Japan Society has revealed that Shinichiro Watanabe, the acclaimed director behind “Cowboy Bebop,” “Samurai Champloo” and Adult Swim’s recent hit “Lazarus,” will headline Foreign Exchange 2025: Cross-Cultural Conversations with Anime Visionaries, a film and discussion series taking place Nov. 17-22 in New York City.
Founded and curated by award-nominated creator and director LeSean Thomas (“Yasuke,” “Cannon Busters”), the expanded 2025 edition shifts from last year’s singular creator dialogue to multi-creator conversations exploring how U.S. and Japanese artists collaborate across borders. Watanabe will be joined by Justin Leach, producer of Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Visions” and Netflix’s “Leviathan,” with Thomas serving as host.
The series kicks off Nov. 17-19 with classroom visits by Thomas and Leach to New York University, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, Fordham University and the School of Visual Arts, where they’ll conduct talks with aspiring animators and filmmakers.
From Nov. 20-22, the three will present events at Japan Society’s NYC headquarters. Programming includes a free moderated talk for students and educators on skills needed to work in U.S. and Japanese animation, three public talks about animation production and inspiration, and four public screenings including both “Lazarus” and “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.”
Among the highlights: “Making of Lazarus: Story, Action, and Global Collaboration” (Nov. 20), featuring Watanabe and Thomas exploring the creative DNA of “Lazarus,” from its action choreography to its score by Kamasi Washington and Bonobo; “Star Wars: Visions & The Future of Global Animation” (Nov. 21), with Leach discussing the anthology series’ global production model; and “Black Musical Traditions and the Anime of Shinichiro Watanabe” (Nov. 22), examining the influence of Black American music across Watanabe’s body of work.
Japan Society will also host a limited-time pop-up exhibit showcasing production art from “Lazarus” personally selected by Watanabe, and will have available for purchase copies of “Foreign Exchange: The TV Anime Creations of LeSean Thomas Vol. 1 – Yasuke,” a 260-plus page companion art book. Rounding out the week, Rough Trade Records will host an autograph signing for Watanabe on Nov. 22.
The series is co-presented by The Japan Foundation, New York and The Imagination Project Inc., a NYC-based nonprofit focused on providing career technical education for underserved marginalized youth.
AloJapan.com