Image source: Anime News Network — via Anime News Network
A new 35mm print of Katsuhiro Ōtomo's classic 1988 film Akira will be reissued in UK cinemas from Friday, starting with London's BFISouth Bank. According to Anime Limited, this is the first new print of the film created indecades. It present the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with stereo Japanese audio and English subtitles.
The first screenings will be at the BFI Southbank between August 14 and 19 on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. (tickets). There will be further screenings at "selected cinemas throughout the year," according to Anime Limited.
The BFI Southbank describes the film as follows:
"It's impossible to overestimate how key Akira was in bringing anime to a wider Western audience and the high bar it set for what this style of animation couldachieve. It's 2019 and in a dazzling Neo-Tokyo, cyber-punk bikers cruise the neon-soaked streets. But within their midst is a telekinetic child who threatens the very existence ofthis future world.
"Otomo's seminal anime, a striking, hyperkinetic adaptation of his own manga, almost single-handedly introduced this form of animation toworldwide audiences. Impeccably detailed with fluid, jaw-dropping action sequences, Akiraremains a stunning cinematic achievement. The filmmaker's ability to tap so plausibly into what the next generation might look like, both in scientific and industrial terms, is breathtaking. We are thrilled to present the UK premiere of a new 35mm print of one of anime's masterpieces."