Early Shinkai: The Place Promised in Our Early Days & Voices of a Distant Star

Friday, March 17, 2023, 7 pm ET

This evening of early works by blockbuster director Makoto Shinkai is presented in celebration of the upcoming U.S. release of his highly-anticipated Suzume. Before becoming globally beloved for films including Your Name and Weathering With You, Shinkai honed his trademark narrative and visual style through a series of increasingly popular and critically-acclaimed projects. Shinkai’s feature film debut, The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), is a story of friendship, love and loss that sees three friends bond over a dream to one day take flight and the world-changing ramifications of this promise. Our feature film will be preceded by a bonus screening of Voices of a Distant Star (2002), an anime short Shinkai single-handedly wrote and animated over the span of two years on his home computer that follows two young lovers separated by time and space. Join us for two of the most formative works of one of Japan’s anime auteurs.

The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Dir. Makoto Shinkai, 2004, 90 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Hidetaka Yoshioka, Masato Hagiwara, Yuka Nanri.

Voices of a Distant Star
Dir. Makoto Shinkai, 2002, 25 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sumi Mutoh, Chihiro Suzuki.

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Image: © Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Films.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and endowment support from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, David Toberisky, Akiko Koide and Shohei Koide, Geoff and Fumi Matters, Laurel Gonsalves, and David S. Howe. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the exclusive Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film.