SA’s first animé festival kicks off in August
Local animé fans are in for a treat as a dedicated animé film festival comes to Mzansi in August.
Organised by Gravel Road Distribution Group, The Animé Festival 2024 will see three award-winning animations screened at various locations across the country.
Here’s what you can watch:
“My Neighbour Totoro” will screen on August 8. The film captivates audiences with the tale of Satsuki and her sister Mei, who relocate to a new rural residence alongside their father.
They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children.
The girls are taken on a number of excursions by Totoro and his companions, one of which involves a trip on the amazing Cat Bus.
Watch the trailer below:
On August 23, the Academy Award-winning animation, “Spirited Away”, will be screened.
This dazzling tour-de-force is the story about a young girl named Chihiro, whose family stops off to explore an abandoned village, while moving house.
Chihiro's parents mysteriously change, and she is swept away into a world of strange spirits governed by Yubaba, the sorceress.
Put to work in a magical bathhouse for spirits and demons, Chihiro must use all her wits to survive in this strange new place, find a way to free her parents and return to the normal world.
Watch the trailer below:
On September 6, “Howl's Moving Castle”, the third movie in the festival, will be released.
The epic fantasy story of Sophie, a modest girl working in a hat shop, is featured in this Academy Award-nominated movie. Sophie finds her life thrown into disarray when she is literally swept off her feet by a strange and attractive wizard named Howl.
Envious of their friendship, the vile and spiteful Witch of the Waste curses Sophie, turning her into a 90-year-old lady.
Sophie boards Howl's majestic moving castle and embarks on a mission to break the enchantment, leading her into a world of wonder and adventure.
However, as Howl's true wizardry becomes apparent, Sophie is forced to defend the two of them against a deadly sorcery war that puts their planet in jeopardy.
Watch the trailer below:
Beyond the movies that are being screened, fans will be able to take part in this special occasion honouring Studio Ghibli's legacy by immersing themselves in specially designed activations that are related to each movie and are themed around Japanese and Animé Lifestyle, like tea tastings, fan art exhibits, cosplay activities and more.
The movies will be screened at Ster-Kinekor cinemas in Gauteng at Eastgate, Mall of Africa and The Zone. TheWestern Cape at Cavendish, Somerset, Tyger Valley and V&A. KwaZulu Natal at Gateway Theatre of Shopping and Eastern Cape at Bayside.
Independent cinemas include, The Bioscope in Gauteng and The Labia in the Western Cape. NuMetro cinemas participating have yet to be confirmed.