Ghibli at GFC 2025: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Sat, Apr 19
- Sun, Apr 20
- Mon, Apr 21
- Tue, Apr 22
Director: Isao Takahata Run Time: 89 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1988
Starring: Adam Gibbs, David Wald, Emily Neves, Marcy Bannor, Shelley Calene-Black
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles | Matinee screenings presented in English
A Film Center tradition, embark on a magical journey into the enchanting world of Studio Ghibli with Ghibli at GFC 2025 this spring.
About the film:
As the Empire of the Sun crumbles upon itself and a rain of firebombs falls upon Japan, the final death march of a nation is echoed in millions of smaller tragedies. This is the story of Seita and his younger sister Setsuko, two children born at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and now cast adrift in a world that lacks the resources to shelter them. Forced to fend for themselves in the aftermath of fires that swept entire cities from the face of the earth, their doomed struggle is both a tribute to the human spirit and the stuff of nightmares. Beautiful, yet at times brutal and horrifying.
Based on the retellings of survivor Nosaka Akiyuki and directed by Isao Takahata (co-founder, with Hayao Miyazaki, of Japan’s legendary Studio Ghibli,) Grave Of The Fireflies has been universally hailed as an artistic and emotional tour de force. Now digitally remastered and restored, it is one of the rare films that truly deserves to be called a masterpiece.
About the filmmaker:
A key figure in Japanese animation, Isao Takahata co-founded the internationally renowned Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki in 1985. Known for his sophisticated, character-driven animations and diverse range of themes and aesthetic styles, Takahata has crafted fantastical and imaginative worlds, including his feature directorial debut The Little Norse Prince (1968). He directed five films with Studio Ghibli: Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999), and the universally acclaimed Academy Award-nominated The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).
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