GODZILLA FEST

Godzilla Fest is a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 release of the film "Godzilla" by Toho Studios in Tokyo. The giant monster, who attacked Japan after being awakened by hydrogen bomb testing, went on to become a global icon. Godzilla has starred in 38 films and has appeared in comic books, games, novelizations, advertisements, toys, and more.

The king of the monsters has also been interpreted widely as a symbol for the destructive nature of humankind—from nuclear war to climate change.

Godzilla Fest is organized by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame, the St. Joseph County Public Library, and the Browning Cinema at Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

Events

Friday, September 13, 7:00-9:30 p.m.
Creature Double Feature Film Screening
The Original GODZILLA (1954) and GODZILLA vs. HEDORAH (1971)

Location: Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame

Tuesday, October 29, 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Dress like Godzilla and Monster Origami!

Location: St. Joseph County Public Library: Main Branch (Story House), 304 S. Main Street, South Bend, IN

Celebrate Godzilla's 70th anniversary by folding a paper monster with Notre Dame Japanese students! Earn a prize for dressing like Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra or other monster! Ages 5 and up are welcome.

Friday, November 1, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion
Godzilla and Climate Change: A Monstrous Warning of Nature's Revenge

Location: 1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls, University of Notre Dame

Godzilla is a perfect metaphor for what is happening now in the Anthropocene: humankind has wounded nature so seriously that nature has no choice but to fight back.

Professors Jeffery Angles, Brooke McCorkle Okazaki, Jessica McManus Warnell, and Yuki Miyamoto will discuss environmental messages in the Godzilla films and books. Professor Amanda Kennell will moderate.

• Yuki Miyamoto, Professor of Religious Studies and Global Asian Studies, DePaul University
• Jeffrey Angles, Professor of Japanese, Western Michigan University
• Brooke McCorkle Okazaki, Assistant Professor of Music, Carleton College
• Jessica McManus Warnell, Rex and Alice A. Martin Faculty Director of the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, University of Notre Dame
• Moderated by Amanda Kennell, Assistant Professor of Japanese, East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Notre Dame

Saturday, November 2, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
The Michigan Man Who Translated Godzilla

Location: St. Joseph County Public Library: Francis Branch (The Pasture Room), 52655 Ironwood Road, South Bend, IN

Celebrate Godzilla's 70th anniversary with a talk by Professor Jeffrey Angles, Western Michigan University, who translated the Japanese novellas "Godzilla" and "Godzilla Raids Again" by Shigeru Kayama.

Jeffrey Angles is a professor of Japanese at Western Michigan University. He is the author of "Writing the Love of Boys" (Minnesota, 2011) and award-winning translator of Orikuchi Shinobu’s "The Book of the Dead" (Minnesota, 2017) and Hiromi Ito’s "The Thorn Puller." His book of poetry, "My International Date Line" (Watashi no hizukehenkosen ), won the 2017 Yomiuri Prize for Literature, making Jeffrey the first American to win this prestigious prize.

Sunday, November 3, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Screening of the 1954 original GODZILLA film

Location: St. Joseph County Public Library: Main Branch (Community Learning Center, Leighton Auditorium), 304 S. Main Street, South Bend, IN

Celebrate Godzilla Day and the 70th anniversary of Japan's iconic monster with a screening of the 1954 film. Come in costume and enter the Godzilla Look-Alike Contest.

GODZILLA (1954): Watch the Trailer
Godzilla wreaks havoc after being awakened by underwater hydrogen bomb testing.
Directed by: Ishirô Honda
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada
96 minutes | This film is not rated.