Under the experimental films category, the film competed against seven other productions at the final stage.
Saudi-Japanese anime The Journey, produced by Manga Productions, a subsidiary of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s MiSK Foundation, has become the first Saudi and Arab film to win the Best Experimental Flick award at the Dutch Septimius Film Festival.
The announcement was made at the Septimius Awards ceremony held in Amsterdam.
The Journey beat off seven finalists nominated in the experimental film category that awards excellence in creating a one-of-a-kind expressive power using a unique art style.
The film festival included many international movies nominated for the final stage, which competed in multiple classes.
The Septimius festival aims to support creative, inspiring, and high-quality productions.
The film was made in cooperation with Japanese Toei Animation. Actors Toru Furiya, Hiroshi Kamiya and Takaya Kuroda, who dubbed the film in Japanese, joined director Kobun Shizuno and executive producer Shinji Shimizu at the premier. Several Japanese MPs and company heads also attended the event, along with a large media presence.
Directed by Shizuno Kobun, The Journey was shot using anime-style animation and took two-and-a-half years to make.
Inspired by Arabian folklore, The Journey tells the story of Aws, a potter with a secret past, who is caught up in an epic battle to defend his city. Japanese dubbing artists include well-renowned names in the Japanese region such as Toru Furuya, Takaya Kuroda and Hiroshi Kimiya, while the Arabic version has been dubbed by artists such as Abdu Shaheen, Rasha Rizq and Nassar AlNassar.
