The Frida Cinema Presents Studio Ghibli Film Festival from July 8 - 21

Press release: From Castle in the Sky (1986) to When Marnie was There (2014), the films of Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli have captured the imagination, swept international awards, and boosted the Japanese film industry, with eight Ghibli titles among the 15 highest-grossing films made in Japan.  From July 8 - 21, The Frida Cinema presents twenty of the studio's most celebrated works on stunning new digital restorations,  complemented by an Art Show dedicated to the films of Studio Ghibli curated by Santa Ana-based vintage store and DIY music venue Top Acid, and a special presentation of rarely-screened 1988 animated cult classic Akira, considered by many to be the pinnacle film in establishing anime as a major component of the Western pop culture landscape.

"The Frida hosted the premiere runs of the last two Studio Ghibli releases, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and When Marnie was There, and we've often been asked to bring some of the studio's classic titles to Santa Ana," says Logan Crow, founder and Executive Director of The Frida Cinema, Orange County's only non-profit independent cinema.  "We are so excited and honored to partner with GKids, who has recently acquired the rights to this incredible collection of films, in presenting this unprecedented retrospective of the iconic studio's truly beautiful and unforgettable animated feature films."

Full schedule of films, as well as links to tickets, film synopses, and trailers, available at http://thefridacinema.org/studio-ghibli-film-festival/.  All films will be presented in their original Japanese soundtracks, with English subtitles.