Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Co-presented by SCREENSHOT: ASIA and the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and the CMU Lecture Series

Directed by Pierre Földes

Run Time: 110 mins
Released: France/Luxembourg/Netherlands/Canada/2022
Language: French

Based on stories by Haruki Murakami, this animated film provides a snapshot of Tokyo shortly after the 2011 earthquake and tidal wave. Reality, memories, dreams, and fantasies blend together in a rotoscoped fantasy as viewers meet a lost cat, a talkative frog, a bank employee, a wife, and an accountant, each of whom are on a journey of existential reflection. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman questions why we hold onto the painful moments in life. Is our suffering reality or is it imagination?

"A bewitching in-between world of which Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, the first feature by the cosmopolitan filmmaker and composer, succeeds in capturing all the charm of a multi-layered narrative and the unique wavelength of a singular essence." - Cineuropa

Event includes

Panel Discussion with

Yoshihiro Yasuhara, Professor of Modern Languages Professor, CMU
Nathan Mazur, Animator, Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators

Moderated by Seung-Hwan Shin, Film and Media Studies Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Reception catered by T-swirl Crêpe

Pierre Földes

Pierre Földes is a composer, orchestrator, artist, and filmmaker who made his feature directorial debut with Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. Földes worked as a composer on numerous films, video games, and commercials. He studied piano and composition at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and the Sorbonne.With a passion for drawing and animation, Földes has developed numerous short films.

Awards

Winner of the Best Feature Film at Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Winner of Best Original Film Score at Les Arcs European Film Festival

Screening Soon!

Date: March 30
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: CMU, McConomy Auditorium @ Jared L. Cohon Center