Because of its first decade in Philippine Pop Culture, the Philippine Toy Convention on its 10th year unveils one of their highlights. It will be the biggest Cosplay event of the year with the shooting of COSPLAY NATION: The Movie produced by Yian Studios, Beijing, distributed by China Film Group in partnership with Mindstyle. Read their Press release for more information.
Cosplay Nation lands in 10th Philippine ToyCon 2011
Cosplay, short for “costume play”, or the live portrayal of anime, superheroes, SF and pop-culture icons on stage has steadily grown in popularity here in the Philippines since it first gained attention back in the early 2000s. These days, it is now a pop-culture phenomenon drawing thousands of costumed enthusiasts from every part of the nation during popular Cosplay gatherings. But Cosplay has never been as big as it will be in the coming few days.
Collectibles Unlimited in partnership with MINDStyle, brings you the biggest Cosplay spectacle when COSPLAY NATION lands at the 10th Philippine TOYCON 2011.
COSPLAY NATION is a movie produced by Yian Studios, Beijing and internationally distributed by the China Film Group Corp, the largest and most influential state-run film enterprise in China. The movie, which features China celebrities Linda Le, Cheng Yi and our very own Alodia Gosiengfiao, will do its first leg of location shooting in the Philippines at the 10th Philippine TOYCON on June 18-19 at the SM Megatrade Hall 3.
Be a part of this landmark movie, the first ever to feature Cosplay as a cultural phenomenon! The best Cosplayers in the best pop-culture event in the country; the Philippines transforms into a COSPLAY NATION at the 10th Philippine TOYCON 2011!
ABOUT COSPLAY NATION
A film that captures the essence of the phenomenon Cosplay craze and supported by a hot movie soundtrack.
COSPLAY NATION is as much a film about identity and about long-standing class and cultural differences. Set in China, COSPLAY NATION traces Sasa Li’s struggle to attain a sense of self-worth in family of wealth and culturally conservative surroundings.
The film opens with the noise of Beijing’s busy street and the camera focuses on Sasa exiting her daddy’s Mercedes to the throbbing sounds of WU XING and the noise of traffic chime in Sasa struts down the streets of the shopping district. Raised by conservative, wealthy Chinese parents, and a revered older sister who seems to have the perfect life, Sasa spends all of her free time and money perfecting her image for appearances at Cosplay events, where she excels as a cosplayer.
Sasa’s function in her circle of friends is neither a shy student nor a spoiled brat. Online and at cosplay events around China, Sasa commands ecstatic admiration from her peers and acts as a new type of youth in the face of traditional Chinese family conservatism. Her role-playing unites and lits the spirits of her alienated community of peers. The power of physical presence and prowess, combined with her confident “attitude” is graphically demonstrated in scenes where the crowd parts when Sasa enters in stage and her friends cheer as she dances her solos. The online media even begin to call her China’s Lady Gaga.
The opposition between the non-ideological impact of the cosplay scene and the ideological power of the traditional wealthy Chinese family is underscored in the relationship between Sasa and her sister, Ah Mei. When Ah Mei announces that she no longer wants the lifestyle of just being a wealthy “stay at home mom” and socialite, the family is stunned by news that she will leave her marriage, Sasa’s own faith in her talent as a cosplayer and her belief in the regenerative space of cosplaying grows. After meeting Alodia, a popular cosplayer and TV host from the Philippines who is enamored with traveling and in the process of refining her image, she begins to drift away from her group of friends, who presents the key to escape from her family and entry into the nation of cosplay, all over the world.
