Masanao Kawajiri’s Long-Awaited ‘Cherry and Virgin’ Scores Major Win at Fantasia International Film Festival Ahead of 2027 Release
Masanao Kawajiri’s original animated film Cherry and Virgin has taken home the “Special Mention of the Jury” for the Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation at the 30th annual Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Following its world premiere in the festival’s Animation Plus Section, the film is now officially scheduled for a theatrical release in 2027—finally moving forward after initially being announced in 2021 and facing delays from its original 2022 window.
Major Premieres Showcase CloverWorks, Junji Ito, and Sekiro at Montreal’s Milestone Festival
The 30th annual Fantasia International Film Festival—running from July 16 through August 2—is packed with heavy-hitting global and regional anime premieres. Alongside the Cherry and Virgin celebration, the festival is hosting the North American premiere of the Sekiro: No Defeat anime, the world premiere of CloverWorks’ three-part anime collection Grotesqqque, and the debut of two terrifying new episodes from Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales for Sleepless Nights. Other major competition highlights included Jean-Paul Guigue and Dimitri Planchon’s Blaise taking home the Satoshi Kon Award for Best Animated Feature.
