London Anime Screenings at the BFI Southbank

Date: 2008 May 14 08:47

Posted by Joe

We've got some great news for anime fans who can get to London on the weekend of the 20th to 22nd of June 2008. The BFI Southbank will be showing a great line up of anime features. Including a special screening of 5 Centimetres per Second with the director Makoto Shinkai!

The line up is as follows:

Friday 20th June:
Paprika
5 Centimetres per Second

Saturday 21st June:
Death Note (Live action)
Death Note 2 - The Last Name (Live action) - Special double tickets available for both Death Note Movies).
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Tekkonkinkreet

Sunday 22nd June:
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Appleseed: Ex Machina
Vexille

This line up is fantastic, we recommend going to see at least one of these films if you can. As always this screenings are likely to sell out quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Full Story

Press Release as follows:

Anime Now

This month BFI Southbank presents Anime Now, a weekend (20 - 22 June) filled with the most accomplished anime or manga-inspired films to have recently emerged from Japan. While the international animation industry continues to plough untold resources into computer-generated animation, it is refreshing to see the Japanese striking an attainable balance between traditional 2D titles such as Paprika (2006) while still packing a punch with CG titles Vexille (2007) and Appleseed: Ex Machina (2007). We look forward to welcoming Makoto Shinkai (Voices from a Distant Star) back to the BFI with his new film 5 Centimetres per Second (2007), to talk about his career to date.

The weekend also offers a rare opportunity to see a double-bill of Death Note (2006) and Death Note 2 (2006), the live-action features from Shusuke Kaneko based on the long-running and massively successful manga series. A preview of the breathtaking The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) and Michael Arias' Tekkonkinkreet (2006) rounds off a programme packed with the best of contemporary anime cinema.

Special thanks to Hanako Miyata for her help in programming the season
www.bfi.org.uk/animenow

Film listings:

Paprika
[Booking Page]
Japan 2006. Dir Satoshi Kon. 91min. EST
Beginning its life as a tool to allow therapists to enter their patients' dreams, the futuristic 'DC Mini' device is soon found in the wrong hands, opening up a nightmarish world where minds are invaded and wills changed. The small group of scientists who developed the technology find themselves in huge personal danger, and soon their only option is to transport themselves into other people's dreams to smoke out the sleep terrorists. Based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui and directed by the versatile Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Perfect Blue), Paprika will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.
Fri 20 Jun 20:40 NFT2

5 Centimetres per Second Byosoku 5 Senchimetoru + Makoto Shinkai in Conversation
[Booking Page]
Japan 2007. Dir Makoto Shinkai. 63min. Video. EST Courtesy of CoMix Wave Films
Deriving its title from the speed that cherry blossom petals fall from a tree, Shinkai's new film is a trio of short stories concerned with the adversities of time, love, people and space. Starting in the mid-1990s and ending in the present day, we see snapshots of what is and what might have been in the lives of Takaki and Ahora, who start off as friends but look as if they may be blighted by conventions and distance. We are delighted to welcome Makoto Shinkai back to London, no longer as an emerging talent to watch out for, but as an accomplished director who is already at the top of his game. We'll be discussing his early works such as Voices from a Distant Star, made at home and using off-the-shelf software, and contemporary classic The Place Promised in Our Early Days, as well as looking forward to what the future holds.
Fri 20 Jun 18:20 NFT1

Death Note Desu Nôto
[Booking Page] (Live Action)
Japan 2006. Dir Shusuke Kaneko. 126min. 12A. Digital
Based on the long-running and massively successful manga, our Death Note double-bill showcases the live-action features (complete with CGI death gods). Light Yagami finds a notebook that comes with a set of rules. If the owner of the book writes the name of a person in it while visualising them in their mind then that person will die almost instantly. Initially, Light uses it as a vigilante tool, finishing off many convicted or suspected criminals, but before long the rightousness of what he is doing starts to blur and he finds himself enjoying the power at his control. With an apple-munching death god as his side-kick, Light starts to believe himself invincible until he is challenged by L, who claims to be the greatest detective in the world.
Sat 21 Jun 15:20 NFT3
Joint ticket available with Death Note 2.
£12.50, concs £9.25 (Members pay £1 less)

