Mai Mai Miracle

Outsiders, storytelling and discovery are the topics of this new animation by Sunao Katabuchi, the former assistant director to Studio Ghibli pioneer, Hayao Miyazaki. Set in rural in the 1950s Japan, this animated adaptation of Nobuko Takagi’s Mai Mai Miracle follows two friends, Kiiko and Shinko as they embark on an imaginary quest for friendship and companionship that spans one millennia.

Katabuchi’s film chronicles the connection between two different characters who have been brought together by the power of and the desire to imagine a different life. Inspired by the history of their village, Kiiko and Shinko create an imaginary world, where they create the destiny of a young and lonely princess, who lived near their homes 1,000 years before. Using international experiences of childhood, such as moving house, imaginary friends and the death of a relative, Mai Mai Miracle pays homage to a child’s comprehension of loss and their use of dreams and make-believe to deal with the task of growing up. Playful and touching, this film alludes to ideals of faith, rebirth and moving on to create a wilful and realistic portrayal of the end of childhood and the beginning of adolescence that fills the mind with wonder.

Showing @ Cameo, 20^th of June, 13:30 and 25^th of June, 15:00