Latest News
Friday, 14th November 2014
In Events In Japan,
Miyazaki presented with Oscar
This weekend in Los Angeles saw the first Oscar statuettes of the season presented to a clutch of talented film industry insiders, with anime legend Hayao Miyazaki among those to be honoured with the Academy's highest accolade.
The artist and director, who founded the Japanese animation production company Studio Ghibli, attended the Governors Awards on Saturday (November 8th) in order to pick up a lifetime achievement award.
"It’s special because it’s an intimate evening," academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a recent interview. "It’s a chance for the academy to recognise the diverse talent that it takes to realize the dream of moviemaking."
Actress Maureen O’Hara and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere were also given honorary awards, while actor and activist Harry Belafonte received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences established the Governors Awards in 2009 as an untelevised celebration of its honorary Oscar winners.
At the ceremony, O’Hara posed for a photo with Miyazaki, while Belafonte chatted with Morgan Freeman and Reese Witherspoon had a heart to heart with Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Marion Cotillard, Ron Howard and Pixar chief John Lasseter also turned out for the event.
It was announced that Miyazaki would be honoured by the Academy upon his retirement this time last year, which caused shockwaves throughout the anime and manga communities in Japan and across the globe.
His previous efforts have helped bring the art form to the mainstream, with 2001's Spirited Away winning Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards.
Studio Ghibli has since confirmed it will be taking an extended break following Miyazaki's retirement and the latest release When Marnie Was There. The former director, on the other hand, has vowed to continue producing anime on his own despite his retirement from Studio Ghibli.