The animated works of Japan’s Hayao Miyazaki bear the rare distinction of being critically praised worldwide and immensely successful commercially, both in his homeland and overseas.
His twelve features as a director, which include ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988), ‘Princess Mononoke’, (1997) and the Academy Award-winning ‘Spirited Away’ (2001), combine realistic character design, vivid and expansive landscapes rich in detail, sweeping emotional arcs and a potent whiff of fantasy.
Produced at Studio Ghibli, the company he co-founded with Isao Takahata in June 1985, his films wistfully evoke the faraway, unattainable dreamlands of classic European children’s literature or phantasmagorical reimaginations of Japan’s mythic past – freewheeling, inspirational visions in which teenage girls battle against forces of environmental devastation, children ride in giant cat-buses and pigs can fly. The release of his latest feature ‘The Boy and the Heron’ (2023) provides a welcome opportunity to revisit a body of work that is certain to endure and inspire generations to come, in this illustrated talk by critic and Japanese film specialist Jasper Sharp.
100m (inc 10 mins Q&A)
Mon 5 Feb 18:15 - In the Auditorium
Tickets only £6.50 (Students free)
Look out for Hayao Miyazaki's latest release:
THE BOY AND THE HERON