SMASH! News

The Japanese Film Festival is fast approaching.

The festival is jam packed with films from November 22 – 28. As part of the festival, SMASH! is proud to co-host an evening of anime films and activities on Saturday November 27, called the Anime Matsuri.

This will feature a marathon of films in two sessions, which includes, Time Of Eve, Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Precious and the nominated film from Japan, Oblivion Island.

We are proud to announce the exciting news that the director of both Oblivion Island and Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Naoyoshi Shiotani is coming down under for the Anime Matsuri! He will be answering your questions about his work and involvement in the anime industry.

Finally, we will also be having a competition for the best cosplay on the night! So get ready to dress up for an evening of fun.

Tickets are on sale soon, so keep an eye out as this is going to be BIG. In fact, so big that we’ve had to split it into two shows.

The event will commence at 2:00pm and will feature the screening of Time of Eve and Precious which will last two hours and will be followed by a separate event at 4:45 which will feature a screening of Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Oblivion Island, cosplay competition and a Q&A with Naoyoshi Shiotani. Please note both events are sold separately.

Check out the Japan Film Festival website for more information.

CLICK HERE for Information on Session 1
CLICK HERE for Information on Session 2

In support of the Japan Foundation’s 14th annual Japanese Film Festival, SMASH! is delighted to help bring you an evening full of many things we know you all love (namely anime, cosplay, and winning stuff).

As a part of the festival, which spans across 20 films between November 22-28, the Japan Foundation is having a special celebration of anime on Saturday November 27. The event includes a premiere screening of the feature-length film Time of Eve, set in a futuristic Japan where humans and androids coexist.

Starting a 5pm, the “Anime Matsuri” will feature a marathon of several anime films and OVAs as well as fun and games hosted by SMASH! There are prizes to give away for best dressed, so it’s the perfect excuse to dust off your cosplay outfits and have some fun. So bring your friends to the city on November 27 for a fantastic evening of festivities!

Tickets go on Sale October 29. Last year the festival attracted an audience of over 10,000, and with a whole host of filmographic delicacies to sink you teeth in to, it’s the perfect November treat.

Be sure to check out the Japanese Film Festival website for more information (and did we mention prizes?) http://14th.japanesefilmfestival.net/

If you thought having two Asuka’s at SMASH! was enough of an Evangelion fix, think again. Experience the Rebuild of Evangelion movies like they were meant to be seen; on the big screen! (And no, your 50″ home plasma isn’t it…)

SMASH! is proud to work in conjunction with Madman to bring you an extra special screening as a part of the Reel Anime cinema showcase. Catch the exclusive Australian premiere of Evangelion 2.0: You Can [Not] Advance at Dendy Newtown on Thursday August 5th, at 6:30pm. Courtesy of SMASH!, the premiere will feature a special introduction by English voice actress Tiffany Grant, who portrays Asuka from the original Evangelion TV series, as well as Yūko Miyamura, the Japanese voice behind Asuka in both the Evangelion TV series and the Rebuild of Evangelion movies.

If you’ve been living in a cave and only just found out they’re making an Evangelion movie tetralogy, here’s the scoop on You Can [Not] Advance.

The second film in the epic Rebuild of Evangelion takes us in a frightening, thrilling and cinematically stunning new direction.

The story of Shinji, Asuka and Rei, the chosen children who fight to save Tokyo-3 from monstrous creatures known as Angels is taken in startling dimensions that are both light, and dramatically dark. Piloting the mighty Eva will demand more of Shinji and those around him than any of them are prepared for!

Features all new characters, including Mari, an Eva pilot, plus new Evangelion units.

Missed the first one? Evangelion 1.0: You Are [Not] Alone is also screening in limited sessions. Check with your participating cinema for your opportunity to see both the films on the big screen!

Tickets will be limited for the August 5th Evangelion 2.0 premier, so be sure to book yours with Dendy when they become available.

In Sydney (or the city) for SMASH? Hang around after-hours and on Sunday to celebrate art, animation and illustration with the GRAPHIC festival, August 7+8. The Sydney Opera house has an amazing line-up of guests and events which you won’t want to miss out on. Highlights include:

• A live reading by Neil Gaiman of his short-story The Truth Is A Cave In The Black Mountains, with projected illustrations by Eddie Campbell (From Hell) and live underscore by FourPlay String Quartet.
• An evening with Kevin Smith, legendary indie filmmaker of the cult classics Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy and Zack & Miri Make a Porno. He is also a celebrated writer for both the DC & Marvel comics empires.
• A screening of Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 anime classic, Akira, with a live score by Australian experimental art-rockers Regurgitator.

In addition to these stellar events there are a number of panels, workshops and screenings for you to sink your teeth in to, with guests including Gary Groth, W. Chew Chan, Mark Sexton, Chris Georgio, Shaun Tan, Eddie Campbell, and many more. Hang around for the free workshops and Independant Games Festival too!

