The international festival run for Kōhei Kadowaki and studio NOTHING NEW's breakout anime feature We Are Aliens (Ware Ware wa Uchūjin) continues to reach historic milestones. This week, the feature secured the prestigious Anima't Award for best feature-length film at the 59th Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya in Sitges, Spain. This victory marks a major milestone as the first Japanese animated feature to claim the honor since Yūta Murano's Seven Days War triumphed six years ago.
A Historic Win for Young Talent
While industry heavyweights such as Makoto Shinkai with your name. in 2016 and Mamoru Hosoda with Mirai in 2018 have historically dominated international festival circuits, Kadowaki's achievement carries exceptional weight. Having turned 30 just last October, he stands as the youngest Japanese director to ever receive the Sitges feature animation accolade. The film's ambitious global trajectory also includes screenings at the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight, competition selection at the Annecy International Animation Festival, and a Grand Prize win for Animated Feature at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Behind the Creative Vision
We Are Aliens explores the delicate fracture and eventual reunion of two childhood friends, Tsubasa and Gyōtarō, whose elementary school bond was eroded by growing pains, jealousy, and unspoken misunderstandings. As adults, the two men are forced to confront the unresolved echoes of their past.
The voice cast features Ryōta Bandō as adult Tsubasa and Amane Okayama as adult Gyōtarō, alongside child actors Yūto Maki and Tasuku Nakagome portraying the protagonists in their youth. The production boasts a multifaceted creative core: Kadowaki personally handled planning, screenwriting, direction, storyboard execution, and editing, building on his previous acclaim for crafting the second ending sequence of BEASTARS and striking music videos for YOASOBI. Renowned music producer Yaffle composed the score, while French animation powerhouse Miyu Productions collaborated alongside NOTHING NEW to bring the poignant narrative to life.
