Masterclass with Michael Leader explores the fantasy world of Japan's Studio Ghibli
31. May 2025
An exceptional masterclass by British film critic, curator and co-author of the book Ghibliotheque Michael Leader will be offered on Saturday 31 May as part of the Zlín Film Festival programme. The lecture Forever Young.
The films of the Japanese Studio Ghibli have become a worldwide phenomenon with many fans and admirers. Michael Leader's masterclass Forever Young: Childhood and Adolescence in Studio Ghibli Films is not only for them. It will focus on director Hayao Miyazaki's cult films My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki the Witch's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and Journey into Fantasy.
They will focus on how these legendary films give voice to young heroes, sensitively capturing their fears and doubts and celebrating the strength and fragility of youth with tenderness and admiration,
said Markéta Pášmová, artistic director of the Zlín Film Festival.
Michael Leader is known for his deep interest in the work of Studio Ghibli and, together with Jake Cunningham, created the popular British podcast Ghibliotheque, which serves as an insider's guide to the world of Japanese animation. In addition, he has contributed film criticism to magazines such as Sight and Sound and Little White Lies, and served as a senior producer of video essays for the BBC iPlayer. He is currently a curator at the British Film Archive (BFI National Archive).
The Masterclass is part of the wider programme of the Zlín Film Festival, which this year marks the 40th anniversary of Studio Ghibli. As part of the celebrations, legendary anime films will be screened with introductions by experts. In addition to the aforementioned Miyazaki films, the festival will also offer screenings of Whisper of the Heart, Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, Ariettes from the World of Borrowers, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and From Poppy Hill.