Hey, Toronto! Anime Icon Oshii Mamoru Is Coming To Town For ScreenAnarchy Presented Retrospective TECHNO/HUMAN

Hey, Toronto! It's not all that often that an honest to god icon comes to town but it's happening in July with Ghost In The Shell director Oshii Mamoru on hand as part of the ScreenAnarchy presented mini-retrospective Techno / Human: The Films Of Mamoru Oshii. And, yes, it would have been a maxi-retrospective if not for the fact that nobody seems to know who holds the rights to many of his titles on these shores these days - I'd written the program notes and everything - but we're getting the big stuff! On the docket will be:

In Conversation With Mamoru Oshii - a live, on stage interview taking place Saturday July 12th at 6:30 pm. Oshii will also personally present screenings of Ghost In The Shell (the 2.0 version) on July 12th and The Sky Crawlers July 13th while the retro continues on with later screenings of Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence, Patlabor: The Movie, and Patlabor 2: The Movie. Here's the official press release:

The multi-talented writer, director, mangaka and novelist Mamoru Oshii has become recognized alongside Hayao Miyazaki (The Wind Rises, Spirited Away), Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) and Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) as one of the most vibrant and unique talents in animated film. Curated by ScreenAnarchy's Todd Brown, this retrospective showcases Oshii's unique blend of speculative technology, classical philosophy and gritty, heavy-duty action. The retrospective includes the definitive version 2.0 release of Ghost in the Shell (1995), which was pillaged of many of its key ideas and visuals by the Matrix films, remastered with the latest digital film and animation technologies, including 3D-CGI, and featuring a new voice recording from the original cast, a brand new score from Kenji Kawai, and 6.1 channel sound. Other highlights include The Sky Crawlers (2008), Oshii's last animated feature to date, a stunning combination of science fiction, high-flying action and ethical conundrums; Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), which made history when it became the first (and to date the only) anime feature ever accepted into the prestigious Competition section at Cannes; Patlabor: The Movie (1989) and Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), the first two features in the much-loved giant-robot franchise.

Click here for all the info and to buy tickets now.