October 20, 2006

Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C 2nd Gig Opening Film - Terrestrial Version has been selected for the 11th Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) in the International Competition for Applied Animation, Film Leader category.

Overview
After the sensation created in 1995 by Mamoru Oshii's groundbreaking animated movie Ghost in the Shell, Production I.G decided to further expand the world and the characters originally created by manga artist Shirow Masamune with a TV series entitled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the show was originally intended to be composed of 26 episodes only, but the production of a second season, entitled Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig, began when the first one was still on air. The Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. series, started in 2002, eventually totaled 52 episodes, made available in Japan only through SkyPerfecTV!'s pay-per-view channel Animax. But when the second season received its terrestrial free TV premiere on NTV in 2005, the production side decided to create a new opening film, and entrusted the job to A.T., a respected commercial film director, who created an amazing point-of-view tracking shot of 90 seconds. This cinematic work-of-art, enriched by the atmospheric notes of the song Christmas in the Silent Night by Yoko Konno, became commonly known as Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C 2nd Gig Opening Film - Terrestrial Version.

Profile: A.T.
Real name: Takeshi Asai. Born in Tokyo on August 8, 1970. Freelancer since 1988, he directed commercial films for Sony, Honda, Nissan, Coca-Cola and NEC, as well as several music videos. The Opening Film for the TV series Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C 2nd Gig was produced in 2005 for the terrestrial broadcasting of the series (originally distributed exclusively through PPV with a different opening film in 2004).

STAFF - Director: A.T. / CG: Masato Endo (finitto Inc.), Sora Matsumoto / Editing: Kazumasa Shibata, Maya Watanabe (IMAGICA) / Song: "Christmas in the Silent Night" / Music: Yoko Kanno

The Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) is an internationally recognized animation festival and offers a unique, state-of-the-art selection of animated films for a diverse public. Its 11th edition is held in Utrecht from November 1 to 5, 2006.

HAFF official website:
http://haff.awn.com

© Shirow Masamune · Production I.G/KODANSHA