NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI (鼠小僧次郎吉) also known as Jirokichi the Rat, the animated short film directed by Rintarō (りんたろう), in which Otomo collaborated as character designer, has had a worldwide release today (with the exception of France and Japan) in BANG BANG - A SHOT OF SHORTS YouTube channel.
This channel is part of NIKITA VENTURES and MIYU DISTRIBUTION, an international sales and festival distribution company of animation short films born from the partnership between SÈVE FILMS (founded in 2014 by Luce Grosjean) and MIYU PRODUCTIONS (Founded by Emmanuel-Alain Raynal in 2009). Miyu Distribution distributes the graduation films of leading animation schools as well as films from independent production structures.
Official website on MIYU PRODUCTIONS: http://miyu.fr
Official website on NIKITA VENTURES: http://nikita-ventures.com
BANG- BANG facebook: http://facebook.com/bangbang.youtubechannel
BANG- BANG instagram: http://instagram.com/bangbang.youtubechannel
FESTIVALS
Mar del Plata International Film Festival, 2024
Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, 2024
Fantasia Film Festival, 2023
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival, 2023
Annecy International Animation Festival, 2023
ABOUT THE FILM
As the city of Edo is plunged into darkness, a man emerges from the attic of a house. It's the famous Jirokichi, nicknamed Nezumikozo/the Rat, a virtuous bandit who robs the rich to distribute to the poor. Orin leads a difficult life with her young child. Taking advantage of the poor woman's distress, some yakuza try to expose Nezumikozo/The Rat's true identity. Inspired by Sadao Yamanaka’s Nezumikozo Jirokichi – Edo no maki yori, this 2D animated jidaigeki short pays tribute to Japanese samurai cinema, manga animation, and the spirit of classic silent film storytelling.
