Seita (Tsutomo Tatsumi) and Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi) are siblings whose father serves in the Japanese military. Their lives are shattered when their mother (Yoshiko Shinohara) is killed during an American bombing raid that devastates much of Kobe. Seita does everything he can to protect and bring joy to his younger sister. The two move in with their aunt (Akemi Yamaguchi), but life there proves to be no easier. Cold and unkind, the aunt offers them little care or compassion. Eventually, Seita and Setsuko leave and take shelter in an abandoned cave on the outskirts of the city. 

Grave of the Fireflies won the 1994 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival awards for Best Animation (Jury Award) and Rights of the Child Award. First released in Japan in April 1988, the film is based on a semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka (1967). The Indonesian Film Censorship Institution (LSF) has rated this film suitable for all ages.