A feature-length documentary exploring the work and ethos of legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki will be receiving its debut soon at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
Titled Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature, the documentary directed by Léo Favier examines Miyazaki’s legendary animations from some of his first such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, to fan favourites like My Neighbour Totoro, to new additions such as The Boy and the Heron. You can watch the reveal trailer here:
It’s no secret that the Studio Ghibli titan is a ponderer of the highest order, especially when it comes to the relationship between humanity and nature, and this ecological angle is the focus of the documentary.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “Through iconic characters such as Totoro and Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki’s films reflect his deep concerns about the world, often autobiographical and echoing the upheavals of the 20th century.
“Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature, enriched with exceptional film excerpts and insights [from those who have been a part of and experts who have studied Miyazaki’s work] reveals Miyazaki;s profound ecological work that questions our relationship with the natural world and living creatures.”
The film’s director, Léo Favier, said about the documentary: “I want, on one hand, to tell his life story. The film is like a great journey through the twentieth century, where the magic of animation appears as an intimate way to counter reality.
“With the help of biologists, philosophers, and anthropologists I aim to reflect on this work that resonates so vividly with our world, faced with the climate crisis, the collapse of biodiversity, and wars – a context that compels us to question our relationship with living beings as humanity.”
Given that it’s currently making the rounds of the festival circuit, it’ll likely be a while until the documentary is available for public consumption, but fans of Miyazaki and Ghibli will no doubt be looking forward to its eventual release, and are certainly no strangers to patience.