Hayao Miyazaki receives the Kawakita Award

The Kawakita Memorial Film Institute named Studio Ghibli co-founder and anime director Hayao Miyazaki on August 26 as the winner of the 38th annual Kawakita Award. This award is named after the late film producer Nagamasa Kawakita, his wife Kashiko, and their daughter Tawako; and it is given to people whose work has contributed greatly to the development of art and culture in Japanese cinema, or who has opened the doors for international exchange through cinema.

The Kawakita Memorial Film Institute stated that Miyazaki was awarded "for his films that continue to move and inspire generations of people to dream and for being so highly praised both in Japan and abroad."

Academy Award-nominated anime director Koji Yamamura also accepted the award during the 30th edition in 2012, becoming the first animator to receive this award.

On the other hand, Hayao Miyazaki is working on his next animated film, entitled Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka. Producer Toshio Suzuki reported in late October 2019 that the film was 15% complete, after being in production for three and a half years.

Sources: Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, The Asahi Shimbun