Two anime classics coming to the IFI this May!

A chance to see anything from Studio Ghibli on the big screen is not to be missed and Studio Canal have seized the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of two titles, My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies which were released as a double bill in Japan in 1988, to release them in cinemas on this side of the world. 

If you have never seen Totoro, or you know a small person who has yet to enter the magical world of forest creatures, spirits, brave and curious children that are typical of Japanese master Hiyao Miyazaki’s creations, then do them and yourself a favour, and bring them along to the IFI during these special May screenings, from 24th to 30th of May. 

Showing in the dubbed version on May 25th and 26th (voiced by Fanning sisters, Elle and Dakota), Totoro wasn't a hit on first release; Japanese viewers took time to find its appeal. However they and the rest of the world soon recognised the sheer beauty and ingenuity of this hand-drawn rural fantasy world in which the girls wander while seeking comfort for the absence of their hospitalised mother. Totoro, created by Miyazaki for the film, turns out to be a big friendly creature, and his film offers us family life and forest life where the girls' imaginations are allowed to roam and invites the viewer to engage their imagination too. Lovingly crafted, in every corner there is something happening and not one frame of the film is wasted.

Look, watch and marvel at the work of a master. His new film, The Wind Rises, opens in Japan in July. 

Alicia McGivern

Head of IFI Education