The Echo of Astroboy's Footsteps

An affectionate documentary looking at the career of sound designer Matsuo Ohno in the 1960s.

The Radiophonic Workshop were not the only ones experimenting with tape-loops in the 1960s. Under the influence of Karlheinz Stockhausen, independent-minded young sound designer Matsuo Ohno made his mark with the unearthly sound effects for popular 60s series Astro Boy, and together with creator Osamu Tezuka helped set the template for much of the anime that followed. This affectionate documentary tracks down many of Ohno's collaborators, as well as more recent disciples like the Open Reel Ensemble, and tries to find out why he walked away at the height of his powers.

Showing with The Pirate of Love (dir: Sara Gunnarsdittor, Iceland 2012, 10 mins), an animated documentary which tells the story of what happened when a group of co-workers stole the CD of the personal love songs written by mysterious trucker Daniel C.