January 2025 at Hayy Cinema

Join us this month at Hayy Cinema for an exciting cultural experience celebrating the richness of Japanese narratives through storytelling! From January 9–19, 2025, enjoy a diverse and nostalgic selection of Japanese films screening exclusively at Hayy Cinema.

As part of the program and our monthly French cinema club in collaboration with Alliance Francaise, we’re also featuring 2 exclusive & cozy screenings at cinema 2 of the award-winning French-Japanese co-production directed by the renowned Koreeda.

Don’t miss this exclusive Japanese experience, only at Hayy Cinema this January!

Stay tuned for our upcoming announcement of our regular film programme starting 22nd of January 2025.

Hayy Matsuri Film Programme

Hirokazu Kore-eda takes his observational skills to France, with mixed results.

-The Guardian

The Truth (2019): Tensions mount between the mother-daughter duo, Fabienne and Lumir, when the former publishes her memoir and the latter accuses her of distorting some facts about their relationship.

Genre: Drama Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Country: France/Japan Year: 2019

Language: French/English, subtitled in English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA Release – part of Rendez-vous with French Cinema; the monthly French cinema club at our cozy cinema 2 in collaboration with Alliance Francaise.

Kore-eda’s “I Wish” Puts Most Family Dramas to Shame

– IndieWire

I Wish (2011): Twelve-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents’ divorce, hears a rumor that the new bullet trains will precipitate a wish-granting miracle when they pass each other at top speed.

Genre: Drama / Comedy Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

Beautifully animated and narratively engaging

– Rotten Tomatoes

Weathering with You (2019):  In Tokyo, a runaway high school student facing financial struggles ends up with a job at a small-time publisher. One day, he meets a young girl who has the ability to control the weather.

Genre:  Anime, Fantasy, Romance Director: Makoto Shinkai

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

25 years later, Princess Mononoke is still one of the most wondrous animated films

– The Young Folks

Princess Mononoke (1997): On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.

Genre: Anime, Action, Fantasy Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

 A visually stunning fairy tale that’s a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages

– Rotten Tomatoes

Ponyo (2008): Sosuke rescues a goldfish trapped in a bottle. The goldfish, who is the daughter of a wizard, transforms herself into a young girl with her father’s magic and falls in love with Sosuke.

Genre: Anime, Fantasy, Adventure Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

An action-packed celebration of the franchise’s 20 years

– Den of Geek

One Piece: Stampede (2019): The Straw Hat Pirates visit the Delta Islands for the Pirate Fest, where several pirates come seeking the hidden treasure of the pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

Genre: Anime, Adventure, Action Director: Takashi Ôtsuka

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese/English Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

At 82, the revered director of Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro has made his most personal film yet

– The Guardian

The Boy and the Heron (2023): A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Genre: Anime, Adventure, Fantasy Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

KSA re-release due to high audience demand

A Satirical Relative to ‘Spirited Away’

–Variety

Ghost Cat Anzu: Friendship shared between Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.

Genre: Anime, Drama, Family Director: Yôko Kuno & Nobuhiro Yamashita

Country: France, Japan

Language: French/Japanese Subtitles: English/Arabic

Exclusive KSA release

A true timeless classic and one of Miyazaki’s best

– Moo Reviews

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004): Jealous of Sophie’s closeness to Howl, a wizard, the Witch of Waste transforms her into an old lady. Sophie must find a way to break the spell with the help of Howl’s friends, Calcifer and Markl.

Genre: Anime, Family, Fantasy Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese Subtitles: English, Arabic

Exclusive KSA re-release due to high audience demand