Mary and the Witch's Flower

  • Sunday September 02, 2018 4:00 PM

Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017)
A film by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
PG, 102 minutes

From Academy Award-nominated Hiromasa Yonebayashi – animator on Studio Ghibli masterpieces Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo, and director of When Marnie Was There and The Secret World of Arrietty – comes a dazzling new adventure about a young girl named Mary, who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night.

Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 classic children’s book The Little Broomstick, Mary and the Witch’s Flower is an action-packed film full of jaw-dropping imaginative worlds, ingenious characters, and the simple, heartfelt story of a young girl trying to find a place in the world. Featuring the voices of Ruby Barnhill and Academy Award-winners Kate Winslet and Jim Broadbent.

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.