NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 鈥淭he Boy and the Heron," the first film in a decade by Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki, will open organizers announced Thursday.
The long-awaited opened earlier this month in Japan under the title 鈥淗ow Do You Live?鈥� Miyazaki, the 82-year-old co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the maker of films including 鈥淪pirited Away鈥� and 鈥淢y Neighbor Totoro,鈥� came out of retirement to make his 12th feature.
鈥淭he Boy and the Heron," about a boy named Mahito whose mother is killed in the WWII fire bombings of Tokyo, was released without any trailer or marketing promotions in Japan as a way, Miyazaki has said, to make seeing the film more of a discovery.
But 鈥淭he Boy and the Heron鈥� will get a big platform to make its North American premiere when it kicks off TIFF on Sept. 7 at the Roy Thomson Hall.
鈥淲e are honored to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema鈥檚 greatest artists,鈥� Cameron Bailey, TIFF chief executive CEO, said in a statement. 鈥淎lready acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki鈥檚 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.鈥�
No release date has yet been announced but GKIDS will distribute 鈥淭he Boy and the the Heron鈥� later this year in North American theaters. runs Sept. 7-17.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
