“Grave of the Fireflies” shows the horrors of war from the perspective of Japanese civilians.

BERKELEY — "Anime Masterpieces," a new screening series highlighting the best in Japanese animated feature films, premieres on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. at UC Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive (PFA) with "Grave of the Fireflies" (Hotaru no Haka).

The film, which critic Roger Ebert calls "an emotional experience so powerful it forces a rethinking of animation," will be followed by a panel discussion with leading scholars and authors on the subject of anime.

The winner of several international film awards, "Grave of the Fireflies," written and directed by Isao Takahata, chronicles the experiences of two children as they valiantly struggle to survive amidst the ravaged landscape of Japan during World War II. It is considered by many critics as one of the most moving anti-war films ever made.

The panel will feature authors Roland Kelts, "JapanAmerica"; Susan Napier, "Anime From Akira to Howl's Moving Castle"; Frederick Schodt, "Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics"; and Ian Condry, "Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization." Dan O'Neill of UC Berkeley will moderate.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and is made possible by arrangement with Central Park Media, the American distributor of the film.

Free tickets will be distributed the day of the screening on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 1 p.m. at the PFA box office, 2575 Bancroft Way between College and Telegraph.

"Anime Masterpieces" was developed by Gorgeous Entertainment, a New York-based company, with the aim of enhancing American understanding and appreciation of the art of anime. Each critically acclaimed film in the series is accompanied by study guides for all audience members. The guides contain essays by eminent scholars of Japanese pop culture and animation along with a wealth of imagery from the film.

Upcoming events include "Grave of the Fireflies" screenings at the Smithsonian Institution on Dec. 6 and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Feb. 11, 2009.

The next film in the series, "Tekkonkinkreet," will be available for screenings in January, courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment.