This April, the EYE Cinema in Galway presents the ever-so-popular Japanese Film Festival in partnership with Access Cinema.

This year, the programme offers a curated mix of genres from new and classic anime titles (‘Akira’ and ‘ChaO’), new dramas (‘A Pale View of Hills’ and ‘How Dare You?’) and a very intriguing fantasy/horror title (‘Exit 8’).

Screenings:
How Dare You? – Wed April 15th at 7pm – ticket link here
Yuishi, 10years old, a normal boy. Every day after school, he likes to catch bugs because he is in charge of the living creatures afterschool club. He has a crash on his classmate, Kokoa, who is a kind of go getter and conscious about environmental issues. Yuishi, Kokoa and a problem child, Haruto start their “environmental activities”, but it goes in an unexpected direction.

ChaO – Thu April 16th at 7pm – ticket link here
In the future, merpeople and humans co-exist but live in largely separate societies. In Shanghai, a rare opportunity for both sides arises when office worker Stephan is rescued by mermaid princess Chao. Chao is clearly smitten with Stephan and wants to get married. There’s one big problem: Chao can only appear in her fish form, as she doesn’t yet trust humanity enough to adopt a human form. As both merpeople and humans pressure Stephan to marry Chao as a step towards unification, Stephan is frustrated and conflicted – until revelations from the past cast Chao in a whole new light.

A Pale View of Hills – Fri April 17th at 12pm – ticket link here
Dual timelines explore a Japanese widow’s memories spanning post-war Nagasaki in 1950s and England during 1980s Cold War era, unraveling secrets that intertwine her past and present experiences across borders.

Exit 8 – Fri April 17th at 7pm – ticket link here
A man gets lost in an underground passage. He follows the “guide” through the passage, but one after another, strange things happen to him. Is this space real? Or an illusion? Will the man be able to escape the passage?

Akira – Sat April 18th at 7pm – ticket link here
One of the best-known examples of contemporary Japanese animation, this cyberpunk adventure takes place in the post-apocalyptic city of Neo-Tokyo. A teenage boy is exposed to a mysterious energy source and develops telekinetic powers that place him at the center of a conflict that may destroy the world.

Main photo of A Pale View of Hills.