The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Toonseum are collaborating to bring an anime film festival to Pittsburgh! Join us for film showings, art exhibits, and lectures on the history and influence of Japanese animation. All films presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
Feb 5: Akira (Otomo Katsuhiro, 1990) | [trailer]
- Toonseum (click here for directions) | 7 p.m.
- Followed by a lecture by Joe Peacock
- FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION
- A landmark in Japanese anime, Akira is set in Neo-Tokyo in the year 2019 and follows a biker with psychic powers. The film is being screened in conjunction with a special exhibition of original production art from the film, running throughout February at the ToonSeum. The screening will be followed by a lecture on Akira by film writer Joe Peacock, owner of a number of the pieces on display in the exhibition. The film screening is free with museum admission. (Suggested admission: $5.)
Feb 11: 5 Centimeters per Second (Makoto Shinkai, 2007) | [trailer]
- University of Pittsburgh, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (click here for directions) | 7 p.m.
- Free and open to the public!
- Hailed by critics and audiences for its beauty and innovation, 5 Centimeters per Second tells the bittersweet story of two young students, painting a stunning picture of young love, loss, and hope. Free.
Feb 18: Memories (Otomo Katsuhiro, 1995) | [trailer]
- Carnegie Mellon University, McConomy Auditorium (click here for directions) | 7 p.m.
- Free and open to the public!
- Memories includes three science fiction stories. In “Magnetic Rose,” an abandoned spaceship contains a world created by one woman’s memories; a young lab assistant accidentally transforms himself into a human biological weapon in “Stink Bomb”; and “Cannon Fodder” depicts a city whose entire purpose is firing cannons at an unseen enemy. Free.
Feb 25: Summer Wars (Hosoda Mamoru, 2009) | [trailer]
- University of Pittsburgh, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (click here for directions) | 7 p.m.
- Free and open to the public!
- In Summer Wars, two teenagers fight a computer program run amok in the virtual game world of OZ. Free.
Feb 28: Lecture, Dr. Steven Ridgley, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- "Relational Visuality, or, What's the Point of Studying Anime?"
- University of Pittsburgh, Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (click here for directions) | 7 p.m.
- Free and open to the public! This lecture includes a closing reception.
