Reel Anime 2013: Everything You Need To Know

Madman Entertainment have just revealed all the details and dates for the upcoming semi-inaugural anime-centric film festival Reel Anime. They have a cracker of a line-up sure to entice any anime fan, and judging by last year's attendance records, this is no surprise. Without further adieu...

Opening September 26 in Adelaide, then followed closely on October 3 in all other states, Reel Anime 2013 will showcase a stellar line-up of the finest animated features, direct from Japan, including Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, 009 RE: Cyborg, A Letter To Momo and a double-bill of The Garden Of Words and Ghost In The Shell: Arise.

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, is the third feature-length film in creator Hideaki Anno's rebuild of the ground-breaking 1995-1996 anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Following on from the cataclysmic finale of Reel Anime 2012 hit, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (my review here), the third film takes the Evangelion storyline in a startling new direction. With its heady mix of cutting-edge animation spectacular giant robot action, heightened emotion and deep philosophy, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is an absolute must see experience.


009 Re: Cyborg is a re-imagining of hugely influential Japanese Sci-Fi author, Shotaro Ishinomori's Cyborg 009 manga series - first published in Japan in the 1960s. Over the years, Cyborg 009 has proven to be something of a Japanese equivalent to Marvel's X-Men for its themes, reach and influence on Japanese pop culture.

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, best known for his work on TV series' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East, 009 Re:Cyborg has been lovingly assembled by a hand-picked team of his very best collaborators at Production I.G. The result is a dazzling, action-packed science-fiction experience that contains elements both old and new.

The first anime release in Australia to do so, Reel Anime 2013 will also offer full stereoscopic 3D screenings of 009 Re:Cyborg at select locations.


Seven years in the making and featuring beautifully crafted animation from Production I.G.,  A Letter To Momo is the acclaimed second feature from Hiroyuki Okiura, director of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. After full house screenings in festivals around the world, including Toronto, Warsaw and Sitges, the film comes to Reel Anime 2013 with impeccable accolades, including, among others, the Grand Prize at the 2012 New York International Children's Film Festival and Best Animated Feature Film at the 2012 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.


The first of four all-new OVA (original video animation) installments from the renowned Production I.G. - caretakers of the Ghost in the Shell legacy, from the immensely popular Ghost in the Shell animated feature films through to the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series & tie-in movies - Ghost in the Shell: Arise marks a long-awaited return to the beloved GITS universe, and offers a thrilling new prequel story arc involving Motoko Kusanagi and her future Section 9 colleagues.


The latest work from acclaimed filmmaker, Makoto Shinkai (my interview with him here), The Garden Of Words is an emotional, calming and beautifully measured work that examines a chance encounter between two lonely people, showcasing all the superlative hallmarks that the remarkable filmmaker has come to be well regarded for across the globe.

Australian cinema locations for Reel Anime will include: Palace Eastend (Adelaide), Cinema Nova (Melbourne), Dendy Newtown (Sydney), Luna Leederville (Perth), Dendy Portside (Brisbane), State Cinema (Hobart), Dendy Canberra and Avoca Beach Picture Theatre.

The New Zealand Reel Anime 2013 program opens September 19 in Christchurch and Dunedin, following by Auckland and Wellington on September 26.

New Zealand cinema locations will include Hoyts Riccarton (Christchurch), Rialto Dunedin, Academy Cinema (Auckland) and Paramount Cinemas (Wellington).