Presented by Thaï Express
Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons
Directed by Veerapatra Jinanavin
Official selection
Niigata International Animation Festival 2024
Executive Producer
Juthathip Niramonpisan
Writer
Sornperes Subsermsri
contact
RiFF Studio
Official website
A war between good and evil has raged for eons, enduring into a far-flung future of technological wonders and political intrigue spanning galaxies. On the planet Ayodia, Prince Ram is exiled in paradise with his wife Sita, until she is kidnapped by the sinister Emperor Tossakaan. The villain plans to seize the divine power that the princess carries, a spiritual force that can create or destroy on a cosmic scale. The fierce and spiteful King Palee of the planet Varana has allied with Tossakaan, but the noble Prince Ram is not without friends. In the neon-drenched urban underbelly of Varana, a team of rebels assemble covertly. Against terrible odds, this squad of elite battle-suit pilots are ready to fight for what’s right—in fact, a coming cosmic convergence assures that it is their fate.
Following last summer’s Fantasia screening of the restored anime version of the Ramayana, it’s now Thailand’s turn to impress and amaze with an animated reimagining of this mighty mythological epic. A cornerstone of Hinduism, well over two millennia old, the Ramayana traveled from ancient India over the centuries and found new expressions throughout southeast Asia. The team at Bangkok-based Riff Studio not only bring a Thai aesthetic to the titanic tale of Ram, Sita, Hanuman, and their foes, they’ve rebooted it as a cyberpunk space opera punctuated with powerhouse mecha battles. MANTRA WARRIOR: THE LEGEND OF THE EIGHT MOONS is the first instalment of Riff Studio’s exciting new franchise, one sure to thrill fans of fantastic sci-fi while confirming a place for Thailand among the nations delivering world-class animation with worldwide appeal. – Rupert Bottenberg
Showings
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