Anime Auteurs 2023

July 20-22, our Anime Auteurs series returns for a 5-film deep dive into the work of anime legends whose cultural influence and boundary-pushing films have come to define the peak of the art form.
Otaku no Video (Film Club Member & Series Pass Holders Only)- Thursday, July 20 @ 7pm
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - Friday, July 21 @ 7pm
The Animatrix - Friday, July 21 @ 9:30pm
Millennium Actress - Saturday, July 22 @ 7pm
Perfect Blue - Saturday, July 22 @ 9pm
Anime has become a mainstay in American popular culture thanks to beloved series like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and Sailor Moon. For decades, however, filmmakers have been using the medium to expand our notion of what cinema can be and inspire both viewers and fellow artists alike. Literally translating to “author” in English, auteur theory originated as a concept in French film criticism to describe a filmmaker with an immediately recognizable style who returns to similar themes throughout their career. The filmmakers and stories in this year’s series lineup speak to this in their undeniably singular writing, directing, and animation styles.
Our second annual Anime Auteurs series celebrates the global impact of anime and fan culture with 5 films made from the 1990’s through the early 2000’s. It kicks off on Thursday, July 20th with a members & series pass holders exclusive FACETS Anime Club screening of Takeshi Mori’s loving mockumentary about obsessive fans, Otaku No Video (1991) + a secret 9pm show. The series continues on Friday, July 21st with a double feature highlighting the work of Shinichirō Watanabe and his collaborators on Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) and The Animatrix (2003), and closes out on Saturday, July 22nd with a night dedicated to Satoshi Kon’s explorations of stardom in Millennium Actress (2001) and Perfect Blue (1997).