PRINCESS IRON FAN | Animation at FOMO Secret Cinema Tbilisi - Asian Film Week

PRINCESS IRON FAN

Wan Guchan & Wan Laiming | Animation | 1941 | China | 1h13m | Mandarin with English subtitles

Before anime became a global industry, before Studio Ghibli, before ASTRO BOY, there was PRINCESS IRON FAN.

Released in 1941, it is widely regarded as the first Chinese animated feature and the first feature-length animated film made in Asia. That alone makes it historically important, but the circumstances behind its production make the film even more remarkable. The Wan brothers made it in wartime Shanghai, working through shortages of equipment, money and film stock, with a large team of artists determined to prove that China could produce animation on the same scale as the major Western studios.

The story comes from JOURNEY TO THE WEST, one of the great classics of Chinese literature. Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, and his companions need Princess Iron Fan’s magical fan to extinguish the flames blocking their journey. That gives the film an immediate connection to characters and stories that have been retold across Chinese opera, literature, television, manga, anime and games for generations.

Disney was part of the spark. The Wan brothers had seen SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS and were inspired by the possibilities of feature-length animation. But PRINCESS IRON FAN is not simply a Chinese imitation of Disney. Its movement, design and performance draw heavily on Chinese painting, traditional theatre and opera, giving the film a visual identity tied to its own culture.

Its influence also travelled far beyond China. The film was shown in Japan and became an important reference point for the development of Japanese animation. Osamu Tezuka, who would later become one of the defining figures in manga and anime, was among those strongly influenced by it.

More than 80 years later, PRINCESS IRON FAN is worth seeing for more than historical curiosity. It shows Asian animation at the moment it was beginning to define its own language, long before the form became one of the most recognisable parts of global popular culture.

I couldn’t do Asian Film Week without showing some animation. I was tempted to go with one of the obvious Studio Ghibli classics, but then I thought, why not go right back to the beginning? PRINCESS IRON FAN is where feature-length Asian animation really starts, and in the end that felt like a much better fit for what I’m trying to do with Asian Film Week at FOMO.

ABOUT ASIAN FILM WEEK

Asian Film Week is exactly the kind of programming FOMO exists for: major classics, cult discoveries and films you rarely get the chance to see on a cinema screen in Tbilisi. This week has been curated with Denis from Ukraine, a FOMO Film Club lifetime member with a real passion for Asian cinema, whose recommendations helped fill some gaps in my own knowledge and pushed the programme in directions I might not have reached alone.

A lot of care has gone into making the week feel broad, balanced and genuinely worth exploring. You’ll find landmark films from directors already well known in the West alongside stranger, more underground work that deserves a much wider audience. If Asian cinema is already your thing, I hope there are still a few surprises here. If it isn’t, I hope this week gives you a great place to start.

10% OFF FOOD, PLUS GROUP DEALS

Dinner before a film at FOMO is now sorted! We’ve arranged special offers with our two favourite places to eat in Bazari Orbeliani, both right next door to FOMO:

• 10% off at La Focacceria

• 20% off at Potato Factory

• Potato Factory 2+1: buy two and get one free

• Potato Factory 3+2: buy three and get two free

Simply show your Fienta ticket when ordering. You’re welcome to eat in the Sherekilebi Bar at FOMO Secret Cinema or upstairs at FOMO Open-Air Cinema. Tell them where you’ll be sitting and they’ll bring your food to you.

FOOD AND DRINK POLICY: SHEREKILEBI Bar in FOMO Secret Cinema opens 1 hour before the first screening of the day and closes at 01:30, serving a wide selection of beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic refreshments including coffee and tea, as well as fresh hot popcorn! Outside food is allowed in the bar but not in the cinema. No alcohol or drinks from outside are allowed. All guests are invited to arrive early and stay late!

LOCATION: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.

HOW TO FIND FOMO: Enter Bazari Orbeliani via Atoneli St above Carrefour and take the stairs on your left to Level 1. Signage on the door. You can also check our Instagram story highlights for a video showing exactly how to find us: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTMzMTA2Mjk0MDI5MjM1

REFUND & CREDIT POLICY: If FOMO cancels a screening, all ticket holders will receive a full refund. If your plans change and you can no longer attend, we’ll issue you a credit for the value of your ticket, which can be used for any FOMO film screening within the following 30 days. Please notify us in advance so we can release your seat to another film fan.

TICKETS are also available at SHEREKILEBI Bar on arrival unless sold out.