Culture & Education | Tuesday 27 December, 2016 3:24 pm |

Members of the UAE’s Japanese community were recently treated to a sold-out showing of one of their country’s most highly regarded films. The festive screening of ‘Spirited Away’ at Al Qasba, Sharjah’s premier leisure, tourism and family destination, had been sold out weeks in advance, with expatriates from Japan keen to use the occasion as a cultural focal point where they could meet their compatriots while enjoying a movie that was voted as the number four best film of the 21st century.

 

Taking place at the Masrah Al Qasba Theatre, the exclusive showing of Spirited Away - a classic Japanese amine film -was hosted in collaboration with the Japanese corporate concern, JUKI Group. The event was established to reflect the importance of creating cultural awareness and harmony within one society, and to strengthen ties with Japanese residents in the country.

 

“We were delighted to host so many enthusiastic film buffs from Japan at Al Qasba. We planned this screening to give members of the Japanese community in the UAE the opportunity to enjoy a shared social event and to give attendees of other national backgrounds the chance to get to know Japanese culture through its people and its art. It was an overwhelming success, with all available tickets having been sold-out soon after the announcement of the screening was made,” said Sultan Mohammed Shattaf, Manager of Al Qasba.

 

Spirited Away tells the story of 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents who in advertently take a wrong turn when driving and find themselves in the spirit world. While her mother and father eat greedily at a restaurant, Chihiro finds an exquisite bathhouse where she meets the mysterious boy Haku, who explains to her that her family needs to travel back over the river from whence they came before sunset. However, after returning to the restaurant, Chihiro finds that her parents have undergone a mysterious transformationcaused by the witch Yubaba and that the river is flooded. Chihiro is forced to take a job in a bathhouse to try and free herself and her parents and return to the earthly realm.

 

Released in 2001, Spirited Away became the most successful film in Japanese history, grossing over $289 million worldwide. The movie has received widespread critical acclaim and is frequently ranked among the greatest animated works. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards (making it the only hand drawn animated film and Japanese animated film to win in the category), the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festivaland and is on the British Film Institute's list of ‘Top fifty films for children up to the age of 14.’ In 2016, Spirited Away was voted the number four best film of the 21st century, as picked by 177 film critics from around the world.