Hideaki Anno

Hideaki Anno was born 22 May 1960 in Ube,
Yamaguchi, Japan, is a Japanese animation
and film director. Anno is best known for
his work on the popular anime series Neon
Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by
the touches of superflatism and postmodernism that he
injects into his work, as well as the thorough
portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions, often
through unconventional sequences incorporating
psychoanalysis and emotional deconstruction of these
characters. He married comics artist Moyoco Anno in
2002.

Anno began his career after attending Osaka University
of Arts as an animator for the anime series The Super
Dimension Fortress Macross (1982 to 1983). Anime
directed by Anno that have won the Animage Anime
Grand Prix award have been Nadia: The Secret of Blue
Water in 1990, Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995 and
1996, and The End of Evangelion in 1997.

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa

Ishikawa founded the Production I.G with a
popular character designer Takayuki Goto in
1987. The companys name was initially IG
Tatsunoko until it officially became
Production I.G in 1993. The company has
produced a number of acclaimed feature films, OVA
(original video animation), TV shows, and videogames.
For their storytelling and quality of animation, Ghost
in the Shell (1995, directed by Mamoru Oshii, N. 1 in
US Billboard Top Video Sales Chart 1996), Jin-Roh: The
Wolf Brigade (1999, directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, Jury's
Special Prize at Fantasporto 1999), and Blood: The Last
Vampire (2000, directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo), have
earned critical acclaim in Japan and all around the
world. Innocence, directed by Mamoru Oshii in 2004, has
been the first Japanese animation feature ever to
compete for the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes.