Even as the beloved Japanese animation house theoretically winds down, Studio Ghibli is flying high. Hot off the heels of that Oscar win for The Boy And The Heron, the accolades just keep coming – the studio is being recognised at the Cannes Film Festival next month, set to receive an honorary Palme d’or at the 77th rendition of the festival, acknowledging its profound impact on our screens with 24 films across four decades.
Honorary Palme d’or awards are typically reserved for individuals – with George Lucas also set to join the ranks at this year’s festival – so this marks the first time that a group is receiving the honour. “With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity,” notes Cannes’ Iris Knobloch and Thierry Frémaux. The award marks yet another positive turn for Ghibli, after The Boy And The Heron sailed to nearly $175 million at the worldwide box office and took home a little gold man to boot.
“I am truly honoured and delighted that the studio is awarded the Honorary Palme d’or,” Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki states. “I would like to thank the Festival de Cannes from the bottom of my heart. Forty years ago, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and I established Studio Ghibli with the desire to bring high-level, high-quality animation to children and adults of all ages. Today, our films are watched by people all over the world, and many visitors come to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka and Ghibli Park to experience the world of our films for themselves. We have truly come a long way for Studio Ghibli to become such a big organisation. Although Miyazaki and I have aged considerably, I am sure that Studio Ghibli will continue to take on new challenges, led by the staff who will carry on the spirit of the company. It would be my greatest pleasure if you look forward to what’s next.”
It remains to be seen if Hayao Miyazaki will accept the award in-person at the festival next month – he was sorely missed onstage at last month’s Oscars. We’ll find out when this year’s Cannes kicks off on May 14, bringing plenty of anticipated films to the stage – including Yorgos Lanthimos’ speedy Poor Things follow up Kinds Of Kindness, George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.