Perfect Blue (1997) 25th Anniversary
Director: Satoshi Kon Run Time: 81 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 1998
Starring: Junko Iwao, Masaaki Ôkura, Rica Matsumoto, Shiho Niiyama, Shinpachi Tsuji
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
About the film:
Gateway Film Center and Anime Expo Cinema Nights invite you to revisit Perfect Blue (1997), the groundbreaking and rarely screened first film from the legendary director Satoshi Kon (2006’s Paprika, 2004’s Paranoia Agent), as it returns to the big screen for its 25th anniversary.
Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go… Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller that has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time.
About the filmmaker:
Satoshi Kon was a leading figure in animation and one of the most influential contemporary Japanese artists. His stories fuse fantasy and reality to explore social themes and the human psyche. He is best known for his acclaimed anime films Perfect Blue (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), and Paprika (2006), as well as the anime series Paranoia Agent (2004). Prior to working as a director, he worked as a scriptwriter, layout artist and background designer, and made his directorial debut with episode 5 of the OVA JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1993-1994). Kon was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association.
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