AKIRA (1988)
Special Features: 35th Anniversary
[アキラ]
Neo-Tokyo is about to explode in Katsuhiro Ōtomo's landmark cyberpunk classic. Set in 2019 in the aftermath of World War III, AKIRA isn't just a movie — it's the birth of a genre. After a clash between the Capsules and their rival biker gang the Clowns, Tetsuo's latent psychic powers awaken. This new-found ability attracts the attention of a secret government project directed by the Japan Self-Defense Forces. As Tetsuo's powers grow, his best friend and leader of the Capsules, Kaneda, is determined to put an end to the conflict — even if it means killing Tetsuo. Cult classic AKIRA catapulted anime to popularity in the United States, becoming one of the most lauded and successful works of its kind. Its influence can be seen in major Hollywood works, the latest being an allusion to Kaneda's famous bike slide in Jordan Peele's NOPE. DIR/SCR Katsuhiro Ōtomo; SCR Izō Hashimoto; PROD Shunzō Katō, Ryōhei Suzuki. Japan, 1988, color, 124 min. In Japanese with English subtitles. RATED R
AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 124 Minutes
Opening Date: Friday, February 03, 2023
Genre: Animation, sci-fi