Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

press release:

SAT., 9/10, 7 p.m. NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSHIKA): Japan | 1984 | 35mm | 116 min. | Japanese with English subtitles

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

In a future world decimated by atmospheric poisons, gigantic insects and war, Nausicaä’s eponymous princess must use her skills as both soldier and scientist. One of the best science-fiction films of the 1980s, Nausicaä’s critical and commercial success in Japan eventually led to the formation of Studio Ghibli. The film also marks the first of Miyazaki’s many superb collaborations with composer Joe Hisaishi.

Heroines of Anime series: Spanning multiple filmmakers, genres, and decades, this series showcases several of the most unforgettable female lead roles in Japanese animated cinema. From Motoko Kusanagi’s philosophical exploration of sexuality and gender identity in Ghost in the Shell to Nausciaä’s difficult wartime decisions as princess in Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, these leading women defy genre conventions in complex, strong-willed, and autonomous roles. This series is also home to the Wisconsin premiere of Eiichi Yamamoto’s Belladonna of Sadness, a 1973 film which first screened at the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival but has remained unavailable in the United States until a 4K digital restoration was completed in 2015. An erotic spectacle of breathtaking watercolor visuals accompanied by a 1970s psych rock soundtrack, this unseen masterpiece is a Japanese animated movie like no other. Heroines of Anime was curated by UW student and WUD Film programmer James LaPierre with the Cinematheque’s Jim Healy.