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Screening, Akira (1988)


Akira will be screened on Friday, August 12, from 6-8:30 pm, with talk led by Dr. Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase

Akira (アキラ) is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo (born 1954) and co-written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, based on Otomo’s 1982 manga of the same name. Set in a dystopian 2019, Akira tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a biker gang leader whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires telekinetic abilities after a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amid chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and does not include much of the last half of the two-year manga series. The soundtrack draws heavily from traditional Indonesian gamelan and Japanese noh music. It was composed by Shōji Yamashiro and performed by Geinoh Yamashirogumi. Akira premiered in Japan in 1988, where it was distributed by Toho; and was released in the U.S. by Streamline Pictures in 1989. It garnered an international cult following and is widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest animated and science fiction films ever made, as well as a landmark in Japanese animation. Akira is also a pivotal film in the cyberpunk genre, particularly the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre. It had a significant impact on popular culture worldwide, paving the way for the growth of anime and Japanese popular culture in the Western world, as well as influencing numerous works in animation, comics, TV, and video games. 

The official film trailer can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j_nL6PDcvc&t=1s

 

Kinosaito Japanese Arts & Culture Film Series: Three Cinematic Visionaries is a three-month public program presented in-conjunction with Kinosaito’s Founder and Japanese-American abstract artist Kikuo Saito’s Alphabet exhibition on Fridays, June 10, July 15, and August 12, 2022, from 6-8:30 pm in our newly renovated art center in Verplanck, NY. The films slated to be screened are Tokyo Story(1953) by Yasujiro Ozu, Dreams (1990) by Akira Kurosawa, and Akira (1988) by Katsuhiro Otomo. Japanese arts and culture experts Dr. Joel Neville Anderson from Purchase College, SUNY and Dr. Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase from Vassar College will introduce the films and lead audience discussions concluding them. 

 

This event is free and open to all, please rsvp at kinosaito.org

Event Location and Ticket Information

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KinoSaito
115 7th St
Verplanck, New York 10596
Handicap Accessible? Yes

Date: Friday, August 12, 2022
Times: 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Ticket pricing:
Free event

Presenter Website: https://www.kinosaito.org/events