Earlier this month, legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki saw his first feature film in 10 years, “The Boy And The Heron,” hit Japanese theaters. Now North American audiences know when they’ll have their first chance to see the film before it releases theatrically on this continent: the 48th Toronto International Film Festival will be the Opening Night Gala Presentation.
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While “The Boy And The Heron” shares its name with Genzaburō Yoshino‘s 1937 novel of the same name, and the book even appears in the film, Miyazaki’s latest is an entirely original work. The film follows a young boy named Mahito Maki, who discovers an abandoned tower in the town his family moves to enter discovers a fantastical world with a talking grey heron.
“We are honoured to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF. “Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love and rises to a staggering work of imagination. I look forward to our audience discovering its mysteries for themselves, but I can promise a singular, transformative experience.”
“The Boy And The Heron” continues a long line of Studio Ghibli screened at TIFF over the years, including most recently “The Red Turtle” in 2016. Other titles include “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya,” “The Wind Rises,” “From Up On Poppy Hill,” “Spirited Away,” and “Princess Mononoke.” Mayazaki’s new film is the first Japanese film and first animated film to open TIFF.
The arrival of a new Mayazaki film in Toronto comes shortly after TIFF’s “POP Japan” showcase which ran in May-June this year. The series celebrates popular, cult, and pulp Japanese film, and included two of Mayazaki’s most revered films, “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.” But focus will be on “The Boy And The Heron” for the rest of the year. Its sreening at TIFF will be the international premiere for the film before distributor GKIDS releases it in North American theaters later this year. An official release date hasn’t been announced yet. One wonders if GKIDS will follow a similar promotion that the movie had in Japan, which is to say no promotion at all. Studio Ghibli released “The Boy And The Heron” without any promotional or marketing materials, instead allowing the public audience to discover the film for themselves.
Whatever happens, it’s official: Hayao Mayazaki’s “The Boy And The Heron” will open TIFF on September 7. TIFF runs September 7-17 this year.
