HINOKIO

Saturday, October 21st - 4:20pm
Tuesday, October 24th - 2:00pm

(2005, 111min)
Director: Takahiko Akiyama
Cast: Sohta HONGO, Masatoshi NAKAMURA, Mikako TABE, Riho MAKISE, Maki HORIKITA
The Golden Butterfly Prize/Isfahan International Festival of Film for Children and Young Adults(2005)

Satoru was injured in a freak accident, which took his mother's life. In a state of shock he withdraws from the world and won't leave the house. Satoru's father, an engineer named Kaoru, is worried about his son and gives him a robot developed at his workplace which Satoru can manipulate by remote control and send to school in his place. The robot is nicknamed "Hinokio" by the other pupils.

Through Hinokio Satoru makes friends with a tomboy called Jun and the other children until a rumor circulates at school that the robot, Hinokio, was built for military purposes. Satoru suffers a second shock and throws Hinokio away, but Hinokio comes with an in-built "emotional feedback" system and Hinokio's shock transfers to Satoru, and affects his brain. Jun sets out to cure Satoru…