Thursday, December 13, and Tuesday, December 18, 7:30 p.m.
Rave Cinemas Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX, 3601 East 53rd Street, Davenport IA
A new documentary on one of the most revered film artists of all time will enjoy special screenings at Rave Cinemas Davenport 53rd 18 + IMAX on December 13 and 18, with Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki providing insight into the legendary Japanese director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, manga artist, and two-time Academy Award recipient.
Widely known for his hand-drawn animated features including Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, The Wind Rises, and his 2002 classic Spirited Away, Miyazaki has long created works characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's relationship with nature and technology, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. With the protagonists of his films frequently strong girls or young women, and several of his films presenting morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities, Miyazaki's works have been highly praised and through his decades in film. He received his native Japan's “Person of Cultural Merit” citation for his outstanding cultural contributions in 2012, and in addition to receiving the Best Animated Feature Oscar for Spirited Away – still the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, topping James Cameron's Titanic – Miyazaki received a 2014 honorary Academy Award for his impact on animation and cinema. In 2002, film critic even suggested that Miyazaki was the best animation filmmaker in history,
In 2013, at the age of 72, Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement. But he found that he still couldn’t shake his burning desire to create, and after an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarked on a new endeavor: a short film titled Boro the Caterpillar that would be his first project ever to utilize CGI. But the artist, who had been adamant about the importance of hand-drawn animation, confronted many challenges along the way, even facing the indignity of having funds for the film cancelled. Beyond offering insight into its subject's creative process, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki asks: Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? Directed by Kaku Arakawa, the documentary goes behind the scenes over a two-year period as Miyazaki overcomes his struggles to create his CGI short, giving audiences a rare glimpse into the world of one of film history's living legends.
Screening nationally in a special two-night engagement, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on December 13 and 18, and more information and tickets are available by visiting FathomEvents.com and Cinemark.com.
