Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, will be feted with the Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. This marks the first time Cannes has handed its Honorary Palme d’Or to a collective.
“I am truly honored and delighted that the studio is awarded the Honorary Palme d’Or,” said Toshio Suzuki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli.
“I would like to thank the Festival de Cannes from the bottom of my heart. Forty years ago, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and I established Studio Ghibli with the desire to bring high-level, high-quality animation to children and adults of all ages. Today, our films are watched by people all over the world, and many visitors come to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, and Ghibli Park to experience the world of our films for themselves.”
Suzuki added: “We have truly come a long way for Studio Ghibli to become such a big organization. Although Miyazaki and I have aged considerably, I am sure that Studio Ghibli will continue to take on new challenges, led by the staff who will carry on the spirit of the company. It would be my greatest pleasure if you look forward to what’s next.”
Launched following the success of Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984, Studio Ghibli began financing its own feature films in 1992 with Porco Rosso. Since then, the company has produced over twenty feature films, including titles such as Pom Poko, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Wind Rises, and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. The group picked up its first Oscar for Best Animated Feature with Spirited Away and nabbed the same gong last year with The Boy and the Heron.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes.
This year, Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas will also receive an Honorary Palme d’Or at the closing on May 25. The festival kicks off May 14.
The post Studio Ghibli To Be Feted With Honorary Palme D’Or At 77th Cannes Film Festival appeared first on Deadline.
