ARCHIVED ONLINE EVENT - Japan Society Film Club: Belle by Mamoru Hosoda

Date
Wednesday 3 August 2022
Time
6.30pm (BST)
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Booking Details
Free - Booking essential
Priority for Japan Society Members

Please remember to watch the film in advance. Belle is available to watch on BFI Player, YouTube, Apple TV, Rakuten TV, Google Play and other platforms.

The activities of the Japan Society are made possible thanks to the support of its members. This event is free of charge and open to all. We realise that this is a difficult time for many people. However, if you are planning to attend and do not have a membership subscription as an individual or through your employer, please consider making a donation. You can find details of membership and how to join the Japan Society community here.

Do you love Japanese film classics, anime or contemporary cinema stories? Do you miss Japan and want to see it at least on screen? Would you like to learn and discuss about Japanese culture and society? The Japan Society Film Club is an online space to chat about films and Japan in an informal atmosphere.

Join us on 3 August to discuss animation Belle, the eagerly-anticipated new film from Studio Chizu and Mamoru Hosoda, the Academy Award nominated director of Wolf Children and Mirai.

Belle (竜とそばかすの姫, 2021) is a captivating magical voyage and an insightful snapshot of how technology has transformed all our lives. Inspired by the 1756 French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the film centres around Suzu, a 17-year-old high school student living in a small village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U,” a virtual world of 5 billion members on the internet. There, she is no longer Suzu but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.

Mamoru Hosoda (1967-) is a director of animation films. In 1991, he joined Toei Doga (now Toei Animation). He was an animator there before becoming a director. In 2003, he directed SUPERFLAT MONOGRAM, a video for Louis Vuitton's spring/summer collection. He turned freelance thereafter, and in 2006, he released feature animation The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which, despite its small-scale release, turned out to be a long-running box office hit supported by young viewers. It was also the first winner of the newly established Japan Academy Prize Best Animation as well as numerous other awards. In 2009, he released Summer Wars based on a story he wrote himself, and it also became a smash hit grossing 1.65 billion yen in box office sales and drawing an audience of 1.26 million. Like his previous film, it swept the animation awards in Japan, and it moreover received a formal invitation to the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival and gave Hosoda a nomination for the 2011 Annie Award Best Director, thrusting him to the top echelon of Japanese animation directors. In 2011, he and producer Yuichiro Saito co-established animation studio Studio Chizu. Wolf Children, which he directed and whose screenplay and story he wrote, became a mega hit that drew an audience of 3.44 million and grossed 4.22 billion yen in box office sales.

Japan Society Film Clubs take place on the first Wednesday of the month. We recommend a film to watch in advance and meet online to discuss. Films are often available online for free, to rent or with subscription, on DVD/Blu Ray or on BFI player. The event is open to all and we encourage participants to freely express their opinions and feelings about the films.

If you have any questions, please call the Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email events@japansociety.org.uk.

Booking Info