Find out more on the GRAPHIC website

Create, Animate, and win $20,000
As if all the events weren’t enough, the Sydney Opera House, in partnership with Screen NSW, are holding an online animation competition.

Illustrators, animators and storytellers of all levels – from established to up-and-coming and newcomers – are encouraged to enter to have their animation seen by an expert panel of judges. The winning entry will score $20,000, an Adobe CS5 Master Collection (valued at $4,333) and have their film screened at a major GRAPHIC Festival event at Sydney Opera House. Entries for Round 1 close midnight June 26.

Just a reminder to all at Supanova this weekend that we will be there and we will be selling tickets to SMASH!

So if it’s a bit tricky for you to send money online please stop by our booth and we can process your payment in cash over the weekend.

Even if you aren’t buying a ticket, feel free to come by; we’d love to see you!

Check out the SMASH! Booth!

Supanova Sydney is a mere two weeks away (June 18-20), and boy do they have some guests for you! Fans of Joss Whedon get a double-act with Firefly’s Summer Glau (Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Dollhouse’s Eliza Dushku.

Anime fans get a Fullmetal Alchemist trio with voice actors Vic Mignogna (Edward Elric), Travis Willingham (Roy Mustang) and Laura Bailey (Lust).

Other stars in attendance will be Chaske Spencer (Twilight), Leah Gibson (Twilight, Caprica), Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse), Charisma Carpenter (Buffy, Charmed), Lou Ferrigno (Incredible Hulk), Michael Winslow (Police Academy, Spaceballs) and Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett). Artists include the always lovely Nicola Scott, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, Colin Wilson and many more.

Tickets on sale now from Ticketek, so head over to the Supanova website and find out more.

In the scheme of free things that are cool, we rate comics pretty highly (beaten only by free money. Think of all the comics you could buy with free money!). That’s why we’re pretty excited for Free Comic Book Day on Saturday May 1st.

Both Kings Comics and Books Kinokuniya will be celebrating the day in style, with Kings holding their annual 20% off sale, and Kino celebrating with a zine fair and Cosplay Competition.

Facebook Cosplay Competition
At their store during FCBD, Kinokuniya’s photographer will be taking photos of people dressed in their favourite character’s outfits and uploading those photos to their facebook page. The three photos with the most ‘likes’ will receive a $100 Kinokuniya voucher! The three categories include Best American Graphic Novel Character, Best Manga Character, and Best Gothic Lolita.

Save with Kings
Kings Comics is having their yearly sale on the same day, with savings right across the board! Excluding New Release items (comics and merchandise released in April 2010) all back issues will be 50% off, while everything else in store will be 20% off, but only for one day.

Kinokuniya Craft and Zine fair
After you’ve nabbed your free goodies, why not relax and sample the works of local artists, writers and comic creators at Kinokuniya’s zine fair? Oh, and they have a life size Dalek in attendance too. That’s pretty awesome.

So whether you’re a comic aficionado or a total newcomer, there’s plenty of fun to be had and free stuff to horde. Drop by, enjoy the festivities, and celebrate this fascinating visual medium with Free Comic Book Day!

Ah, Easter. That other yearly excuse for retail stores to change their decorations, while we reminisce and devour chocolaty goodness.

You know the other awesome thing about April? Supanova! That Other Cool Convention is revving up for its April tour, starting this Friday in sunny Brisbane (April 9-11) before hopping down to Melbourne (April 16-18).

If you thought SMASH! having five international guests was a lot, you should see their list. With such stars as James Marsters (Buffy), Karl Urban (Star Trek), Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Alex Meraz (Twilight), Yuri Lowenthal (Naruto, Prince of Persia) and a whole stack of cool artists, what’s not to love? (I personally am totally excited for Yuri and the President of the Twelve Colonies. That’s a combo I can vote for!)

Supanova Brisbane kicks off on Friday in extra special style with their new Director’s Day, a unique opportunity for fans and budding professionals alike to enjoy themselves and soak up some valuable knowledge.

While we’d like to pretend SMASH! is all you need to sate your anime appetite every 12 months we all know that isn’t true. There’s plenty of other conventions you can go to of course but what do you do if you want a more cerebral experience?

If you’re like me you wear a beret. If you’re not like me you go to university! The University of Sydney to be precise. There you can go and listen to Roland Kelts and Professor Susan Napier. Wait, the same Roland Kelts that wrote Japanamerica? And the same Susan Napier that wrote Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle? The very same!

The talk is on Friday 17 July and the best part is that it’s free! More details are available at the Japan Foundation website.

I would like to point out that I’m insanely jealous that Animania’s Amanda Setiadi gets to be on the panel, too. I HAVE A BERET, JAPAN FOUNDATION. A BERET!!!