Director Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame is one of the three recipients of the Honorary Award given by the Governors Board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this year.
For the sixth year running, the Honorary Award is given to three recipients annually for lifetime achievements in the film-making industry. Miyazaki joins director Akira Kurosawa as the only two Japanese to have been given an award by the Academy. He will also be the first animator to receive this award since its presentation at the Governors Award Ceremony in 2009.
This is, however, not the first time Miyazaki is being honoured at the Oscars. In 2003, Miyazaki’s Spirited Away won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 75th Academy Awards. He refused to attend the ceremony then, citing the American bombing of Iraq as a reason to not attend the ceremony. According to an article on Asahi Shimbun, it appears that he will be attending the ceremony to receive his award this time.
It has been an exciting past few months for fans of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli; from rumours of the studio’s shutting down (later clarified as a reorganization of its Animation Production Department) to the Japanese release of Miyazaki’s latest film, When Marnie Was There. Fans will also remember the announcement of his retirement in September last year.
Source: Asahi Shimbun | Japan Times
Image Credit: Entertainment Weekly
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