A world both near and far _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

Whether you’re seeing a film for the first time or the 100^th, watching the magic unfold on a big screen is an experience like no other. Especially when the film in question is as visually arresting as acclaimed anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) by Hayao Miyazaki. Thanks to the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation Sydney, you can enjoy this beautiful and resonant story for free on Thursday the 29^th of June at the Embassy of Japan on Willis Street.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a thousand years after a great war, the seaside kingdom known as Valley of the Wind is one of the few areas that is still populated. Its people are engaged in a constant struggle with powerful insects called ohmu, who guard the poisonous jungle spreading across the Earth. Both a warrior and a pacifist, Princess Nausicaä desperately tries to prevent the two warring factions from destroying themselves and their dying planet. Can the bond between humanity and the Earth be restored?

Internationally and critically acclaimed animator, filmmaker, director, and artist Miyazaki is a master storyteller. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation. Born during WWII, he is deeply inspired by it as well as his mother, aviation, nature, and, of course, everyday life.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind will be screened in its original language with English subtitles.