Lovers of Hayao Miyazaki will soon have the chance to watch his films on the big screen. The IU Cinema will show Miyazaki’s work alongside other notable Japanese films in the semester.
The film series “Chimerical Cinema: The Fantastic World of Japanese Animation” is the cinema’s response to a heightened interest in Japanese animation within the Bloomington community, said Brittany Friesner, associate director of IU Cinema.
Some films to be screened throughout the semester include “Akira” on March 26, “Grave of the Fireflies” on April 4 and “Ghost in the Shell” on April 29.
“Princess Mononoke,” the popular 1997 Miyazaki animated film, is starting the series 9:30 p.m. Jan. 29, at IU Cinema. The film screening has sold out, and there are no more tickets available, according the IU Cinema website.
All films in the “Chimerical Cinema” film series cost $3 for entry.
“After a very popular screening of ‘Paprika’ in Spring 2015 and a sold-out crowd for ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ in fall 2015, we decided to add an entire series of Japanese animation films,” Friesner said in an email.
Like many Miyazaki films, “Princess Mononoke” is an animated fantasy. The film follows Ashitaka, a young warrior, as he finds himself torn between nature and humanity.
Miyazaki achieved international acclaim when his 2003 film “Spirited Away” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Friesner, who programmed the series and selected all the films, said starting with “Princess Mononoke” was an attempt to excite the community about the film series.
“Hayao Miyazaki is time and again requested by patrons as a possible visiting filmmaker for the IU Cinema, so we knew his film would be among the most popular in the series and wanted to start off with a bang,” she said.
Friesner said Japanese animation is an influential genre they felt needed to be showcased.
“I think you would be hard pressed to find any animator working today who would not claim Japanese animation as a contributing influence to their own artistry,” she said. “I think animation is vastly creative and cross-pollinating genre that will continue to see great innovation and creativity as it continually evolves and grows.”
Many films were considered for inclusion in the series, but Friesner said the films ”Tokyo Godfathers” and “Porco Rosso” did not make the cut.
The cinema plans to program more Japanese animated films in the future, but Friesner said there are no current plans to make “Chimerical Cinema” a regular series.
She said she anticipates a positive reception from both IU students and the Bloomington community as a whole.
“I think, perhaps, Japanese animation is so popular because it can appeal to all ages,” she said. “Bloomington is fortunate to have a wealth of cultural offerings not available in many small towns. I think that leads to a population engaged and curious about a variety of cultures and art.”
