JFF is delighted to present 25th anniversary screenings of Millennium Actress, directed by the late, great Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers). The modern anime classic tells the life story of famed film actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, loosely based on legendary Japanese film actresses Setsuko Hara and Hideko Takamine. When two documentarians travel to interview an ageing, long-retired Chiyoko for a wide-ranging retrospective, she opens up about her life and career. Gradually, she reveals the deeply personal meaning of a key found by one of the documentary makers years earlier - and the reasons why she vanished from the limelight. A celebration of and reflection on classic cinema, Millennium Actress stands as one of Satoshi Kon’s greatest achievements. With a wildly inventive visual and editing language that sends the characters hurtling across Japanese history and film genres, this is an imaginative and expressive masterpiece. Image © 2001 Millennium Actress Production Committee