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SUMMER WARS (2009)

📅 19 March 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 21 March 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 23 March 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

📅 23 March 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 31 March 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

🎥 6 anime feature films

📍 5 different cinemas across NL: Amsterdam, Breda, Groningen, Rotterdam, Utrecht

From March 2025 to October 2025, prepare to be captivated by a collection of Japanese animated classics that were rarely showcased in Dutch cinemas before. The films range from space cowboys, time-traveling girls to galaxy adventures. All titles are presented in the original Japanese language with English subtitles.
And this season we are happy to add 2 more locations to our roster! Now also in Breda and Groningen will you be able to fuel your anime hunger. 🤩

🗓️ Mark your calendar:

MARCH ’25

⚪ SUMMER WARS (2009) ⚪

The virtual city of Oz allows anyone to access the Internet at any time, for information, to pay bills or play games online. In his spare time, Japanese high-school student Kenji works as a maintenance computer programmer for Oz. When Natsuki, the girl with whom he is secretly in love, invites him to go to Nagano for a few days for a family party, he promptly accepts. The night after the banquet, Kenji has gone to bed when he receives a strange email on his mobile phone that contains numbers and the following message: Decode me! Piqued by this challenge to his mathematical abilities, although still half-asleep, he tries to work out the puzzle and solves it. Next morning he learns that his avatar is wanted by the authorities.

Summer Wars was Mamoru Hosoda’s much-anticipated new film after the success of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and the first animated Japanese animated film to compete at the prestigious Locarno Festival. It is also a story for our times, in which we look at online presence and social media with new eyes.

📅 19 March 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 21 March 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 23 March 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

📅 23 March 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 31 March 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

APRIL ’25

©Buronson, Tetsuo Hara/NSP 1983

©Toei Animation 1986

⚪ FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (1986) ⚪

In a world ravaged by nuclear war Hokuto Shinken martial arts master Kenshiro is confronted with his former friend Shin when they duel over Kenshiro’s fiancée Yuria. After being left for dead, Kenshiro recovers and wanders the wasteland, protecting the weak. After teaming up with Rei, who is looking for his kidnapped sister Ari, Kenshiro attempts to track down Shin and needs to battle a newly arrived warlord, Raoh.

Fist of the North Star was based on the eponymous manga that ran between 1983 and 1988 and was produced by the same team that made the popular television series of the same name. Director Toyoo Ashida came to this film straight from directing another cult classic, Vampire Hunter D (1985),

An archetypical example of 1980s postapocalyptic martials arts cinema, Fist of the North Star has to be seen on the big screen.

📅 16 April📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 19 April📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 20 April 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

📅 27 April 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 28 & 29 April 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

MAY ’25

⚪ MISS HOKUSAI (2015) ⚪

Tokyo, 1814. Versatile and stubborn visual artist Tetsuzo tirelessly works in in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier, assisted by his equally talented 23-year-old daughter O-Ei. She contributes significantly to his fame, but remains uncredited. The film sketches a lively portrayal of a free-spirited, utterly outspoken and hugely talented woman and artist, unfolding through the changing seasons: ‘We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, we’ll get by anywhere.’

Tetsuzo became best known by one of his many names: Katsushika Hokusai. He would inspire many artists, including Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Claude Debussy, Charles Baudelaire and Rainer Maria Rilke. His iconic wood cut The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1832) is still often on view in major exhibitions and popular in marketing campaigns and merchandizing. 

Adapted from the graphic novel Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, Miss Hokusai is a unique portrait of one of the most unique artists of Japanese art history, but also a plea to reassess the role that many unknown female artists have played in popularizing the work of their male counterparts.

📅 17 May 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 17 May 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

📅 21 May 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 25 May 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 26 & 27 May📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

JUNE ’25

⚪ STEAMBOY (2004) ⚪

In a steampunk version of England, James Ray Steam is sent a mysterious spherical device that his father and grandfather have accidentally discovered while looking for a new source of energy for England’s steam engines. Increasingly hunted by members of the opposing O’Hara Foundation, James uncovers the Foundation’s sinister goals. He also finds himself confronted with Scarlett O’Hara St Johns, the granddaughter of the O’Hara Foundation’s chairman, who seems to have taken a liking to him.

