Watershed Cinema Offers ‘More Than Miyazaki’ Anime Season in Bristol
While we have LIFF on-going there’s another anime-related festival happening this month.
Celebrating the 100 years of Japanese animation, Watershed cinema over in Bristol are offering a special anime season dedicated to films that are ‘More Than Miyazaki‘ this November between the 16th to the 19th. The season focuses on a fair few recent anime films released in the UK in the past couple of years, including the upcoming Lu Over the Wall from director Masaaki Yuasa.
Ticket prices, dates and times will all be specified below. Each film has various ticket prices depending on what time they begin.
The cinema is located at the following address for those who are interested:
Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5TX
While Your Name is part of the line-up, unfortunately the screening has sold out but it is now available on home video to own.
Here is the line-up revealed below. You can also visit the main page here.
Belladonna of Sadness
Date: Friday 17th November / Time: 18:00
Rated: 18 / Director: Eiichi Yamamoto
Audio: Japanese with English subtitles
Price fee: £9.00 full / £6.50 concessions / £4.50 24 and under
One of the great lost masterpieces of Japanese anime, Belladonna of Sadness is a psychedelic, erotic experiment that has been hailed as one of the most innovative and imaginative animated films of all time.
Made by Mushi Productions, the makers of Astroboy, their final film was a last throw of the dice for the studio – and the huge reduction in budget resulted in a gorgeous, sensual watercolour style. It’s a riff on the story of Joan of Arc and Satanism and witchcraft in the middle ages, focusing on a peasant girl who makes a pact with the devil after a violent assault.
Definitely not one for the easily offended, it features an amazing Japanese psych rock soundtrack that, along with the far out animation, is sure to blow your mind. Don’t miss this very rare chance to see a true one-off.
Call of The Wild Family Drop-In
Date: Saturday 18th November / Time: 10:00-12:30
Price fee: FREE!
UWE and Watershed have collaborated to bring you a special FREE family Drop-in event exploring creative technology and arts and crafts with a great line-up of activity inspired by animated Japanese fantasy Wolf Children.
Wolf Children (screening at 14:00) is the story of tight knit family who are half human, half wolves. Following the themes of the film – choice, family, and nature – we’re putting on three exciting workshops where you can immerse yourself into its magical environment.
Here’s what we’ve got planned – they’ll all take place in the Waterside spaces between 10:00 – 12:30. The events are most suitable for families with children 8 or over, although everyone is welcome to attend! Drop in for as long or as little as you like…
Build-A-Beast: craft your very own plushie beast with soft sculpture artist Tabitha Panter
Origami and nest building: we’ll help you make your own origami animal in our Japanese-style home, then you can build its habitat using natural materials in our indoor forest!
Stop-Frame animation fun: families can create their own Wolf Children-themed stop-frame animation using green screen and SFX to take home
Wolf Children
Date: Saturday 18th November / Time: 14:00
Rated: PG / Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Audio: English dub
Price fee: £6.50 full / £4.50 concessions and under 24s
A beautiful tale of love and triumph, this lovely family film is a brilliant mix of fantasy and real-life issues.
When 19-year-old Hana falls madly in love with a man she meets in college, she discovers that he has a secret: he’s a wolf man! Hana doesn’t mind, though, and the pair stay together, eventually having two children, Ame and Yuki. At first the family quietly live in the city trying to hide their wolf heritage, but when their father suddenly passes away, Hana retreats to the countryside where Ame and Yuki can choose: do they want to grow up to be humans – or wolves?
Perfect Blue
Date: Saturday 18th November / Time: 17:00
Rated: 18 / Director: Satoshi Kon
Audio: Japanese with English subtitles
Price fee: £9.00 full / £6.50 concessions / £4.50 24 and under
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, this psychological thriller of a singer-turned-actress stalked by an obsessive fan still unsettles and intrigues two decades since its original release. Leaving the world of music behind her, Mima begins life as an actress on a crime drama. When offered a lead role in the show as a rape victim, she accepts, but the backlash from her fans over her career change and a strange website called ‘Mima’s Room’ written by a fake Mima begin to worry her. When a stalker appears and a people involved in the drama begin turning up dead, with all the evidence pointing to her, Mima is thrown into a state of confusion, madness, and paranoia….
Momotaro, Sacred Sailors
Date: Sunday 19th November / Time: 14:30
Rated: PG / Director: Mitsuyo Seo
Audio: Japanese with English subtitles
Price fee: £6.50 full / £4.50 concessions and under 24s
An incredibly rare chance to see nothing less than the birth of anime itself: Japan’s very first feature-length animation, a landmark in anime history and a masterpiece of propaganda, believed lost for several decades and now finally available to view.
This 1945 propaganda film (made to encourage Japanese youths to consider a career in the Navy) stars Japanese fairy tale hero Momotaro as he leads a squad of heroic animal soldiers against evil British demons. There are songs, there is kawaii hyper-violence, and there are unauthorised cameos by the likes of Popeye… it’s fair to say the whole thing is pretty surprising.
One of its most striking elements is its use of ethnic stereotypes (the flip side of American propaganda cartoons who were brutal in their racial stereotyping of the Japanese) and the quality of the animation given the conditions it was made in (in wartime, with little resource and skilled workers). A true moment in history restored from the sole surviving negative.
Lu Over the Wall
Date: Sunday 19th November / Time: 17:00
Rated: PG / Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Audio: Japanese with English subtitles
Price: £6.50 full / £4.50 concessions and under 24s
The latest from Masaaki Yuasa is a quirky and colourful family-friendly anime about a musical mermaid named Lu.
After his parents’ divorce, lonely middle schooler Kai moves to a sleepy fishing village, where he spends his days sulking. When his classmates discover he’s a dab hand at the keyboards, he’s invited to join their band – but their practice sessions soon bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid who will change all of their lives…
Despite the inevitable comparison with Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo, Lu Over The Wall has its own unique style – plus a mega cool soundtrack that will have the whole family bopping along!
If you want more information, Watershed have an entire section dedicated to the anime season. Their official website also offers more info on the location and any FAQ’s needed. Watershed also have social media including Facebook and Twitter.
If you miss out on Lu Over the Wall don’t forget that there’s also a nationwide theatrical run this December.
