This summer, Keio Academy of New York will once again host “Digital Media Creation”, a two-week English and Japanese bilingual summer program for American and Japanese students. An impressive lineup of guest speakers and lecturers has already been confirmed, including Yuji Nunokawa, producer of “Naruto” and “Bleach“.

The program only accepts 40 American and 40 Japanese students. Dormitory life for the two weeks is an active exercise in cultural and language exchange. During the day, they’ll work on digital media productions in small groups which include short films, documentaries, music videos and animation projects. This year’s theme will be “Japan in New York”. Students will also study English as a Second Language (ESL) or Japanese as a Second Language (JSL).

Keio Academy of New York was established in 1990 by the Keio Private School System of Japan. Keio Gijuku operates Keio University, one of the most prestigious private schools in Japan. Keio’s respected and historical founder Yukichi Fukuzawa appears on the Japanese 10,000 yen bill. (Dude has got his own money!)

UPDATED! This year’s program has already confirmed a fantastic lineup of guest speakers and lecturers:
Yuji Nunokawa
CEO of Pierrot Co., Ltd. Yuji has produced the anime series “Naruto” and “Bleach“. He has also worked on the original animes of “Casshern” and “Yatterman (ヤッターマン)” as animation director.

Michael Arias
A visual creator acting beyond boundaries such as genres and nationalities. His credits include “ANIMATRIX” (2003 / producer), “Tekkonkinkreet” (2006 / director), his first animation future based on Taiyo Matsumoto’s famed comic, and “Heaven’s Door” (2009 / director), his first non-animated narrative feature film.

Shoji Kawamori
An animation director and mechanical designer. His work as mechanical designer includes “Valkyries” in TV animation “ULTRA SPACE-TIME FORTRESS, MACROSS”, AIBO (ERS-220) of SONY and design supervising for Trans Former series. His directing work includes “ULTRA SPACE-TIME FORTRESS MACROSS-Do you remember the love?”, “Spring and Chaos (Spring of Kenji)”, “Macross ZERO”, “AQUARION”, “Macross F (Frontier)”, “Basquash”, etc…

Roland Kelts
Author of “Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US”, published in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. He is a lecturer at the University of Tokyo, Sophia University and The University of the Sacret Heart Tokyo, an editor and writer for the New York-based literary journal “A Public Space” and “Adbusters” magazine, and a columnist for “The Daily Yomiuri.” His novel, “Access,” will be published next year.

Misako Rocks!
Manga artist. Her first break came when The Onion decided to use her illustrations for their now famous “Savage Love” column, which runs every week. Shortly thereafter, Misako scored a two-book deal with Hyperion, a three-book deal with Henry Holt and a writing gig for Archie comics. She has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Elle Girl and the New York Times. The BBC has also featured her in a documentary about comic book creators.

Program Dates: July 25 — Aug 8, 2009
Student Age Range: 13 — 15 years old
Location: Keio Academy of New York, 3 College Road, Purchase, NY 10577
Cost per Student: Early Bird $2,500 (Updated! Early-bird deadline extended to April 15), $2,900 by April 30 regular deadline.

Ningin readers are eligible for a special discount on the program fee — $200 off when you use the event code “NINGIN” when registering. The 40 Japanese student seats are already filled! Now it’s up to the American students to represent!

Visit Keio Academy of New York’s website to learn more and apply!

(Yes, $200 off with “Ningin”. Not a typo!)