4K Restoration of Angel’s Egg to Premiere at 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Mamoru Oshii’s cult anime Angel’s Egg returns in a 4K restored version, debuting at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cinéma de la Plage program. North American theatrical release set for 2025 via GKIDS.
1985 cult anime Angel's Egg is to return in a 4K restoration, making its international debut at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The recently restored version, as per the official website of the festival, will be screened on May 20 as part of the "Cinéma de la Plage" program—an outdoor section that presents nightly free screenings on the beach adjacent to the festival's primary venue.
This will be the world premiere of the high-definition version, which has been created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the anime. The restored version is also set for theatrical release in North America in 2025, with distribution by GKIDS.
A Landmark Collaboration Returns to the Spotlight
Angel's Egg is a 71-minute original video animation (OVA) that originally broadcast on December 15, 1985, in Japan under the Tokuma Shoten label. Angel's Egg was also the first OVA directed by Mamoru Oshii, though he subsequently gained worldwide recognition through his efforts on Ghost in the Shell. It was also his first co-creative experience with Yoshitaka Amano, one of the illustrious illustrators who are famed for their celestial and detailed painting style.
The action occurs in a mystical, submerged city, where a little girl holds onto a giant egg that she is convinced contains something holy. She then encounters a boy with an enormous weapon, who is looking for a bird from his dream. While the two travel through a creepy, rotting urban world, there is a tenuous relationship between them. But this relationship is broken when the boy kills the egg in an moment of uncertainty and tension.
A Cult Classic Welcomes Modern Restoration
With its sparse dialogue, dreamlike imagery, and metaphorical narrative, Angel's Egg has been a cult classic among anime fans for decades. Its restoration should bring in both old fans and newcomers to watch its haunting beauty in a new medium.
The screening in Cannes provides a unique chance to see this groundbreaking film under the stars, in as evocative a setting as the movie itself.
Written By Manika Kayal, Intern, India Today Gaming.
