STUDIO4°C’s anime film ChaO has won the Jury Award at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, held from June 8 to 14, 2025, in Annecy, France. This marks the first time in eight years that a Japanese film has received the Jury Award, following In This Corner of the World in 2017.
The film has also been nominated for the Fantasia International Film Festival, the largest genre film festival in North America, which will be held from July 16 – August 3, 2025.
Photo:
The film is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on August 15, 2025. GKIDS has officially acquired the North American distribution rights to ChaO. More details on the release schedule will be announced soon.
Poster Visual:
STAFF:
Director: Yasuhiro Aoki
Character Designer/ Animation Director: Hirokazu Kojima
Background Art Director: Hiroshi Takiguchi
Production: STUDIO4°C
GKIDS describes the film as follows:
In a futuristic world where humans and mermaids coexist, ChaO follows Stephan, a mild-mannered office worker at a shipbuilding company, whose life is upended when he is suddenly proposed to by Chao — a princess from the mermaid kingdom. With no time to make sense of what’s happening, Stephan soon finds himself living with the unpredictable, wholehearted Chao. As her sincere love begins to break down his emotional barriers, an unexpected and touching romance begins to unfold.
Source: Comic Natalie
————
AnimeTV チェーン bringing you the latest anime news direct from Japan ~ anytime! — Your new source of information!
