Programmed April 2024

Films by Makoto Shinkai

Like his predecessor Hayao Miyazaki, to whom he is often compared, Makoto Shinkai has taken anime to new heights of pure cinematic achievement. Specially attuned to the loneliness of young people living in digitally saturated urban environments, he depicts their longing and need—no matter how impossible—for true human connection in dazzlingly imaginative works like 5 Centimeters per Second , The Garden of Words , and Your Name. His wondrous visual style, layering photorealism and expressive hyperbole, brings a uniquely present-tense magical realism to idiosyncratic, emotionally captivating narratives that redefine the possibilities of animated storytelling.