Coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the original Godzilla (1954), KaiJuly at the Showroom Cinema is a season celebrating all things kaiju: giant monsters, rubber suits, mystical fantasy and royal rumble free-for-alls.
The Godzilla franchise is recognised as the longest continuously running film franchise in history, with 33 Japanese films to its name, and five US productions. The character has become synonymous with his home country, with monster flicks, and to an extent the wider world of cinema.
With four films screening through July, the season explores a wide breadth of the kaiju canon. It starts with its beginnings as an allegory for nuclear devastation (Godzilla), through the fantastical and mythological elements explored in Mothra (1961), the unserious wrestling-infused rumbles of Destroy All Monsters (1968), and finally the contemporaneous critique of bureaucracy and government in Shin Godzilla (2016).
Season pass available for £25.
Godzilla – 70th Anniversary
5–7 July
Awakened by nuclear testing, Godzilla emerges from the depths, wreaking havoc upon Tokyo. In the face of unfathomable disaster, Japan is forced to unleash a great power of its own to stop the rampaging beast.
Screening on 6 July includes an intro from Dr Diane Rodgers of Sheffield Hallam University.
Mothra
12–14 July
The fairy twins of Infant Island are kidnapped by an exploitative entrepreneur and taken to Tokyo. Mothra, the island’s ancient deity, is summoned to their rescue.
Screening on 12 July will be introduced by film historian and writer Dr Craig Ian Mann.
Destroy All Monsters
19–21 July
The year is 1999. Godzilla and other giant monsters have been set loose under the mind-control of an alien race known as the Kilaaks. Once liberated, the monsters must work together to face King Ghidorah.
Shin Godzilla
26–28 July
When a creature of titanic size slithers from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to form a plan to combat the menace.
Giant Monster All-Out After Party
27 July
Join in celebrating 70 years of Godzilla as the Showroom closes out KaiJuly season with a night of themed cocktails and classic Godzilla video games.
