Napping Princess

Napping Princess (2017)
A film by Kenji Kamiyama
NR, 110 minutes

The year is 2020, three days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. While she should be studying for her exams, Kokone Morikawa is often dozing off, stuck between reality and a dream world full of fantastic motorized contraptions. But after her father, a talented but mysterious mechanic, is arrested for stealing technology from a powerful corporation, it’s up to Kokone and her childhood friend Morio to save him. From visionary director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East) comes a sci-fi fantasy that effortlessly weaves together the rapidly evolving technology of today’s world with the fantastic imagination of the next generation.

Inspired by the exhibition TAKASHI MURAKAMI: THE OCTOPUS EATS ITS OWN LEG, the Modern presents one classic and five recent critically acclaimed anime feature films and a selection of short films chosen by the Japan Society of New York. Join us as we celebrate the Japanese anime genre with films all visually stunning, richly imaginative, and poetic in their storytelling.

Screenings will be held in the Modern’s auditorium. Tickets are $10, $9 for Modern members, $7 for Modern Reel People members, and $5 for children under 12. Tickets are available beginning at 10 am, Tuesday, August 7, at www.themodern.org/films or by visiting the Modern’s admission desk during operating hours.

Tickets Here

The Modern is deeply grateful to Dr. Marc Hairston for his counsel in the selection of the films for this series. Dr. Hairston will introduce and discuss the films at every screening.

A scientist who researches space weather using the Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamic Investigation (CINDI), a satellite that studies how neutral gas motions and charged particle motions are related, Dr. Hairston is also interested in the scholarly study of anime and manga and is on the board of editors of Mechademia, the first English-language academic journal addressing these topics. He and Dr. Pamela Gossin at the University of Texas at Dallas regularly teach courses examining the themes of science fiction and fantasy in anime and manga, specifically focusing on individual anime creators such as Miyazaki, Shinkai, Hosoda, and Takahata.