A new documentary about the life and career of the well-known Japanese animation auteur and the Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki will debut at this Venice Film Festival. The biographical documentary Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature has received a trailer ahead of its debut.
There are other documentaries based on Miyazaki, such as NHK’s Never Ending Man and the four-part 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki, which focused on the filmmaker’s work approach and philosophy of animated art. Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature takes a different approach as it sheds light on his deep connection to nature, themes of environmental crisis and stewardship which is often portrayed in his films. The director’s films like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke portray the interdependent relationship between humans and nature and have been one of the key themes throughout his works.
The documentary is directed by Léo Favier (Dopamine, Apollo or The Wild Life, Culbute) and is co-written by Favier and Léo Brachet. The documentary features scenes from the films themselves as well as interviews with figures including his longtime colleague, Studio Ghibli co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki; his son, director Goro Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill); and former Studio Ghibli animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi (When Marnie Was There). The documentary will also include appearances from other notable personalities such as Japanese animation, manga and modern literature specialist Prof. Susan Napier (author of Miyazakiworld), and philosopher-ecologist Prof. Timothy Morton (author of Being Ecological).
The documentary is produced by Paris-based studio Les Bons Clients producers Loïc Bouchet and Thibaut Camurat along with Arte France Tag Film producer Christian Popp and South Korean actress Emi Gueydan-Hiraoka (He Who Can’t Marry, Konya Sukiyaki Dayo, Extracte). The film will be distributed worldwide by French distribution agency Balanga.
Les Bons Clients is a French video production studio founded in 2005 and has produced various projects such as Poujade, Attacking the Republic, France, The Secrets of a Fabulous Journey and The Crazy Adventure of Louis de Funès among others.
Hayao Miyazaki is a co-founder, director and filmmaker from Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. He has directed films like The Boy and the Heron, Boro the Caterpillar, The Day I Bought A Star, Ponyo and The Whale Hunt among others. He has won 2 Academy awards and multiple Annie awards throughout his career.
