IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES
 Film poster for “IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES”. A drawn toy that collects mushrooms.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES
 Film poster for “IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES”. A drawn toy that collects mushrooms.
Filmmaker Anne Koizumi explores the childhood shame she felt about her Japanese immigrant father, who worked as a janitor at her school

IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES

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BEST NARRATIVE AND CANADIAN SHORT - Ottawa International Animation Festival | BEST SHORT ANIMATION - San Francisco International Film Festival | SPECIAL JURY MENTION - NY International Children’s Film Festival | SPECIAL JURY MENTION - Hot Docs | HONOURABLE MENTION - Hawaii International Film Festival

Japanese Immigrant Family Relationships • Identity and Class • Pride, Dignity, Memory and Reflection • Personal Growth and Acceptance • Cultural Background and Heritage


Date of Completion: 2020 | Run Time: 8 minutes​​ | Languages: English, Japanese | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Writer & Director: Anne Koizumi | Produced by: Anne Koizumi & Sahar Yousefi | Animation: Jérôme Bretéché & Anne Koizumi | Voices: Mikio Owaki & Anne Koizumi | Original Music: respectfulchild | Sound Design and Sound Mix: René Portillo Ruiz 

IN THE SHADOW OF THE PINES is an animated short documentary about a difficult father-daughter relationship. Drawing on childhood memories, Anne Koizumi, the filmmaker, explores her upbringing with her Japanese immigrant dad, who was also the janitor at the elementary school she attended. The film explores the idea of shame and how it can shape and define us while also concealing who we can truly become.

Calgary Herald | Eric Volmers, Entertainment Writer
"In the Shadow of the Pines is a lyrical gem filled with depth, sadness and loss."

CBC | Tom Power, Host
"It is absolutely the most beautiful eight minutes of a film.”

University of Calgary, Canada | Anastasiia Gushchina, Sessional Instructor at the Department of Communication, Media and Film
In the Shadow of the Pines is a wonderfully rich example of independent filmmaking. I used it in my undergraduate Animated Documentary course to discuss the topics of animation craft, representations of memory, and feminist agency in the production of Canadian and international animation. This film sparked a fantastic discussion about the affective uses of animation in autobiographical storytelling, and, at the end of the term, my students named it one of their favourite films of the course.”

AWARDS
Special Jury Mention | Hot Docs
NAD School Special Jury Prize | Montreal Stop-Motion Film Festival
Best Short Narrative and Best Canadian Short | Ottawa International Animation Festival
Best Canadian Film and Audience Award | GIRAF Animation Festival 
Special Jury MentionNew York International Children's Film Festival 
Best Short Animation | San Francisco International Film Festival
Golden Sheaf Nominee | Yorkton Film Festival
Best Short Animation | Indie Street Film Festival
Best Short Documentary | Virginia Film Festival
Best Short Film | Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Honourable MentionHawaii International Film Festival