Programme Cardiff 2023

Sat 30th Sep

Sun 1st Oct

The only friend Chieri has is a stuffed animal Cherry; it talks and plays with Chieri, and helps her get through life in place of her late father. When she visits her grandmother’s house for her father’s memorial, they find a stray dog giving birth to puppies, but a mean crow and strange monster come trying to get the baby dogs. Can Chieri and Cherry save their lives?

Japan | 2016 | 54’ | U | Makoto Nakamura | Japanese with English subtitles | F-Rated | Trailer

The film follows Ryota Miyagi, the point guard of Shohoku high-school’s basketball team. He had a brother, Sota, who was three years older than him, and who inspired his love for basketball. Ryota and his teammates challenge the inter-high basketball champions, the Sannoh school.

Japan | 2022 | 124’ | 12A | Takehiko Inoue | Japanese with English subtitles | Trailer

JERO11

JERO11 is a guitarist and shamisen player who composes instrumental rock inspired by traditional Japanese instrumentation. JERO11 produces original music and arranges rock covers of Anime, VOCALOID, video game and shamisen music. In this session he will perform traditional shamisen pieces with a modern twist using his homemade electric box-shamisen.

Miss Hokusai

Set in 1814 Edo (Tokyo), an accomplished artist, Katsushika Hokusai, works tirelessly in his house-atelier. Decades later his work would come to mesmerise Van Gogh, Monet, Klimt and Debussy. His daughter who often painted for him remained uncredited. O-Ei, is a free-spirited woman overshadowed by her father. Her art is so powerful that it leads her to trouble.

Japan | 2015 | 90’ | 12A | Keiichi Hara | Japanese with English subtitles | F-Rated | Trailer

The year is 2040 and the galaxy is flourishing with several colonies and advanced technology. AI is near perfection and the current top idol is the near-completed Virturoid Idol Sharon Apple. All that is missing are her actual feelings, which instead are supplied by Myung Fang Lone. Sharon’s debut concert is on planet Eden, where at the same time, fighter pilots Isamu Dyson and Guld Bowman battle over air superiority for the “Supernova Project.” Isamu, Guld and Myung were once childhood friends, but after an accident seven years ago, they went their own separate ways.

With Myung back in the picture, the old disputes are once again awakened. And when an unstable and illegal AI technique is installed in Sharon, the situation is worsened.

Japan | 1995 | 120’ | 12A (TBC) | Kawamori Shoji | Japanese with English subtitles | F-Rated

Students and best friends Mizore and Nozomi practice a complex duet, “Liz and the Blue Bird”, for oboe and flute. With graduation looming and the duet proving difficult, their friendship begins to buckle under the pressure. Interspersed is the fantasy storybook tale of Liz, contrasted with the crisp realism of the school, which weave with stirring music to tell a touching coming-of-age story.

Japan | 2018 | 91’ | U | Naoko Yamada | Japanese with English subtitles | F-Rated | Trailer

Nico/Agony

Nico is a housewife living in Tokyo with her husband Makoto, a musician from the underground music noise scene. After Makoto’s band breaks up, he becomes far too busy working at his new job and rarely gets home. Nico struggles to raise their child alone. She questions her situation, then a person appears in front of her.

Japan | 2023 | 10’ | 12A | Director: Umoto Yuuji | Animation Director: Yuka Akabane | F-Rated | Japanese with English subtitles

Blue Thermal

Looking for a fresh start after a romantic disaster Tamaki plans to leave behind her enthusiasm for volleyball to find a new pursuit. A freak accident leads her in an entirely new direction; the fascinating and thrilling world of gliders. Despite initial reluctance, she is about to see the world from an entirely different perspective.

Japan | 2022 | 103’ | 12A | Masaki Tachibana | Japanese with English subtitles | F-Rated | Trailer

Shinji Ikari is still adrift after losing his will to live, but the place he arrives at teaches him what it means to hope. Finally, the Instrumentality Project is set in motion and he will make one last gruelling stand to prevent the Final Impact.

Japan | 2021 | 155’ | 15 | Mahiro Maeda, Katsuichi Nakayama, Kazuya Tsurumaki | Japanese with English subtitles | Trailer

As a special cinema exclusive, attendees to all screenings of EVANGELION:3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME will receive an exclusive Ayanami Rei / Shikinami Asuka Langley reversible A4 mini-poster. Subject to availability.