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focus on tezuka

Astro Boy © Tezuka Productions

In association with Tezuka Productions

How Osamu Tezuka transformed his manga into anime for film and television.

Thu 7 Dec - Sun 17 Dec 2006
Full $13 Concession $10
Six Session Pass: Full $60 Concession $48


Covering a broad spectrum of issues and styles, the anime of Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) consistently combines seemingly-cute characters with powerful post-nuclear sentiments. Familiar yet strange, European yet Asian, kitsch yet elegant - Tezuka's iconic animated work affords the viewer an insight into the perplexing formal mutations and weird narrative contortions which typify postwar Japanese culture.

Curated by Philip Brophy

Also see Kids' Flicks for a special selection of classic children's anime from Osamu Tezuka screening throughout the January school holidays.

Sponsored by The Japan Foundation, © Tezuka Productions

or phone (03) 8663 2583

black jack Forebodingly topical and refreshingly inventive, Black Jack retains the core themes of Tezuka's long-running adult manga.

shorts program 1 Parallel to producing successful anime from his manga, Tezuka pursued a dedicated interest in animation as an art form. Over twenty years he produced a series of fascinating animated shorts for international festival presentation.

metropolis Tezuka's original manga from 1947 was inspired by a still from Fritz Lang's seminal sci-fi film of the same name; through his manga, Tezuka free-forms the narrative and thematic possibilities.

prime rose Gladiatorial spectacle, retro-sci-fi and the sexy feisty Prime Rose herself - it's an all-Tezuka mash-up. Australian premiere!

shorts program 2 This selection of Tezuka's shorts presents a range of narrative tales expressed through his heightened artistry and structural innovation.

the fantastic adventure of unico Dripping with Euro-kitsch, The Fantastic Adventure of Unico is an audio-visual summation of 'kawaii' (cute), with a stylistic leaning toward shojo manga (girls' comics).

jungle emperor Originating from Tezuka's 1951 manga, Jungle Emperor is a remarkably forward-thinking eco-friendly work. Leo (Kimba The White Lion) is a contemplative being, sensitive to the hypocrisy of humankind.

cleopatra Fulfilling Tezuka's desire to openly eroticise his characterisation of the famous Egyptian queen, Cleopatra is a riotous romp, in many senses of the word.

tv series program 1 Kimba The White Lion vies with Astro Boy in terms of distinction and cuteness, while The Amazing Three is a fantabulous mix of aliens, espionage and more cute animals.

space firebird 2772 Loosely based on futuristic sections of Tezuka's sprawling 'Phoenix' series of manga, Space Firebird 2772 is a similarly lengthy saga infusing Buddhist, Shinto and Zen concepts with sci-fi pondering.

1001 nights Beautifully dated and hedonistically constructed, 1001 Nights stays true to the sensory backdrop of Scheherazade's tale spinning.

tv series program 2 This program features four opening episodes from some of Tezuka's less-known anime TV series - Princess Knight, Marvellous Melmo, Vampire and The Three-Eyed One.

marine express Tezuka approached his manga like a stage director, with a stock ensemble of characters. They appear in various guises throughout his work, and Marine Express has just about every famous character playing a role.

baggy Part Italian western and part Japanese sci-fi, Tezuka's Baggy is an oblique response to the Japanese Government's approval of genetic experimentation in the early 1980s.

talking tezuka