Cells at Work!

International Premiere

In the Urushizaki household, high schooler Niko takes care of her widowed dad. She packs his bentos and keeps tabs on his doctors’ appointments. But for all her healthy habits, there’s a war a-brewing inside her. Hardworking red and white blood cells are on overdrive as ghastly pathogens invade. Niko has a dad to take care of and dates with a cute boy to go on. Can her immune system work together to save the day?

A grand spectacle of microscopic proportions, CELLS AT WORK! is a zany action film literally inside a sugary rom-com and touching family melodrama. It’s Inside Out as an anime adaptation, and a biology primer cloaked in lavish costumes and bowel humor. Director Hideki Takeuchi (Thermae Romae, Fly Me to the Saitama) is an expert genre-masher, and one of the best at portaling fantasy worlds into everyday life. As the titular micro-heroes, Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin) are ray guns of fun as the perky novice and her silent protector.

For all of the witty world-building and gag-a-minute hijinks, CELLS AT WORK! is at its heart a celebration of what makes us feel alive: the wonders of the human body, the charms of youth, the delights of collaboration, and the joys of taking care of loved ones. It puts the body to work: you’ll guffaw at the antics, jump at the gravity-defying stunts, and maybe even shed a tear or two.

– Brian Hu

Director Hideki Takeuchi scheduled to attend for post-screening Q&A.

FREE receptions for All-Fest Pass and Opening Night Film ticket holders at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Pre-Screening Reception 6:00 – 7:00PM
Post-Screening Reception 9:00 — 11:00PM