CANNES, France (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the Japanese anime factory of surreal ecological wonders that has for 39 years spirited away moviegoers with tales of Totoros, magical jellyfish and floating castles, was celebrated Monday by the Cannes Film Festival with an honorary Palme d’Or. In the 22 years that Cannes has been handing out honorary Palmes, the award for Ghibli was the first for anything but an individual filmmaker or actor. (This year’s other recipients are George Lucas and Meryl Streep.) Hayao Miyazaki, the 83-year-old animation master who founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki, didn’t attend the ceremony, but he spoke in a video message taped in Japan. “I don’t understand any of this,” said Miyazaki. “But thank you.” At Cannes, where standing ovations can stretch on end, the fervor that greeted Ghibli’s emissaries — Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao) and Kenichi Yoda — was nevertheless among the most thunderous receptions at the festival. Thierry Fremaux, Cannes’ artistic director, walked across the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière filming the long ovation, he said, for a video to send to Miyazaki. |
London police say chemical attacker presumed deadBrace yourselves, Married At First Sight is backEDITORIAL: Reform of WTO key to regaining disputeAlexei Navalny death: Team accuses Russia of 'hiding' his bodyStricken Japanese Moon mission landed on its noseGood News: Stories that cheered us up for the week of 25EDITORIAL: Reform of WTO key to regaining disputePort of Auckland workers protest mayor's longCuts and closures in New Zealand's news media industry: What you need to knowJudge declines to delay Trump hush money trial over publicity complaints