Experiencing Interruptions?

Doors to Fantasy

Have you toys, books or photographs from childhood? Are they locked away in drawers, collecting dust? 'Doors to Fantasy' unlocks the doors to your past. Journey with the philosopher and singer Ortansia to the enchanted world of the Academy Award nominated short film animator Yamamura Koji, and let yourself be transported back to a time when you gazed at the twinkling of the stars and the pale light of the moon from your bedroom window when the light was off, and to your small bed where you dreamed those dreams so long ago.

  • Noel Williams
    Director
    Private Lesson
  • Anastasia Marika Williams
    Director
    Private Lesson/But the Greatest of These
  • Noel Williams
    Producer
    Private Lesson
  • Ortansia
    Key Cast
    Doors to Fantasy/Private Lesson/But the Greatest of These
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    55 minutes 33 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    300,000 JPY
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 9th International Short Film Festival Canton 2022
    Guangzhou (Ancient Times International Cinema, Panyu District)
    China
    January 10, 2023
    China premiere
    Official Selection
  • Paus Premieres Festival 2022
    London
    United Kingdom
    May 22, 2022
    United KIngdom Premier
    Official Selection
  • Golden Harvest Film Festival 2022
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Award Winner (Best Feature Film)
  • Golden Harvest Film Festival 2022
    Tokyo
    Japan
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • Serbest International Film Festival 2022
    Kishinev
    Moldova, Republic of
    Semi-Finalist
  • Onyko Films Awards 2022
    Odesa
    Ukraine
    Official Selection
  • Cooper Awards 2022
    Odesa
    Ukraine
    Finalist
  • Stockholm City Film Festival 2022
    Stockholm
    Sweden
    Official Selection
  • International Moving Film Festival 2022
    Abadan and Khoramshahr
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Semi-finalist
  • New York Tri-State International Film Festival 2022
    New York
    United States
    Honorable Mention/Special Selection
  • Tabriz Cinema Awards 2023
    Tabriz
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • Venus Community Awards 2023
    Istanbul (ICC Culture Center)
    Turkey
    May 1, 2023
    Turkish Premiere
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • Snow Leopard International Film Festival 2022
    Madrid
    Spain
    Official Selection
  • Andromeda International Film Festival 2022
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • Your Way International Film Festival 2022
    Paris
    France
    Official Selection
  • CAFF The Cultural Animation Film Festival 2023
    Honolulu (Honolulu Museum of Art, Doris Duke Theater)
    United States
    April 15, 2023
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lane Doc Fest 2022
    Jackson, TN
    United States
    Official Selection
  • Golden Giraffe International Film Festival 2022
    Nice
    France
    Official Selection
  • First-Time FilmMaker Sessions@Pinewoodstudios
    London
    United Kingdom
    July 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Lulea International Film Festival 2022
    Lulea
    Sweden
    Official Selection
  • Liber Films International Festival 2023
    Athens
    Greece
    Official Selection
  • Black Cat Award International Film Festival 2022
    La Paz
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of
    Official Selection
  • Close Film Festival 2023
    Tabriz
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • 7th Golden Wheat Awards 2023
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • 5th Gladiator Film Festival 2023
    Istanbul
    Turkey
    Award Winner (Best Documentary)
  • 7th Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival 2023
    Paris (Le Grand Rex)
    France
    April 21, 2023
    French Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Festival del cinema di Cefalu 2023
    Cefalu, Sicily
    Italy
    Nominee
  • DerpyCon Film Festival 2023
    New Brunswick, NJ (Hyatt Regency New Brunswick)
    United States
    October 28, 2023
    Award Winner
  • CineTech Future Fest 2024

    Poland
    Official Selection
  • Beyond the Screen Festival 2024
    Antwerp
    Official Selection
  • Cinematic European Film Festival 2024
    Craiova
    Romania
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Noel Williams, Anastasia Marika Williams

Noel Williams is a university professor, with a doctorate from the University of Oxford. He is a member of the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS). He is the Producer and a co-director of the award-winning documentary film 'Doors to Fantasy', a film about the Academy Award nominated film animator Yamamura Koji.

Anastasia Marika Williams is a film director and actress. After formal schooling in Oxford, Vienna and Tokyo, she attended universities in Tokyo. She graduated with a masters MA degree in Film Theory from Gakushuin University, Tokyo. She then attended the Tokyo Movie School. She has been involved in various aspects of the creative process, including assistant director of a Japanese tv programme, acting in internet commercials, photography, and video work for conferences organized on behalf of the Japanese foreign ministry. She is President of MariJapan Studio and has been involved in the production of internet commercials, as well as films. She is co-director of 'Doors to Fantasy'.

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Director Statement

'Doors to Fantasy' was created to introduce the world of the Japanese short film animator Yamamura Koji to a wider English-speaking audience through dialogue with the philosopher and singer Ortansia. We gain insight into Yamamura Koji's soul and passion for creativity.