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Date: 2006 July 16 17:20

Posted by Joe

The BFI have sent us some great news about an August Anime Season kicking off at the NFT in London. Following the success of last years anime season, they've decided to hold another one, which is always a great sign for London based fans. Highlights include director of Negadon: The Monster from Mars making an appearance on stage for a conversation session on Friday 18th August. They'll also be screening:

The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Negadon: The Monster from Mars + Yonna in the Solitary Fortress
Tetsujin 28: The Movie
Patlabor: The Movie
Mind Game
Area 88: Episodes 1-4
Karas: The Prophecy
Otakus in Love (Koi no Mon)

The following two Ghibli titles also get special extended runs:
Pom Poko
Spirited Away

They've got a great selection of titles and we highly recommend attending some of these screenings.

Full Story

Press release as follows:

July 2006

Anime

After the success of last year’s Anime season at the NFT, we are delighted to screen a selection of Japanese anime films and to welcome Jun Awazu, director of Negadon: The Monster from Mars (2005) to the stage, in conversation on Fri 18 Aug 8.40 NFT2. We present two Movie Magic extended runs, Pom Poko (1994) - which tracks the survival of shape-shifting racoon-like creatures - and Spirited Away (2001) - which follows Chihiro’s adventures through a fantasy ghost town. Plus, following on from last year’s screening of Voices Of a Distant Star (2003) and visit to the NFT by its director Makoto Shinkai, we present his eagerly awaited first feature film, The Place Promised in Our Early Years (2004).

Robots rule the anime world in a string of nostalgic films such as ‘The world’s first computer-generated monster movie’, Negadon: The Monster from Mars. Tetsujin 28: The Movie (2005) is a new live-action story about the giant robot Tetsujin 28 (aka Gigantor) who battles head to head with The Black Ox - an aggressive robot with detachable limbs; while Patlabor: The Movie (1989) – a classic precursor to the Ghost in the Shell series – finds the Tokyo police embroiled in a plot involving a suicide and the reprogramming of rampaging robots, set in an alternate 1999.

New adaptations from Manga classics include: Area 88: Episodes 1-4 (2005), which follows a band of pilot mercenaries in a war-torn desert area; and Otakus in Love (Koi no Mon, 2004), a live-action love story between two manga fanatics (known as Otakus in Japan) which includes performances from directors Shinka Tsukamoto and Takeshi Miike.

Multi-styled techniques and cutting-edge visuals appear in both Mind Game (2004) and Karas: The Prophecy (2005), which is set in present-day Tokyo where humans and spirits co-exist in different dimensions under the watchful eye of the raven-like Karas.

Once again, we showcase a diverse range of stylistically eclectic anime from recent years for adults and young audiences alike.

www.bfi.org.uk/anime

Supported by: JAL & Nintendo

Film Listings:

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no Bashu)
Fri 18 Aug 6.30 NFT1; Mon 21 Aug 8.45 NFT2

Shinkai’s eagerly awaited first feature is set in an alternate postwar Japan where half the country is governed by the US and the other by ‘the union’. Three schoolfriends resolve to build a plane and cross the border to a mysterious tower, but when Sayuri falls seriously ill, the others abandon their plans. Years later, war looms once more, and the two remaining friends have decisions to make. A beautifully lyrical combination of fine animation, music and storytelling; and a modern classic.

Japan 2004 | Dir Makoto Shinkai | 91 mins | J-Cert PG.

Director Jun Awazu in Conversation

Negadon: The Monster from Mars + Yonna in the Solitary Fortress (Hanare Toride no Yona)

Fri 18 Aug 8.40 NFT2
2025: the population is rising alarmingly and plans are afoot to make Mars a sustainable environment for human life. When a spaceship crashes and the mighty Negadon is unleashed, there’s only one man to save Japan. Dr Narasaki is a robotics engineer with a tragic secret, who needs just this kind of challenge. The ‘world’s first computer-generated monster movie’, Negadon crams much into 25 minutes and tips an affectionate wink at the great Japanese monster flicks of the 50s and 60s. Yonna in the Solitary Fortress sees our heroine’s special powers as the subject of much interest from intruders, and her brother her only protector. We are delighted to announce that the director of Negadon: The Monster from Mars, Jun Awazu, will be appearing at the NFT along with the above screenings to talk about making the film and his career to date. Widely seen as one of the rising stars of the Japanese animation world, this is an opportunity to listen to Awazu talk about his craft in person with Justin Johnson from the NFT Programme team.

Negadon: Japan 2005 | Dir Jun Awazu | 25 mins.

Yonna in the Solitary Fortress: Japan 2005 | Dir Kengo Takeuchi | 34 mins.

