Charleston Music Hall to host Miyazaki Film Fest in June

The Charleston Music Hall is partnering with the Charleston City Paper and Captain’s Comics and Toys to present the “Miyazaki Film Fest – A Celebration of Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli” on Saturday, June 16th.

The festival will be an all-day event starting at noon and running through 11 pm. The following films will be screened: Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The venue is flying in a special projector to be able to play the films in the highest quality possible.

Admission to each film will be $12, or you can buy a 4-film pass for $36 (complimentary specialty poster included). 2 Nixons & Ice Bing will be serving food in the lobby throughout the event.

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, a film and animation studio, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of anime feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest animation directors.

Miyazaki’s works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity’s relationship with nature and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. The protagonists of his films are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities. Miyazaki’s works have been highly praised and awarded; he was named a Person of Cultural Merit for outstanding cultural contributions in November 2012, and received the Academy Honorary Award for his impact on animation and cinema in November 2014. In 2002, American film critic Roger Ebert suggested that Miyazaki may be the best animation filmmaker in history, praising the depth and artistry of his films.

Here’s a look at the schedule:

Kiki’s Delivery Service – 1 pm to 3 pm

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese animated fantasy film produced by Studio Ghibli and written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki as an adaptation of the 1985 novel of the same name by Eiko Kadono. The film tells the story of a young witch, Kiki, who moves to a new town and uses her flying ability to earn a living. According to Miyazaki, the movie portrays the gulf between independence and reliance in teenage Japanese girls.

Howl’s Moving Castle – 3:30 pm to 5:45 pm

Howl’s Moving Castle is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. The film was produced by Toshio Suzuki, animated by Studio Ghibli and distributed by Toho. The story is set in a fictional kingdom where both magic and early 20th century technology are prevalent, against the backdrop of a war with another kingdom. The film tells the story of a young hatter named Sophie after she is turned into an old woman by a witch’s curse. She encounters a wizard named Howl, and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Spirited Away – 6:15 pm to 8:30 pm

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.[The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, and Bunta Sugawara, and tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba’s bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – 9 pm to 11 pm

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a 1984 Japanese animated epic science-fiction fantasy film adapted and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on his 1982 manga of the same name. Isao Takahata produced the film for Tokuma Shoten and Hakuhodo, with Topcraft animating. Joe Hisaishi, in his first collaboration with Miyazaki, composed the film’s score. The film stars the voices of Sumi Shimamoto, Goro Naya, Yoji Matsuda, Yoshiko Sakakibara and Iemasa Kayumi. Taking place in a future post-apocalyptic world, the film tells the story of Nausicaä (Shimamoto), the young princess of the Valley of the Wind. She becomes embroiled in a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom that tries to use an ancient weapon to eradicate a jungle of mutant giant insects.

Click here for more information about the festival.

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