Princess Mononoke
Giants, fairies, magicians, ghosts, dragons, and monsters of all kinds… Here’s what your Cinémathèque has in store this summer! Since Méliès, filmmakers have embraced the fanstastic potential of cinema, creating infinite phantasmagorias and extraordinary spectacles where the unreal becomes real. Step into a world of fantasy and boundless imagination: whatever your generation, the monsters and wonders that once filled your childhood dreams are back this summer 2025!
Ashitaka, a young archer, finds himself involved in a conflict between Princess Mononoke and her forest on one side, and Lady Eboshi and her ironworks on the other, and through them two conflicting relationships to the world, to nature and to resources. A fabulous animist and ecologist tale on every level, populated by unforgettable creatures and visions, which cemented Miyazaki's reputation as the great master of Japanese animation.
Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation. He directed numerous films with Ghibli, including Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and Princess Mononoke (1997). His 2001 film Spirited Away became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and is frequently ranked among the greatest films of the 21st century. His later films, Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Wind Rises (2013), also enjoyed critical and commercial success. Following his retirement from feature film, he returned to write and direct The Boy and the Heron (2023), for which he won his second Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's relationship with nature and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. His protagonists are often strong young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.
