Animation at War
A year-long series exploring how filmmakers use animation to capture the chaos, complexity and human cost of war.
Our new series explores how artists and storytellers from around the world address themes of war and conflict through animation, using the allegorical, expressive and creative capabilities of the artform to explore profound human experiences.
Spanning decades and featuring rare screenings of films from around the world, Animation at War takes a thoughtful gaze at works that use animation to circumvent our defences and confront us with the psychological horrors of combat, the looming threat of nuclear annihilation, and the tragedy of life lived in the shadow of war.
Enjoy 10% off your ticket to Grave of Fireflies, part of Outdoor Cinema 2025 if you've purchased any ticket for Animation at War.
Curators
Michael Leader is a writer, curator, and co-creator of the animation-focused podcast series Ghibliotheque. He is co-author of the books Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli, the Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide, Film Korea and Ghibliverse: Studio Ghibli Beyond the Films. His writing on film has appeared in the pages of Sight and Sound and Little White Lies magazines, and from 2019 to 2022, he was Series Producer and Commissioning Editor of the BBC iPlayer short-form documentary series Inside Cinema and Inside Games.
