Film: "Grave of the Fireflies" (1988)
Thursday, October 2, 2025 6:30–8:00 PM
- Location
- DescriptionLearning Beyond the Classics: Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema
Directed by Isao TakahataWith Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara
Not Rated, 89 minutesIn Japanese with English subtitles
When an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his 4-year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality. Based on the personal accounts of survivor Nosaka Akiyuki, Grave of the Fireflies is hailed as one of the most stunning contributions to animation and cinematic history. Deftly depicting the beauty of the human spirit as well as its devastating cruelty, Grave of the Fireflies is a singular work of art from Academy Award-nominated director and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata.
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*Free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB students.
**Co-presented by the David A. Heskin and Marilou Brill Endowment for Excellence, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship/Hesburgh Libraries. - Websitehttps://events.nd.edu/events/2025/10/02/grave-of-the-fireflies-1988/
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