We have officially run out of Studio Ghibli films! But let's continue with the spirit of our Ghibli Movie Nights by watching some other wonderful anime that Hayao Miyazaki himself would have been proud to conceive and direct!

• When: Every Friday at 8:30 PM (ending approx. by 11:00 pm)
• Where: KCECH 1938 Lounge (snacks and refreshments provided)
• No RSVP required: just show up, and feel free to bring your friends!

This Friday we will be screening Makoto Shinkai's most recent feature!: すずめの戸締まり, Suzume no Tojimari ("Suzume's Locking Up", 2022), produced by CoMix Wave Films, with musical score again by Radwimps (like in Your Name and in Weathering with you. The film follows 17-year-old high school girl Suzume Iwato and young stranger Souta Munakata, who team up to prevent a series of disasters across Japan by sealing doors from the colossal, supernatural worm that causes earthquakes after being released. As a fun fact, Shinkai initially wanted Suzume's companion to be another girl, with a "sisterhood type of romantic story", but his producer discouraged the idea!

Its themes were inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Shinkai also cited Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) and Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore (2002) as influences. The movie received largely positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the characters, animation, visuals, music, and emotional story --making it the fourth highest-grossing Japanese film of all time as well as the fourth highest grossing film of 2022 in Japan. Among its numerous accolades, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, losing to Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron (2023)...

Come watch it with us!