Miyazaki Awarded French Honors

At France’s premier screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi at the Nouvelles Images du Japon film festival last weekend, Miyazaki was awarded the rank of Officer of Arts and Letters by the government of France (one grade below knighthood), as well as the medal of the city of Paris. David Kessler, director of the Centre National de la Cinématographie, explained that Miyazaki was deserving of the recognition because Miyazaki’s films meet the award’s criterium by acknowledging and celebrating cultural diversity and identity. Kessler added that it was fitting that this award should coincide with a screening of Spirited Away, since the film talks about the dangers of the loss of one’s identity.

Article provided by Michiko Ito