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.
Candice Swanepoel wows in a shimmering black flared jumpsuit as she joins ab
Lea Michele showcases baby bump in figure
Racial bias did not shape Mississippi's water funding decisions for capital city, EPA says
The REAL reason no one should have to pay for their prescriptions
Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Sudanese paramilitary forces have carried out ethnic cleansing in Darfur, rights group says
Governor says he won't support a bill that could lead to $3M in assistance to striking workers
Pregnancy app used by the NHS accused of 'imposing gender ideology'
US utility pledges more transparency after lack of notice it empowered CEO to make plant decisions