Steamboy was Katsuhiro Otomo’s first feature film after Akira (1988). Originally intended as three 40-minute original video animation episodes, Steamboy remained in production for ten years and was at the time of release the most expensive Japanese animated film ever produced.

While not an immense success on release, the film has gathered a large fanbase over the years and its themes of industrialization, pollution and technocriticism have grown more poignant over the years.

📅 14 April 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 18 June 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 22 June 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 30 June & 1 July 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

📅 TBA 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

SEPTEMBER ’25

⚪ MILLENNIUM ACTRESS (2001) ⚪

Satoshi Kon only directed four feature films, before passing away in 2010, and Millennium Actress (2001) is his most subtle one. Loosely based on the life of actresses Setsuko Hara (1920-2015) and Hideko Takamine (1924-2010), the film features a documentary film crew interviewing retired acting legend Chiyoko Fujiwara. As Chiyoko tells her life story, personal life, history and cinema get intertwined, resulting in a unique filmic experience.

Millennium Actress was Satoshi’s Kon second feature film, following upon the success of Perfect Blue (1997). As opposed to the previous film, Kon was allowed much more creative freedom for Millennium Actress, including hiring composer Susumu Hirasawa, who he had admired for a long time, to do the music for the film.

As Kon recalled later, the original idea for Millennium Actress came from his discussion with producer Taro Maki that they wanted to make a film that resembled a trompe l’oeil, a very convincing optical illusion. With Millennium Actress, Kon delivered a love letter to postwar Japanese cinema that doubles as a poignant rumination of the role that cinema plays in our lives.

📅 13 September 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 17 September 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 21 September 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 29 & 30 September 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

📅 TBA 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

OCTOBER ’25

⚪ NIGHT ON THE GALACTIC RAILROAD (1985) ⚪

Let’s watch an absolute classic of Japanese family entertainment: Night on the Galactic Railroad was adapted from the classic fantasy novel with the same name from 1934 by Kenji Miyazawa, read by generations of Japanese school children. In this symbolic and thoughtful film Giovanni and Campanella, the first a blue-colored cat, the second a pink-colored one, board steam train that takes them across the galaxy. At each increasingly surrealist stop, then boys meet more outlandish characters, including an obsessed archeologist and a bird catcher who turns his catch into candy. Yet with every stop the train journey’s destination also grows more ominous.

The film shows a great interest in European culture, from the character names to the interest in Christian themes and the use of the constructed language Esperanto, which Kenji Miyazawa was deeply interested in. Lovingly animated and directed by an industry veteran, Night on the Galactic Railroad is a little-seen gem that deserves to be watched on the big screen.

📅 11 October 📍 Melkweg, Amsterdam

📅 15 October 📍 KINO, Rotterdam

📅 19 October 📍 Forum, Groningen

📅 27 & 28 October 📍 Slachtstraat Filmtheater, Utrecht

📅 TBA 📍 Chassé Theater, Breda

🤍 Kaboom Anime 2024🤍

🎥 6 anime feature films

📍 5 different cinemas across NL: Amsterdam, Breda, Groningen, Rotterdam, Utrecht

From September 2024 to February 2024, prepare to be captivated by a collection of Japanese animated classics that were rarely showcased in Dutch cinemas before. The films range from space cowboys, time-traveling girls to galaxy adventures. All titles are presented in the original Japanese language with English subtitles.
And this season we are happy to add 2 more locations to our roster! Now also in Breda and Groningen will you be able to fuel your anime hunger. 🤩

↓

SEPTEMBER ’24

⚪ COWBOY BEPOP THE MOVIE (2001) ⚪

It’s 2071 and the Earth has been largely abandoned after an accident on the Moon. When the Martian population is startled by a terrorist attack, the bounty-hunting crew of spaceship Bebop are on the case. Based on the popular Cowboy Bebop television series created by Hajime Yatate, Cowboy Bebop the Movie presents the Bebop’s crew of gangsters, fugitives, hackers and a hyperintelligent dog, with their most formidable enemy yet, Vincent Volaju, who intends to kill the entire Martian population using a bioweapon. Fast-paced and with gorgeous art direction, Cowboy Bebop the Movie is a must-see, both for fans of the series and newcomers. No prior knowledge of the TV series required!

