The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Saturday, December 28, 2019 - Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Academy Award Nominee, Best Animated Feature


Legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko) revisits an ancient Japanese folktale in this gorgeous, hand- drawn masterwork decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The beautiful princess enthralls all who encounter her — but ultimately she must confront her fate.


Official selection: Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival

For all showtimes 6:00pm and later, the film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Morning and afternoon screenings will be screened in the English language version.

Screening as part of our series The Films of Studio Ghibli.

Ghibli 2019 Schedule – By Title (PDF)

Save big and see more with a discounted Ticket Pack for six admissions! With a Ticket Pack, you can save $3 per ticket – IFC Center members save $7 off of general admission per ticket. Click here to purchase.

  • Country Japan
  • Rating NR
  • Year 2013
  • Running Time 137 minutes
  • Distributor GKIDS
  • Director Isao Takahata
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.