Told in three chapters we follow the young dreamer Takaki through his life as cruel winters, cold technology silence and finally adult obligations and responsibility converge to dissipate his idealism and dreams. Beginning with the lyrical image of cherry blossoms falling at five centimetres a second, Makoto Shinkai paints a breathtakingly vivid tableau of you find out more...

Anders Ronnow-Klarlund has pulled off something of a coup here. Billed as the first 'fully integrated' puppet feature, though the seminal Team America must have come a close second. Strings treads a very different terrain to the Parker/Stone collaboration though. The tone is more evocative of classical myth from one of the ancient civilisations. It deals with suicide, piety, long burning grudges, hidden identity, political corruption, greed, sexual desire and destiny. The style is reminscent of find out more...