When a paterfamilias dies in Japan, the family members dutifully gather for the funeral and cremation, and so it is in “Goodbye, Grandpa!” As the film’s clan comes together to remember their father and grandfather, the pain is certainly real — it’s etched onto... Read more
Japan
Mary and the Witch's Flower
From Academy Award®-nominated Hiromasa Yonebayashi — animator on Studio Ghibli masterpieces “Spirited Away” and “Ponyo,” and director of “When Marnie Was There” and “The Secret World of Arrietty” — comes a dazzling new adventure about a young girl named Mary, who... Read more
Modest Heroes
This banquet of kid-friendly short films from Japan’s Studio Ponoc (“Mary and the Witch’s Flower”) features three works about modest heroes. "Invisible" (Akihiko Yamashita, 13 min.), directed by the lead animator on “Howl’s Moving Castle” and other films by the... Read more
Narrative Shorts: Animation 2
Narrative Shorts: Experimental
Point of No Return
“Point of No Return” chronicles one of the most suspenseful and pioneering scientific adventure stories of the 21st century, following two pilots in their attempt to circumnavigate the globe in an airplane fueled exclusively by sunlight. Their mission: to prove... Read more
Shoplifters
One of Japan’s most lauded contemporary directors, Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Like Father, Like Son,” “After the Storm”) debuted his latest, “Shoplifters,” at Cannes, where it won the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu... Read more