Studio 4°C’s marine marvel joins Mari Okada’s Maquia in new online film festival line-up
Anime Limited is delighted to reveal that the hauntingly beautiful Children of the Sea, which features a score by legendary Studio Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away), will headline the latest curated line-up of their Screen Anime online film festival from 25th August. This marks the first wide release of the film in the United Kingdom & Ireland, following appearances at film festivals such as Scotland Loves Anime, where it screened in competition.
Children of the Sea leads Screen Anime’s most diverse line-up to date, with its curated theme of “growing up” featuring films for family members of all ages. Children can enjoy the monster mischief of A Letter of Momo or the fantastical dream world of Napping Princess, while older members can enjoy the wondrous artistry of Children of the Sea or Mari Okada’s emotional story of parenthood, Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.
Teens with their heads already deep in anime subculture can also laugh along to this month’s bingeable TV series, the nerdy romantic comedy Kiss Him, Not Me!
The Screen Anime August/September curated festival bill line-up will be available from 25th August until 25th September. All titles will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles, while Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms, Napping Princess, A Letter to Momo and Kiss Him, Not Me will also be available with an English language dub.
PREMIERE: CHILDREN OF THE SEA (NOT CLASSIFIED – SUGGESTED 15)
★★★★★ Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
A breathtaking out-of-body experience from the studio behind MIND GAME. Ever since she saw a ghost in its waters, young Ruka has been drawn to the aquarium where her dad works. There, she meets Umi and Sora, two mysterious boys who were raised by dugongs, and hear the same strange calls from the sea that she does. Ruka’s dad and the other adults are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing, and how it could tie into the mystery of fish disappearing from oceans worldwide.
Features the music of acclaimed Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi.
FESTIVAL FAVOURITE: MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS (15)
A touching tribute to motherhood and the connections we make over a lifetime. Maquia is a young member of the Iorph tribe, known for their longevity and peaceful lives weaving tapestry. When their home is invaded by a hostile kingdom seeking the Iorph’s immortal blood, Maquia loses not only her friends, but a place to return to. Lost in mind and body, she stumbles into a dark forest and upon Ariel, an orphaned baby boy. Taking him in as her own, the two embark on an emotional journey of the bond between the ageless and the mortal. The directorial debut of Mari Okada, the writer of Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart.
CLASSIC FILM: A LETTER TO MOMO (PG)
“Full of magic and emotion” The Guardian
The last time Momo saw her father, they had a fight. Now all she has left to remember him by is an incomplete letter penned with the words “Dear Momo,” but nothing more. Moving with her mother to the remote Japanese island of Shio, Momo soon discovers three Yokai living in her attic, a trio of mischievous spirit creatures that only she can see and who create mayhem in the tiny seaside community as she tries desperately to keep them hidden. But these funny monsters have a serious side and may hold the key to helping Momo discover what her father had been trying to tell her.
CURATED: NAPPING PRINCESS (PG)
An imaginative fantasy adventure about Kokone, a young girl who should be studying for exams, but just can’t stay awake! Her napping is more than just a risk to her grades, however, as it brings strange dreams that transport her to a world of warring machines that may hint at family secrets left dormant for years. She can’t ask her hipster mechanic father, who’s always busy modifying motorcycles in flights of fancy, so could these visions lead Kokone closer to, or further away from, her family? From the director of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
SERIES MARATHON: KISS HIM, NOT ME (12)
(TV SERIES – 12 EPISODES)
A manic romantic comedy about an anime fan who wishes reality was more like the Boys’ Love series she loves. Kae Serinuma believes one thing – princes belong together! She loves nothing more than fantasizing about faux relationships between the boys at her school, but when the stress of her favourite anime character’s sudden death causes her to lose weight, the boys want… her?! From pretty average to prettiest girl, Kae just wants these boys to date each other, not her! From the studio behind Anonymous Noise and Durarara!!
Screen Anime is available in the UK & Ireland for only £3.98/mo or £39.98/yr. Members can take advantage of benefits including discounts at Anime Limited’s online store and more. Screen Anime is currently available via your web browser, with apps for TVos, iOS, Android & Amazon to follow over the coming months.
Join the curated online anime anime film festival like no other – try your three day free trial at screenanime.com