Grant Award View - GA203577

We are a team of researchers from Kanagawa University and several Australian institutions, led by Fraser at UQ. Our project is an inaugural festival bringing together academics, audiences, authors, and artists of the fantastic. We aim to celebrate Australia-Japan through fantasy genres, and inspire and nurture further connections. The festival will comprise four main events hosted in Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, and Yokohama, each available simultaneously online in both Japanese and English (via translation and interpreting). These free, public events will be directed towards ongoing interaction and fantastic creation, and will include: a physical exhibition in Yokohama of Australian fantastic arts; author/artist-led masterclasses; translation and publishing mentoring sessions; public talks on the creation, production, and reception of fantasy works; and community-building forums. Australia and Japan are prolific creators of visual and literary stories of the fantastic. Our festival builds on series such as Nahoko Uehashi’s young adult fantasy series Moribito, which combines ancient Japan with the Yamatji people of Western Australia; the Japanese anime adaptation of Emily Rodda’s Deltora Quest books; and Australian-authored series that reimagine Japan, such as Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori and Jay Kristoff’s The Lotus War.