Belle

Mamoru Hosoda is one of contemporary cinema’s great chroniclers of the digital age. From Digimon to Summer Wars, he dramatised the growing presence of the internet in our daily lives and explored themes of isolation, connection and the division between our online avatars and our real selves. Belle forms the third part of this informal ‘online’ trilogy, and looks at the impact of social media on young people today: the spectacular online world of “U” is a space for freedom and expression, but one that can soon turn toxic and troubling.

Suzu is a 17-year-old high school student living in a rural village with her father. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. One day, she enters “U”, a virtual world of 5 billion members on the internet. There, she is not Suzu anymore but Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest of becoming who they truly are.

This special screening will be introduced by Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, co-hosts of the podcast Ghibliotheque and co-authors of The Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide and the Animation Atlas. Following the screening, Jake and Michael will be selling and signing copies of their books in the cinema foyer.