Studio Ghibli took quite the risk with the final film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, How Do You Live, in which they released no promotional images and/or trailers for the animated movie before it hit Japanese theaters. Titled The Boy And The Heron for its upcoming North American release, the Ghibli film is about to hit the film festival circuit later this year, following its major success on the silver screen in the East. Announcing that it will attend the San Sebastian Festival in 2023, Miyazaki’s final film has confirmed that it is arriving in Spain this fall.
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The San Sebastian Festival is no stranger to the world of Ghibli and animated films. In preparation for this special event, here’s how the official website for the film festival describes the big occasion, “Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka / The Boy and the Heron, will open the San Sebastian Festival’s 71st edition out of competition. Having shown at Toronto Festival on September 7th, San Sebastian will host the European premiere of the latest proposal from the director of Spirited Away. The movie will screen in the Kursaal Auditorium on Friday, September 22nd, after the opening gala.”
What Is The San Sebastian International Film Festival?
First founded in 1953, the San Sebastian International Film Festival has been held every year since its creation. While first created to honor Spanish-language films, the event has broadened its horizons and included many other movies from various locales. The Festival is no stranger to promoting Ghibli movies, as it has aired the likes of Castle In The Sky, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, and Spirited Away to name a few.
The Boy And The Heron has been confirmed to hit theaters in North America before year’s end, with the film distributors at GKIDS once again working with Ghibli to bring the film to the West. While a specific release date has yet to be revealed, the President of GKIDS, David Jesteady, had this to say about the upcoming event, “Miyazaki is a living legend in filmmaking, as evidenced by his Academy Award win for ‘Spirited Away’ and his two Oscar nominations for ‘Howl’s Moving Castle‘ and ‘The Wind Rises‘. It’s been ten years since the world has seen a new film from Miyazaki-san, and GKIDS is so proud and honored to unveil his latest, highly anticipated masterpiece in North America.”
