The New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) announced today that it will host the highly anticipated North American Premiere of Makoto Shinkai’s latest feature film Suzume. The coming-of-age fantasy will screen March 5 at the SVA Theatre as the festival’s Centerpiece selection.
The announcement comes just ahead of the film’s International Premiere on February 23 at the Berlinale, where it will be the first Japanese anime feature film to screen in the festival’s competition in two decades. (Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away screened in 2002 and took home the Golden Bear).
“We’re beyond thrilled to spotlight visionary director Makoto Shinkai’s artistic mastery,” said NYICFF Director of Programming Maria-Christina Villaseñor. “His films are compellingly emotive, graphically rich and capture the zeitgeist of today’s youth as they navigate our increasingly tumultuous world. NYICFF is thrilled to screen Suzume for the first time for a North American audience and continue the long tradition of honoring his work at the Festival.”
Synopsis:
On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety—
As the skies turn red and the earth trembles, Japan stands on the brink of disaster. But one determined teenager, Suzume, sets out on a mission to save her country. Able to see the supernatural forces that others can’t, it’s up to her to close the mysterious doors spreading chaos across the land. A perilous journey awaits as the fate of the country rests on her shoulders.
The film has already surpassed expectations in Japan, with over 10 million admissions in Japan since November and 13.4 billion yen (approx. 103 million USD) in 12 weeks.
Suzume’s international theatrical release is set for April, distributed by Crunchyroll in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wild Bunch International, Wild Bunch Germany and Eurozoom (excluding Asia). The film will open in North American cinemas on April 14.
NYICFF has a history of supporting Shinkai’s work and other anime titles over the past 25 years, having premiered the maestro’s global hit Your Name. (2016), Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below (2012) and 5 Centimeters Per Second (2008) at previous editions. The festival has also debuted works by auteurs such as Miyazaki, Mamoru Hosoda and more.
This year’s program features exciting new anime titles including the adaptation of Tsujimura Mizuki’s popular YA novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Atsuko Ishizuka’s Goodbye Don Glees! and the East Coast premiere of Masaki Tachibana’s Blue Thermal.
NYICFF 2023 will take place March 3 through 19. Tickets and more information available through nyicff.org.
Read more about Suzume in the April ’23 issue of Animation Magazine, available soon.