NOVEMBER ’24

⚪ GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE (2004) ⚪

Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell (1995) was seminal in bringing anime to the big screen in the west and its heady combination of cyberpunk and philosophy has made it a hallmark in anime history. It should come as no surprise, then, that audiences were a little wary of Oshii’s plans to release a sequel. Luckily, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence more than lives up to its predecessor’s fame. When several gynoids – female sex robots – malfunction and cause customers’ deaths, Batou and Togusa are sent to investigate the gynoid company LOCUS SOLUS. Soon they uncover a plot that involves hacking and homicide, as well as a practice called “ghost-dubbing”, which imbues the gynoids with human souls. As impressive on the big screen the first film and again with great music by Kenji Kawai, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is required viewing for any anime lover.

JANUARY ’25

⚪ GIOVANNI’S ISLAND (2014) ⚪

Anime has a long history of dealing with Japan’s war legacy. Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is almost required viewing on this subject, as is Mori Masaki’s Barefoot Gen (1983). While both deal with the aftermath of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Giovanni’s Island (2014) addresses the occupation of Japan by Soviet forces after the end of the war. Two young brothers, Junpei and Kanta, grow up on the island of Shikotan, in the far northeast of Japan. When the island is invaded by the Soviet Red Army at the end of the war, the boys have to deal with outsiders for the first time, as well as coping with losing the war. When Junpei befriends the Russian commander’s daughter Tanya, a new allegiance comes into being. While rooted in real-world conflict, Giovanni’s Island also often alludes to Kenji Miyazawa’s classic fantasy novel Night on the Galactic Railroad (1934), as fantasy and reality mix in the boys’ minds. A spirited plea for crosscultural appreciation in times of war, Giovanni’s Island is as relevant now as it was ten years ago.

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OCTOBER ’24

⚪ THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (2006 ) ⚪

What if we could freely travel in time? How would we use that power: to solve world problems or for our own benefit? Mamoru Hosoda’s first feature film based on an original subject asks these questions when 17-year–old Makoto discovers that she can jump through time. Combining adolescent love-story and philosophical scifi, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, embodies Spiderman’s famous adage that with great power comes great responsibility. Satoko Okudera’s screenplay is loosely based on the popular 1967 novel with the same name, which was adapted for the screen several times but never as an anime before. A unique chance to see this early film by the director of Wolf Children, Mirai and Belle on the big screen.

DECEMBER ’24

⚪ 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND (2007)/ THE GARDEN OF WORDS (2013) ⚪

Makoto Shinkai has become one of the most original voices in anime over the years. Through films like Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011), Your Name (2016), Weathering with You (2019) and Suzume (2022) Shinkai has built a body of work that bears his own signature, steering away both from more action-packed anime films, as well as from Ghibli-inspired fantasy films. Shinkai’s films have a quietness of their own and focus on young protagonists finding their way in the world, often with the uncertainties of modern life as their backdrop. Now Kaboom Anime presents a unique chance to see two of Shinkai’s mid-length films on the big screen. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007) tells the story of Takaki and Akari’s friendship, which is put to the test when one of them moves away. In The Garden of Words (2013), a teenager who skips school and a woman who avoids going to her job meet in a public park on rainy days.

FEBRUARY ’25

⚪ GALAXY EXPRESS 999 (1979) ⚪

While the boom period for anime starts from the 1990s, there are many gems to unearth from before that period. One is Galaxy Express 999, the debut feature film of Rintaro, one of the cofounders of studio Madhouse. Based on the manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto, Galaxy Express 999 is a space opera like no other. Set in a distant future in which immortality can be achieved by transferring one’s mind into a machine-body, young Tetsuro dreams of reaching the end of the intergalactic Galaxy Express 999 line, where one of these bodies can supposedly be obtained for free. In doing so, Tetsuro hopes defeat Count Mecha, a trophy hunter responsible for his mother’s death. A wild romp across the solar system, Galaxy Express 999 was visually inspired by Star Wars and steampunk, but the result is a unique blend of anime and 1970s scifi. With a great soundtrack by Nozomu Aoki, Galaxy Express 999 is a classic that needs to be seen on the big screen.