Katagami

This stop-motion animation was made by photographing and re-
photographing antique kimono resist-dyeing stencils in positive and negative. A joyful play with the viewer's visual perception, small variations in the repeating pattern elements generate apparent motion. Photographed on Super 8 and hand-developed using locally-sourced matcha (powdered green tea from Uji, Kyoto).

Katagami received an Honourable Mention Award at Punto Y Raya 2018 - the world's leading festival for abstract film.

  • Michael Lyons
    Director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    かたがみ
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Shooting Format:
    Super 8 (HD file also avail.)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The 8 Fest (2017)
    Toronto
  • Analogica 2016
    Ora/Auer
    Italy
  • Analogue Recurring 2016
    London
    United Kingdom
  • $100 Film Festival 2017
    Calgary, Alberta
    Canada
  • Best of the $100FF
    Vancouver
    Canada
  • Hamburg International Short Film Festival (IKFF)
    Hamburg
    Germany
  • Salón Internacional de la Luz
    Bogotá
    Colombia
  • Cinema Perpetuum Mobile
    Minsk
    Belarus
  • Athens Animfest
    Athens
    Greece
  • Winnipeg Underground Film Festival
    Winnipeg
    Canada
  • Moviate Underground Film Festival
    Harrisburg, PA
    United States
  • Image Forum Cinematheque
    Tokyo
    Japan
  • Images Contre Nature
    Marseille
    France
  • Altan Khalis Independent Film Festival
    Ulaanbaatar
    Mongolia
  • Unseen Zinema
    Madrid
    Spain
  • 56th Ann Arbor Film Festival
    Ann Arbor, MI
    United States
    March 20, 2018
    Michigan Premiere
  • Punto y Raya
    Wroclaw
    Poland
    Honourable Mention
  • Flexfest 2019 - Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival
    Tampa
    United States
  • Prisme #1 - Argentique du future
    Nantes
    France
  • Triennale Rysunku Wrocław, Animation Program
    Wrocław
    Poland
Director Biography - Michael Lyons

Michael Lyons (Canada/U.K.) is a researcher and artist based in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Professor of Image Arts and Science at Ritsumeikan University.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

A high quality digital scan of the original film is also available for screening.