The SCAD Cinema Circle’s next showing will take place on April 20 at 8 p.m. and will feature the anime film, “Akira.”
Sheila Bolda, the programming director at the Trustees Theater, said the goal of Cinema Circle is “to screen classic and essential films in an engaging theatrical setting…to experience films on the big screen as they were intended to be shared and also get to engage in post show discussions that help broaden their appreciation and knowledge of the film in regards to its historical and cinematic influence.”
Directed by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, “Akira” is certainly a significant piece of both anime and film history. The movie was first released in Japan in 1988 and was released in the U.S. by Streamline Entertainment the following year. It perfectly harnessed the western science fiction film tradition and the cyber punk niche, reflecting films like “Blade Runner” and “Videodrome,” to become the groundbreaking case of anime success in the west.
By combining these already popular elements with traditional anime style, “Akira” made way for the ’90s anime craze that soon began in the west, especially the U.S., with the popularity of television shows like “Pokémon” and “Dragon Ball.”
“Each year we explore an overall theme, sometimes certain directors, or “dynamic duos,” based on current cultural conversations. There has recently been a lot of discussion on the Hollywood remake, so the 2016-2017 season explored screening the original films before their remakes hit the cineplex; films like The Magnificent Seven, Beauty and the Beast, Don’t Look Now and Ghost in the Shell,” said Bolda, to explain the film choice. “There are rumors of a live action “Akira”…and we have not yet screened animation and felt it long overdue. Princess Mononoke was added also, because it is an important part of the anime canon.”
Akira will play on April 20 at 8 p.m., followed by “Princess Mononoke” on April 28 at 7 p.m. and the original “Ghost in the Shell” on May 4 at 8 p.m.
Written by Shelby Loebker.