Preview: Death Note 2 Deso Nôto - The Last Name
[Booking Page]
Japan 2006. Dir Shusuke Kaneko. 126 min. EST. Digital. Courtesy of Blue Dolphin Films
Picking straight up from where the first film ends, another death god leaves a death notebook for a chosen one to find. With two books, two death gods and L still in hot pursuit, this Death Note story promises to dot the i's and cross the t's that were left open at the end of the first film. Both films are compelling, playful, fun and cool, and it can only be a matter of time before the US seizes the story as its own...
Sat 21 Jun 17:50 NFT3
Death Note 2 opens at the ICA in July

PREVIEW: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Toki Wo Kakeru Shojo
[Booking Page]
Japan 2006. Dir Mamoru Hosoda. 98min. Advised PG
Makoto Konno may not be the smartest girl in school, but she knows how to have fun. Her life changes when she has a brush with death and discovers a special power; the ability to jump backwards in time. Unable to resist exploiting this gift, she sets about changing her school grades and playing tricks on classmates. But it becomes clear that, when it comes to time, dangers lurk at every corner. With a host of awards under its belt and stunning art direction from Studio Ghibli's Nizo Yamamoto, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is breathtaking.
Sat 21 Jun 13:20 NFT3

Tekkonkinkreet
[Booking Page]
Japan 2006. Dir Michael Arias. 100min. EST
The studio behind The Animatrix presents another visually stunning anime treat based on the successful manga and directed by Michael Arias (the first non-Japanese to direct a major anime). On the streets of Treasure City, a couple of orphan brothers, Black and White, find themselves at odds with the local yakuza who seem intent on taking over the city. Brutal, beautiful and with its heart firmly in the right place, this is a film that deserves the huge international attention it has received already.
Sat 21 Jun 20:40 NFT3

The Place Promised in Our Early Days Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no Bashu
[Booking Page]
Japan 2004. Dir Makoto Shinkai. 91min. EST. PG
For those just catching up with the talent of Makoto Shinkai, another chance to view his classic first feature on the big screen. In an alternate postwar Japan where half the country is governed by the US and the other by 'The Union', three school friends resolve to build a plane and cross the border to reach a mysterious tower, only to abandon their plan when one falls ill. Years later, with war looming once more, the remaining pair have hard decisions to make. A beautifully lyrical combination of fine animation, music and storytelling.
Sun 22 Jun 15:50 NFT2

Appleseed: Ex Machina Ekusu makina
[Booking Page]
Japan 2007. Dir Shinji Aramaki. 103min. EST. Courtesy of Warner Bros
A Utopian state, created in the fallout of a nuclear war, is made up of humans and Bioroids, clones that suppress strong emotions to ensure genocide is less likely in the future. Deunan Knute and her partner, cyborg Hechatonchires, are part of a special-ops team who find themselves shaken by the creation of a new battle Bioroid and outbreaks of extreme violence. Another in the series of films based on the classic manga, this CGI animation is already being heralded for its ability to tell a good story while pushing the technology to its limits.
Sun 22 Jun 18:20 NFT2
Appleseed: Ex-Machina is available on DVD now.

Vexille
[Booking Page]
Japan 2007. Dir Fumihiko Sori. 109min. EST
In the middle of the 21st century, robots and humans are beginning to feel interchangeable, and world powers fear the worst. Japan shuts itself off from its international allies, using electromagnetic fields to keep out intruders while it continues to push for full integration. The US sends in the big guns - SWORD, a unit of ruthless commandos who must infiltrate Japan and report back on the extent of their robotics plans. Using computer generated animation, this is a stylishly executed futuristic thriller with awesome action set-pieces and considerable drive.
Sun 22 Jun 20:40 NFT2

Booking information
The BFI Southbank is open to all. BFI members are entitled to a discount on all tickets. BFI Southbank Box Office tel: 020 7928 3232. Unless otherwise stated tickets are £8.60, concs. £6.25. Members pay £1 less on any ticket. Website www.bfi.org.uk/southbank