A time in the near future… People now depend on the computer-simulated virtual reality world of “OZ” for many aspects of their livelihood, from shopping to playing games, communication means, and administrative procedures. One summer, Kenji, a high school student who works as a part-time moderator for OZ with his friend Sakuma, is invited by Natsuki, a senior classman who he has a crush on, to her hometown in the countryside for a “side job.” One evening, Kenji receives a text on his cell phone containing a code-like series of several hundred numbers. Kenji, a gifted mathematician, stays up all night and cracks the code. The next morning, they find out that OZ’s infrastructure has been hacked, and the real-life world and the world of OZ fall into great chaos.

Tokyo, 1814. Versatile and stubborn visual artist Tetsuzo tirelessly works in in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier, assisted by his equally talented 23-year-old daughter O-Ei. She contributes significantly to his fame, but remains uncredited. The film sketches a lively portrayal of a free-spirited, utterly outspoken and hugely talented woman and artist, unfolding through the changing seasons: ‘We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, we’ll get by anywhere.’

In a steampunk version of England, James Ray Steam is sent a mysterious spherical device that his father and grandfather have accidentally discovered while looking for a new source of energy for England’s steam engines. Increasingly hunted by members of the opposing O’Hara Foundation, James uncovers the Foundation’s sinister goals. He also finds himself confronted with Scarlett O’Hara St Johns, the granddaughter of the O’Hara Foundation’s chairman, who seems to have taken a liking to him.

Satoshi Kon only directed four feature films, before passing away in 2010, and Millennium Actress (2001) is his most subtle one. Loosely based on the life of actresses Setsuko Hara (1920-2015) and Hideko Takamine (1924-2010), the film features a documentary film crew interviewing retired acting legend Chiyoko Fujiwara. As Chiyoko tells her life story, personal life, history and cinema get intertwined, resulting in a unique filmic experience.

In this symbolic and thoughtful film Giovanni and Campanella, the first a blue-colored cat, the second a pink-colored one, board steam train that takes them across the galaxy. At each increasingly surrealist stop, then boys meet more outlandish characters, including an obsessed archeologist and a bird catcher who turns his catch into candy. Yet with every stop the train journey’s destination also grows more ominous.