New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido will host "New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival," probably the world's first international animation festival ever held at an airport, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, 2014. The event is held primarily at three theaters located at the airport and aimed at helping build networks between young animation authors and fans through the internationally recognized culture of animation.

The event follows an international animation competition that attracted 715 submissions from 46 countries /regions, including 45 from 17 countries that passed the first screening and will be screened during the festival. Some are works of internationally acclaimed and front-running animation authors who created high-quality works measuring up to the international festival's expectations and showing the contemporary world as they see it.

In addition, during the animation festival a variety of commercial animation works will be shown to hardcore animation fans as well as family fans. The screening of "AKIRA" has been attracting much attention since it was announced for an "extremely loud" screening, the first of its kind in Hokkaido. With the full sound equipment of a rock concert installed at a theater, the audience will be exposed full blast to the "AKIRA" sound. Moreover, Ryuichi Hikawa, one of the most prominent critics of Japanese animation and special-effect movies, will host a talk show and screening with Go Nagai, the author of "Mazinger Z," as a special guest.

Furthermore, the event will feature screenings of three super popular animation series debut on TV this fall -- "The Seven Deadly Sins," "TERRAFORMERS" and "Celestial Method"-- and talk shows with their popular voice actors and actresses present. They will give rarely heard behind-the-scene talks.  

At Center Plaza, the main concourse of the airport, there will be many exhibits of popular animation characters including "Hatsune Miku" and "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" as well as stage shows by animation song singers such as Eir Aoi and Mashiro Ayano.