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.
Climber found dead on Denali, North America's tallest peak
U.S. California's homelessness keeps rising: report
Palestinian president refuses Israel's plans to occupy parts of Gaza
Foreign enterprises eye bright prospects in Chinese market
Eleanor Tomlinson puts on a leggy display in sparkly black minidress as she joins co
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 20,915: ministry
Sri Lanka witnesses rise in dengue cases with over 10,000 reported in December
Interview: China responsible, proactive player in global climate governance, says Kuwaiti expert
Abbey Clancy, 38, shows off a new set of train track braces as she's left red
Police respond to shooting on university campus in Las Vegas, suspect dead
Kylie Jenner displays her VERY edgy fashion sense in cleavage
Princesses Maria Carolina, 20, and Maria Chiara of Bourbon