LAB CLASSICS: AKIRA
We are proud to bring back one of the most influential and game-changing anime masterpieces as part of our program Panorama: A Journey Into The World Beyond! Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic Akira obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and, with its visually arresting portrail of futuristic Tokyo (kickass iconic motorcycle included), forever changed the face of global pop culture. In doing so it would pave the way for big, intelligent action cinema. Akira isn’t just a movie – it’s the genesis of a genre.
On May 3rd the film will once again be introduced by Japanologist Philo Ouweleen (Camera Japan Festival).
Neo-Tokyo, 2019. The city is being rebuilt post World War III when two high school drop outs, Kaneda and Tetsuo stumble across a secret government project to develop a new weapon – telekinetic humans. After Tetsuo is captured by the military and experimented on, he gains psychic abilities and learns about the existence of the project’s most powerful subject, Akira. Both dangerous and destructive, Kaneda must take it upon himself to stop both Tetsuo and Akira before things get out of control and the city is destroyed once again.