The Academy winning Japanese Anime ‘Spirited Away’ will be aired at the Empire Cinema in Rarotonga on April 22 at 5pm.

This is being organised by the Cook Islands Japanese Society who are fundraising for their committee.

Released in Japan in 2001, Spirited Away- won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards.

It was the first, and to date only, hand-drawn and non-English-language animated film to win the award.

Aimed at attracting young viewers, Spirited Away is about a 10-year-old girl who moves to a new neighbourhood and enters a whole different world- where a witch turns her parents into pigs and she fights them to get her parents back and free them from the spirited world.

Japanese society member, Kana Daniel says: “It is totally different from Disney and Hollywood movies. The story and the characters are very Japanese. There is no clear good/bad like a typical American movie.”

She said she is looking forward to see the Cook Islands committee at the cinema with their children to watch the spectacular animation.

Daniel said the funds will assist them in creating more youth programmes in Rarotonga and this includes Japanese language classes.

Daniel said the Japan Society of the Cook Islands (JSCI) was formed in 2021 as an independent non-profit association.

They are dedicated to promoting mutual understanding, collaboration, and enduring friendship between the Cook Islands and Japanese people through culture, language, and dialogue.

She said they have held several Japanese cultural events to promote friendly cultural exchange.

One of their biggest events was ‘Experience Japan’ - celebrating 10 years of diplomatic relations between Cook Islands and Japan.

In 2021 they had Japanese Sushi roll experience, bento tasting, anime costume competition, Japanese quiz and games and Martial Art events.

Meanwhile, tickets are selling at $10 and you can inquire with Daniel on 50812.

The movie is in English, says Daniel, so children will enjoy it.

You can watch the trailer on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXuk9QqQkk