Gkids has acquired all North American rights to “Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood,” a wartime animated drama based on Kyo Machiko’s manga, with a theatrical release set for Sept. 4. The film will screen in both Japanese with English subtitles and in an English dub.

Set on a Japanese island during wartime, the story follows two girls from an all-girls school who are ordered to nurse the wounded in a military hospital concealed in a cave as violence escalates around them.

Directed by Ina Yukimitsu, whose previous credits include “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!” and the “Star Wars: Visions” short “Tatooine Rhapsody,” the picture marks the debut feature for both Ina and animation studio Sasayuri. The studio was founded by Tateno Hitomi, a veteran of Studio Ghibli whose credits include “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

The film had its Japanese premiere last year and will make its North American debut at Japan Cuts, New York City’s Japan Society festival and the country’s premier showcase for Japanese cinema, this July.

The crew assembles prominent figures from the Ghibli pipeline alongside newer talent. Animators Yamashita Akihiko, known for “Spirited Away” and “The Boy and the Heron,” and Otsuka Shinji, a veteran of “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Princess Mononoke,” contribute to the film. The screenplay was adapted by Ina alongside Kishimoto Taku, writer of “Haikyu!!” and “Sakamoto Days.” Composer Kensuke Ushio, whose work spans “A Silent Voice,” “DanDaDan” and “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,” scored the film; theatrical screenings will include a bonus behind-the-scenes look at his composing process.

The voice cast is led by Mitsushima Hikari as Mayu and Ito Marika as San. Hikasa Yoko, Motomura Rena, Akasaki Chinatsu, Koga Aoi, Miyamoto Yume, Sawashiro Miyuki and Shoji Umeka round out the Japanese cast. Aoyagi Izumi, who played San in the “Mum & Gypsy” stage adaptation, joins as Shiho. Gkids said it will reveal the English dub cast later this summer, with home entertainment details to follow.

The film is produced by NHK in association with NHK Enterprises.