Miyazaki awarded French honours

[Stephen Cremin]

SPIRITED AWAY opened in Hong Kong on 15th December, going to number one 
in the charts despite opening against stiff competition from two 
high-profile local films.

Stephen


On Friday, December 21, 2001, at 10:14  pm, Tom Mes wrote:

> Just came back from what may or may not have been the first screening 
> of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away outside Japan, at the festival 
> Nouvelles Images du Japon here in Paris.
>
> After the screening, which went down very well with the audience 
> (consisting mainly of press and invitees - the first public screening 
> is tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd), Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki 
> appeared for an hour-long debate / Q & A session.
>
> Before this debate however, 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 Cin?matographie 
> who handed Miyazaki his officer's isignia, said in his speech that the 
> director fulfilled the criterium that France has set for this price, by 
> acknowledging and celebrating cultural diversity and indentity in his 
> work. 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.
>
> Tom Mes
>
> Midnight Eye
> http://www.midnighteye.com
>
>
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