In collaboration with LantarenVenster we will screen Tokyo Godfathers on Tuesday, March 24 only.
One Christmas Eve, three homeless people – a middle-aged alcoholic named Gin, a former drag queen named Hana, and a dependent runaway girl named Miyuki – discover an abandoned newborn while searching through the garbage. A search for the parents of the child ensues. During their efforts their respective pasts catch up with them as they learn to look ahead to the future.
Tokyo Godfathers is a modern classic by KON Satoshi, a renowned director of Japanese animation. KON, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 46, also directed Perfect Blue and Paprika.
Prior to the screening Tom MES will give a lecture on anime.
Anime is usually seen as something typically Japanese, even representing the country and its culture. But the Japanese animation industry has a long history of interaction with Asia, North America, and Europe. From the early days of Astro Boy, via Studio Ghibli, to the latest made-for-Netflix animation, such interaction continues to shape anime to this day – including a litte pitstop in Holland along the way.
Tom MES is the founder of MidnightEye.com and author of multiple books on Japanese cinema. He has taught Japanese film and popular culture at Leiden University and is currently a lecturer at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.