Pascal Alex-Vincent's documentary Satoshi Kon, l'illusionniste (Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist) will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the "Cannes Classics 2021: the documentaries" selection.
The film delves into the life and work of Satoshi Kon, the director of Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent and Paprika. Kon died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 46, but his highly-influential anime filmography is still beloved by fans worldwide, more than a decade since his passing in 2010.
Anime News Network reports that the documentary contains interviews with Kon's long-time producer Masao Maruyama, as well as fellow directors such as Ghost in the Shell's Mamoru Oshii, Summer Wars' Mamoru Hosoda, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Rodney Rothman and Black Swan's Darren Aronofsky, among others.
Cannes' official description of the film is as follows:
A subtle portrait of Japanese director Satoshi Kon by the specialist of Japanese cinema Pascal-Alex Vincent and a dive into a rich work. With interviews of the greatest Japanese, French and American directors inspired by his work.
This year's Cannes Film Festival runs in person from July 6-17. Satoshi Kon, l'illusionniste will have its virtual North American premiere at the Fantasia Festival in Canada, which will run from August 5-25.
Sources: Cannes, Anime News Network, Fantasia
