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Shown in the original Japanese 35mm prints with English subtitles.

Location: Pacific Film Archive, UC Berkeley

For film descriptions and to purchase tickets, please visit:

http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/miyazaki_2009

Location: Wheeler Hall
Tickets: Full price $12, UCB students $9 [Buy tickets]

The Center for Japanese Studies, in conjunction with the Pacific Film Archive, is pleased to present the Northern California premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, Ponyo, to be screened at Wheeler Hall on Friday, July 24, 2009. Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) follows the adventures of an intrepid goldfish and a young boy named Sosuke, who rescues her from a bottle among debris that human beings have inflicted upon the ocean. In this playful story of Ponyo’s rebellious desire to become human and of the relationships between children and parents, the great director again proves his peerless ability to connect with the keen perception and heart of a young child, while creating a world that speaks truths to adults as well. Among the many brilliant passages achieved through Miyazaki’s hand drawn animation are the artist’s irresistible depiction of a paradisal undersea realm and a wild tempest caused by Ponyo’s willfulness. The English-language version features the voices of Cate Blanchett, Noah Cyrus (Ponyo), Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Frankie Jonas (Sosuke), Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, and Betty White.” Executive Producers are John Lasseter, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall; the film is released in the U.S. by Walt Disney Pictures.

Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) was Japan’s biggest box office hit in 2008. Ponyo also won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Animation of the year and, by special invitation, was screened at the 2008 Venice Film Festival.

This event is cosponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies and the Pacific Film Archive.

BIG MAN JAPAN
Japanese Superhero Comedy
Opens Friday, May 29, 2009 in Bay Area

Landmark’s Lumiere Theatre, 1572 California St., San Francisco, (415)267-4893
Tickets are $10.50 for general admission and $8.00 seniors, students, and children
Showtimes and tickets will be available Tuesday, March 24

Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 464-5980
Tickets are $10.00 for general admission and $8.00 seniors and children
Showtimes and tickets will be available Tuesday, March 24

Advance ticket purchase at: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/tickets and at theatre box office.

Official Film Website: http://www.sixshooterfilmseries.com/bigmanjapan

A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisato’s job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato (director/co-writer Hitoshi Matsumoto, a popular Japanese stand-up comic) has his own problems—an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. A wickedly deadpan spin on the giant Japanese superhero, BIG MAN JAPAN is an outrageous portrait of a pathetic but truly unique hero. (Japan, 2007). Official Selection at 2007 Austin Fantastic Fest, 2007 Cannes Director’s Fortnight, 2007 Toronto Midnight Madness. BIG MAN JAPAN was featured in the Festival Forum in the 2009 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

“One of the most thoughtful and funny superhero films for adults. It hits just the right balance of dry humor and big dick jokes. Big Man Japan is ultra-human and really funny.” – Simon Abrams, NY Press

“A mere synopsis can’t convey how delightfully weird all of this is on screen. As they say, you have to see it to believe it…” – Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com