Studio Ghibli awarded honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes 2024

For the first time in its history, the Cannes Film Festival has awarded its honorary Palme d'Or to a collective rather than an individual. Studio Ghibli, the legendary Japanese animation studio founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, received the prestigious honor at the 77th edition of the festival, running from May 14 to 25, 2024. The recognition celebrates the studio's profound impact on cinema over four decades. Co-founder and current executive director Toshio Suzuki remarked that the studio was founded with the desire to bring high-quality animation to children and adults of all ages, and that today their films are seen worldwide, with visitors flocking to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and Ghibli Park. The award adds to a remarkable 2024 for the studio, which returned to the big screen after three years with the acclaimed film "The Boy and the Heron." Previous recipients of the honorary Palme d'Or include Marco Bellocchio, Jodie Foster, Agnès Varda, Bernardo Bertolucci, Clint Eastwood, and Woody Allen, with George Lucas also sharing the honor. The award comes amid discussions about the studio's legacy, especially following the recent transfer of 42.3% of Ghibli's shares to Nippon Television.