An animated movie from Japan, The Boy and the Heron, marks Hayao Miyazaki’s latest work. The Oscar-winning director behind Spirited Away will bring it to theaters for the 71st time on September 22, with San Sebastian Film Festival as the backdrop.
The film, shown out of competition in the Official Section, will screen in the Kursaal auditorium after the opening gala. The event runs through Saturday the 30th. The San Sebastian competition notes that Miyazaki will have his European premiere on September 7, following a showing at the Toronto Festival. The Boy and the Heron is the director’s original story, and Joe Hisaishi returns as the composer, continuing a long tradition of collaborating on Miyazaki’s films.
Miyazaki, born in Tokyo in 1941, co-founded Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata in 1985. Since then the studio released Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), The Witch’s Apprentice Nicky (1989), Porco Rosso (1992), and Princess Mononoke (1997). The filmmaker has earned international acclaim for his lush visuals, imaginative worlds, and themes of nature, memory, and humanity.
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The story of Miyazaki’s rise in cinema is marked by bold experimentation and enduring popularity. Spirited Away became a global phenomenon, earning Japan’s top honors and international prizes, including the Berlin Golden Bear and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Miyazaki’s craft blends hand drawn artistry with meticulous timing, weaving fantasy with subtle real world resonance.
Howl’s Moving Castle, released in 2004, further solidified his standing. The director has received the Osella Award at the Venice Festival and, a year later, the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Italian festival. In 2013, he earned a Hollywood nomination for The Wind Rises, extending his influence across both East and West. A year ago, he was recognized by the Government of Japan as a Person of Cultural Value, and in 2014 he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. Zinemaldia also noted his induction into the Will Eisner Comics Awards Hall of Fame for his broader creative impact.
A film by the renowned director, who writes, draws, and designs many of the film’s elements, is scheduled for a fourth appearance at the San Sebastian Festival. This time, though, it is part of the Official Selection, highlighting the film’s significance within the event’s program.
Earlier showings of Spirited Away and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea illuminated the Velodrome’s giant screen, while The Wind Rises was screened at Perlak. The festival also mentions two additional Studio Ghibli titles tied to other competitions in this closing episode: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Red Tortoise, directed by Isao Takahata and, in collaboration, with Michael Dudok de Wit.