Tetsujin 28: The Movie

Sat 19 Aug 4.10 NFT1
Next to Godzilla, it is Tetsujin 28 (or Gigantor) who has survived the test of time in terms of iconic longevity. After many anime presentations, the golden anniversary of the giant robot was marked last year by this new live-action version which pits the Black Ox, an aggressive robot with detachable limbs, against Tetsujin, who has been confined beneath the ground and is rusty and out of practice. Its colourful, nostalgic, comic-book style will appeal to adults as well as its intended youthful audience.

Japan 2005 | Dir Shin Togashi | 113 mins | J-Cert PG.

Patlabor: The Movie
Sat 19 Aug 6.30 NFT1

In an alternate 1999, in the shadow of an oncoming typhoon, the Tokyo police force find themselves caught up in a mysterious plot involving a suicide and the suspicious reprogramming of thousands of Labors (industrial robots). With the impending meteorological crisis, time is running out for the mobile police unit chasing the rampaging robots on the city’s

streets. The classic precursor to the Ghost in the Shell series has been re-mastered and more than stands the test of time – as well as justifying its revered place in the history of anime – in this rare big-screen outing.

Japan 1989 | Dir Yuuki Masami | 100 mins | J-Cert PG.

Mind Game
Sat 19 Aug 8.45 NFT1; Mon 21 Aug 6.15 NFT2
Comic-book writer Nishi encounters his childhood sweetheart, Myon, but a sudden, violent and potentially life-changing situation soon threatens to tear them apart. This experimental, surreal anime from Studio 4°C (The Animatrix) features everything from brutal Yakuza hitmen, a trip to purgatory and a malevolent whale; along with multi-style animation techniques and cutting-edge visuals.

Japan 2004 | Dir Masaaki Yuasa | 103 mins.

Area 88: Episodes 1-4
Sun 20 Aug 4.15 NFT1
Shin Kazama joins a band of pilot mercenaries in a war-torn desert area. The only way to leave is by early death or by paying a $1.5m contract buy out. Despite TV origins, this new

version of the classic Area 88 manga is cinematic in style while still capturing the intrigue and characterisation of the original series and the manga from which it was derived. Each selfcontained episode gives an insight into a different pilot while ultimately finding the balance between the horror of war and the beauty and precision of some of its instruments of delivery.

Japan 2005 | Dir Isamu Imakake | 100 mins.

Karas: The Prophecy
Sun 20 Aug 6.30 NFT1
Present-day Tokyo is a city where humans and spirits co-exist in different dimensions under the watchful eye of the raven-like Karas and its masters. When a renegade Karas breaks the

ancient governing laws and sets a gang of mechanised demons against the humans, a chain of events begins that could change Tokyo forever. Tatsunoko Productions celebrates its 40th

anniversary with this visually impressive anime (originally an episodic TV release) that combines 2D and 3D styles to portray aerial battles, demons at war and sword and sorcery that leave little to the imagination.

Japan 2005 | Dir Keiichi Satou | 79 mins | J-Cert 15.

Otakus in Love (Koi no Mon)
Sun 20 Aug 8.45 NFT1
This live action manga adaptation is a bizarre, comic love story between a couple of manga fanatics (or Otakus as they are known in Japan) who bring their obsession with the subculture

to life in extreme ways. He paints his works onto stones and she is into dressing up as comic book characters (Cos-Play). Upbeat, colourful, and energetic, it also features acting performances from such iconic directors as Shinka Tsukamoto and Takashi Miike.

Japan 2004 | Dir Suzuki Matsuo | 114 mins.

Movie Magic Anime Extended Runs:

Pom Poko (Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pompoko)
Fri 11 Aug 2.40 NFT2; Sat 12 Aug 4.00 NFT2; Sun 13 Aug 3.20 NFT2; Mon 14 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Tue 15 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Wed 16 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Thu 17 Aug 2.30 NFT2

A human-led construction force threatens the survival of a community of mystical, shape-shifting raccoon-like creatures (the Tanuki) and the forest where they reside. Our heroes are forced to take radical action to keep their home intact and set up a ‘ghost parade’ and other inventive scare tactics to ward off the aggressors. This lesser-seen Ghibli classic succesfully combines a strong ecological message with a visually impressive fantasy setting.

Japan 1994 | Dir Isao Takahata | 119 mins | J-Cert PG.

Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)
Fri 18 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Sat 19 Aug 1.30 NFT1; Mon 21 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Tue 22 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Wed 23 Aug 2.30 NFT2; Thu 24 Aug 2.30 NFT2

Chihiro stumbles across a ghostly town inhabited by ancient gods and magical beings. Her parents are transformed into pigs when they are unable to resist chowing down on the gods’ sumptuous banquet, and Chihiro finds herself in danger of a similar fate unless she can gain entry to the huge bath-house where the evil sorceress Yubaba resides. Prepare to leave your preconceptions at the door and enter a world that combines fantasy with philosophy and deals with the virtues of friendship, discipline and imagination in Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning classic.

Japan 2001 | Dir Hayao Miyazaki | 125 mins | J-Cert PG.

Source: BFI

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