Record-Braking Anime Film 'Gundam Seed Freedom' to Have East Coast Premiere at Historic Japan Society (333 E. 47th Street)

New York, NY (March 12, 2024) – Japan Society, a 116-year-old nonprofit organization with a goal of bringing the U.S. and Japan together, today announced it will host the East Coast Premiere of the record-breaking Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM. The Gundam saga, often called the “Star Wars of Japan”, is a beloved 40+ year franchise. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM is its latest entry and a sequel to 2002's Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, one of the most popular series in the Gundam multiverse. This special event is presented together with Bandai Namco Filmworks and Anime NYC, and it will take place simultaneously with a West Coast Premiere hosted by Bandai Namco Filmworks in LA.

The subtitled premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM will take place on Sunday, March 31at 4 PM and the English dubbed premiere will take place on Monday, April 1 at7 PM. Both screenings will be held at Japan Society.

Japan Society is a storied institution that has presented Japanese art, culture, business and policy for over a century, including visits from U.S. Presidents, Japanese Prime Ministers, and Nobel Prize winners. It presents this new Gundam film in recognition of Gundam's cultural significance in Japan and global place as a pillar in the U.S.-Japan relationship and our shared popular arts.

Mobile Suit Gundam began in 1979 in Japan with a 43-episode animated television series. Acclaimed for its revolutionary storytelling, it told a gritty, realistic story about the traumas of war in a future conflict dominated by massive human-shaped war machines called “Gundam”. This series would go on to captivate generations of audiences around the planet across over 50 sequel television series, films, comics, and video games.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEEDand its sequel Mobile Suit Gundam Seed DESTINYspanned 100 episodes from 2002 to 2005 and are widely regarded for bringing a new generation into Gundam. Telling a new story with tremendous parallels to the original, it updated its conflict to present a more modern war heavily influenced by themes of terrorism and broke television records when it aired in Japan.

The new film Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM has broken more records, earning over 3.7 billion Yen at the box office in Japan since its release in January. This new film, in development since 2006, continues the stories established in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed and is based around the themes of freedom and destiny.

“Gundam has impacted fans all around the planet since the 1970s, and beyond even this, it has shaped generations of creators,” said Peter Tatara, Japan Society Director of Film. “Gundam changed the anime world when it premiered, and it has since gone on to influence and inspire live-action and animated storytellers all across the Earth. It changed the world, and all those it has affected continue this change.”

Gundam's significance is seen with Japanese postage stamps bearing the saga's iconic robots, multiple life-size Gundam statues - standing over 50 feet tall - throughout Japan and Asia, a global merchandising business responsible for over $5 billion in sales, and a live-action film in development by Legendary Entertainment. This special event is presented together with Anime NYC, New York City's largest Japanese popular culture festival. Anime NYC draws over 60,000 passionate fans together and will next take place August 23-25, 2024 in the Javits Center. Anime NYC has previously been home to multiple Gundam guests and premieres, including welcoming the original 1979 Gundam director Yoshiyuki Tomino in 2019, where he was greeted by a standing ovation from over 3,000 fans from around the United States.

Japan Society will present the subtitled premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM at 4 PM on Sunday, March 31, 2024. A Gundam display will be presented in Japan Society's lobby. The screening will include a special pre-recorded video from Director Mitsuo Fukuda and an on-stage appearance by voice actress Alyson Leigh Rosenfield (voice of Luminaria Hawke). Both General Admission and VIP Tickets are available, with the latter including a commemorative art print, illustration card, and Gundam model kit.

An encore English dubbed premiere will take place at 7 PM on Monday, April 1.

Tickets for both events launch on March 12 at 3 PM at japansociety.org/film.

Screenings will be at Japan Society's landmarked headquarters at 333 East 47th St, New York, NY 10017, one block from the United Nations and minutes from Grand Central Terminal.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM
"Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM"
Sunday, March 31 at 4 PM and Monday, April 1 at 7 PM at Japan Society
Dir. Mitsuo Fukuda, 2024, 126 min., DCP, color, in Japanese with English subtitles. With Sōichiro Hoshi, Akira Ishida, Rie Tanaka, Kenichi Suzumura.

C.E. (Cosmic Era). An era in which humans called Coordinators are born with superior physical and mental abilities thanks to genetic modification, and humans called Naturals are born without augmentation naturally. The Mobile Suit Gundam Seed series depicts the conflict between Coordinators and Naturals. Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, set in the year C.E.71, and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, set in C.E.73, were broadcast from 2002 to 2005. Together, they brought a new generation into the Gundam saga and introduced iconic characters including Kira Yamato, Arthrun Zala, Lacus Clyne and Shinn Asuka. Gundam Seed has continued on through video games, comic books and more for over 20 years since its original launch and now it comes to the big screen with Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM, depicting an entirely new story set in C.E.75. In C.E.75, the fighting still continues. There is aggression by radical Anti-Coordinator group Blue Cosmos. In order to calm the situation, a global peace monitoring agency called COMPASS is established with Lacus Clyne as its leader. As members of COMPASS, Kira Yamato and his comrades intervene in regional battles across the world. Now, a newly established nation called Foundation proposes a joint operation against a Blue Cosmos stronghold…

About Japan Society
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society with audiences in New York and around the world. At Japan Society, we are inspired by the Japanese concept of kizuna (絆)–forging deep connections to bind people together. We are committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond. In over 100 years of work, we've inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. We strive to convene important conversations on topics that bind our two countries together, champion the next generation of innovative creators, promote mutual understanding, and serve as a trusted guide for people everywhere who seek to more fully appreciate the rich complexities and abundance of Japan. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in 1971, we look forward to the years ahead, which will be defined by our digital and ideational impact through the kizuna that we build. Our future can only be enhanced by learning from our peers and engaging with our audiences, both near and afar.

Japan Society programs are made possible by leadership support from Booth Ferris Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Film programs are generously supported by ORIX Corporation USA, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and Yen Press. Endowment support is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund and The John and Miyoko Davey Endowment Fund. Additional season support is provided by The Globus Family, David Toberisky, and Friends of Film. Transportation assistance is provided by Japan Airlines, the official Japanese airline sponsor of Japan Society Film. Housing assistance is provided by the Kitano Hotel, the official hotel sponsor of Japan Society Film.

About Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.
We at Bandai Namco Filmworks develop and produce film and video titles. We not only distribute them through various media such as television, movie theaters and internet streaming but also bring them to fans throughout the world by licensing and managing their copyrights, developing and marketing film and video-related merchandise and other services. As a comprehensive entertainment enterprise handling the A to Z of film and video business, we continue to create “awesome works" and make them readily available to everyone.