It’s not even for The Boy and the Heron.
Summary:
- Studio Ghibli receives the Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
- This is the first time it was given to an entire studio, and the first time it was given for animation.
- Maybe we will get more awards for anime movies in the future.
Recently, it feels like Studio Ghibli is getting every award with The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka). Anime fans are very happy about it: this shows at least some amount of recognition for their favorite medium.
However, the latest award they got was particularly surprising. The studio received an Honorary Palme d’Or — not for a particular work, but for their work in general. This is surprising in many ways, and fans wonder what it might mean for the industry.
Studio Ghibli Receives Honorary Palme d’Or
The Honorary Palme d’Or isn’t the actual award — the Cannes Film Festival for 2024 is yet to be held, scheduled for May. It’s simply given to filmmakers and other staff members who achieved a lot during their career, but have never won the award itself before — hence, the award is not being given for The Boy and the Heron specifically.
Studio Ghibli is not the only recipient of this award this year — it’s also been given to George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars. That said, the award to Ghibli is unique for multiple reasons.
Groundbreaking for Many Reasons
First of all, this is actually the first time the award has been given to an entire group of creators. Usually, the award is reserved to a particular person, and rarely, two or three of them. It being given to Ghibli signifies the contribution of the entire studio — not just Hayao Miyazaki himself.
Second of all, this is the first time the award is being given for animation. While animated films have competed for the award, none have ever won, and the only anime movie that was ever nominated was Ghost in the Shell (Koukaku Kidoutai) movie 2, Innocence.
This Represents a Huge Change of Mindset in the Movie Awards Community
Fans feel this might be when anime finally becomes acclaimed by film critics. For decades, they used to dismiss the entire medium, and in recent times, the sentiment has been changing. Both the Oscars and the Cannes are among the most prestigious awards in the world.
That said, anime actually had some representation in the Short Film nomination for Cannes, and that award has been given to both animated and live-action movies. Still, it being represented in the main award is a very big deal.
Maybe in a few years we will see an anime movie winning at Cannes as well — though it probably won’t be a Miyazaki movie, since the man announced his retirement (again).