Filmoteca Canaria has unveiled its programming for ‘Japan Comes Alive’, featuring a selection of iconic contemporary anime titles. The acclaimed film ‘Your name’ will launch this new cycle with screenings on October 13 in Gran Canaria and October 15 in Tenerife.
The question posed by Filmoteca Canaria with the ‘Japan Comes Alive’ series is, “Can anime remind us that we are human?” This series will occupy the cultural institution's programming for the coming months. Following a brief summer preview with the screening of ‘My Hero Academia: Two Heroes’, Japanese animation returns to the islands' screens with several of the genre's most emblematic films.
The film chosen to initiate this journey is the masterful work directed and written by Makoto Shinkai, ‘Your name’ (‘Kimi No Na Wa’), which premiered in 2016. It will be shown in original version with Spanish subtitles on Tuesday, October 13, at 19:00 at Teatro Guiniguada (Gran Canaria), and on Thursday, October 15, at the same time at Espacio La Granja (Tenerife). In both cases, the screenings will be free, with tickets available in advance at the venues' box offices and websites.
The plot of ‘Your name’ follows Mitsuha, a student living in the countryside with her younger sister, grandmother, and a father she rarely sees. On the other side is Taki, a young man studying and living in Tokyo, who works part-time at an Italian restaurant and increasingly feels the need to distance himself from his family. Their destinies collide when, a month after witnessing a comet that visits Earth every thousand years, Mitsuha dreams she is a city boy and Taki dreams he is a country girl. Thus begins an emotional journey as the two young people seek to uncover the invisible thread that connects them across time and memory.
Ten years after its release, ‘Your name’ is remembered as one of the most impactful films in the anime landscape. It not only shattered box office records worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of its genre at the time, but also established Makoto Shinkai as one of the great geniuses of contemporary animation. His style is noted for its dazzling hyper-realistic visuals, the intricate details of his famous skies, and his skill in intertwining everyday life with fantasy.
The film has received significant accolades, including the Best Animated Feature award at the Sitges Film Festival and recognition from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, along with multiple categories at the Japanese Academy Awards. It is accompanied by the acclaimed soundtrack from the Japanese band RADWIMPS, one of the most popular groups in Asian rock.
The ‘Japan Comes Alive’ series promises a vibrant journey through anime in the coming months. Following this screening, Filmoteca Canaria, which is part of the Government of the Canary Islands, will present the feature film ‘I Want to Eat Your Pancreas’ (‘Kimi no suizo wo tabetai’), which addresses themes of illness and farewell. Later, audiences will immerse themselves in a story that transforms trains and landscapes into borders between light and darkness with ‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’ (‘Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-Hen’), as well as experience high-energy battles with ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’ (‘Doragon bôru chô: Burori’). The series will conclude in the final weeks of the year with two more offerings from filmmaker Makoto Shinkai: ‘5 Centimeters per Second’ (‘Byosoku go Senchimêtoru’) and ‘Weathering with You’ (‘Tenki no ko’), both of which will close a cycle that delves into the masterpieces of Japanese cinema while also reflecting on stories that linger long after viewing.
