking forward to the completed movie."

President and Representative Director of STUDIO DEVALOKA Mariko Suzuki provided an overview of the studio which was established as a creative studio where Yoshitaka Amano works full time. The word DEVALOKA was coined from the words deva, which means god, and loka, which means location. The company was founded to produce works by Yoshitaka Amano, and the studio's first work will be based on a myth. DEVALOKA, the company, was founded as a venue for these creators and producers to congregate as the gods do.

Yoshitaka Amano (b. 1952) is a world renowned animation character designer and illustrator, he created the visual concept of the enormously successful "Final Fantasy," selling 75 million units throughout the world. This exquisite, captivating, and dreamy work is popular in North America and Europe. Having held private exhibitions in cities throughout the world including London, Paris, and New York, Amano founded STUDIO DEVALOKA (a coined word meaning "where the gods gather"), his own studio, and started work on DEVA ZAN, his directorial debut.

News Release: www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/NewsReleaseEN.pdf
Press Kit (English): www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/PressKitEN.pdf
Press Kit (Japanese): http://www.acnnewswire.com/clientreports/598/PressKitJP.pdf
Photos: http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/devazan20101227-I.jpg
http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/devazan20101227-II.jpg

Contact:

DEVA ZAN
Movie Public Relations Department
e-mail: devazan-pr@kyodo-pr.co.jp

Topic: New Product
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