IFI Anime Weekend

admin | March 10, 2009

A weekend of Japanese Anime will be taking place 28–29 March at the IFI. Presented by the Irish Film Institute, the Embassy of Japan in Ireland and the Japan Foundation, the weekend will offer Irish audiences a rare chance to see four 21st century anime movies on the big screen.

The weekend kicks off with Naruto: Legend of the Stone of Gelel, a taste of the Naruto phenomenon that has a huge young fan base. Rintaro’s Metropolis is a more grown-up anime film based on a reimagining of Fritz Lang’s famous 1927 vision of the same name. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence fast-forwards to 2032 and takes us to a cyborg society where unmodified humans have become a threatened minority. Sword of the Stranger offers a more traditional view of Japan: an anime take on the classic live-action films of samurai swordplay.

IFI are delighted to welcome Masahiro Andô, director of Sword of the Stranger, for a Q&A after the film’s screening. There will be two free talks from renowned anime expert Helen McCarthy: A Brief History of Post-War Japanese Animation (including an interview with Masahiro Andô) and Japanese Anime for Adults.

Free tickets for the talks need to be reserved through the IFI box office. There is a special rate for the Anime festival of €5 per screening for under-16s and students. Tickets can be booked in person at the IFI box office, by telephone on 01 679 3477 or online a www.ifi.ie