Tekkonkinkreet

Michael Arias
Japan
2006

They’re the Cats, they rule Treasure Town... Underestimate them and you’ll kiss the asphalt.

111", 35mm
Color, Japanese with English subtitles

about the film

In Treasure City little orphans can fly, they call them Cats. This is the story of two little boys surviving any way they can in this seemingly peaceful Tokyo district. White is carefree, Black is blood thirsty. Life gets tougher by the minute and Black and White must fight a war if they are to hold on to what used to be the soul of this city and save themselves. Based on the cult manga by Matsumoto Taiyo, the original title, Tekkonkinkreet, comes from the Japanese and is a pun on the words ‘concrete’, ‘iron’ and ‘muscles’. The director sees this title as a metaphor for a predatory urban jungle which is liberated from the forces of evil as a result of the heroes’ imagination. Black and White fuse the ingenuity and uncompromising qualities of the superhero with the innocence of playful children. Tekkoninkreet is an exquisitely realized, minutely detailed Japanese anime with unusual fluidity, breathtaking action sequences and powerful emotional force as it explores cosmic themes.

about the director

Michael Arias was born in Los Angeles in 1968. He began his career at Dream Quest Images, where he worked on films such as The Abyss (1989). After a spell working for Universal Studios, he moved to Japan where he developed SEGA games, Tekkonkinkreet marks his directorial debut.

awards

2006 Tokyo Film Festival
2007 Mainichi Film Concours: Ofuji Noburo Award
Berlin Film Festival
Deauville Film Festival
Lisbon Film Festival
Seattle Film Festival
Edinburgh Film Festival

screenings

February 17 Sunday, 10:00 PM AFM Budak Caddebostan

February 23 Saturday, 3:30 PM AFM İstinye Park

February 24 Sunday, 7:00 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 2

February 28 Thursday, 7:00 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 1

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