Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece, ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ made its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, despite the absence of Hollywood stars on the red carpet due to ongoing industry strikes. Guillermo del Toro, the Oscar-winning director of ‘Pinocchio,’ took the stage to praise Miyazaki’s epic feature and represent Studio Ghibli in Toronto.
Hayao Miyazaki’s highly anticipated animated film, ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ graced the opening night of the Toronto Film Festival with its visual splendor and profound philosophical themes. However, the festival’s red carpet lacked the usual glitz and glamour of Hollywood A-listers due to the ongoing labor strikes in the industry.
The celebrated Japanese anime filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, was notably absent from Toronto during the international premiere of his latest work. Instead, Studio Ghibli was represented by executive Junichi Nishioka. The unexpected appearance of Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro added an element of star power to the event, as he took the stage to introduce Miyazaki’s film to the first-night audience gathered at Roy Thomson Hall.
Del Toro had high praise for Miyazaki, describing him as possibly “the greatest director of animation ever” and likening him to artistic geniuses like Van Gogh and Mozart. He addressed the fortunate audience, saying, “You are lucky to be able to see ‘The Boy and the Heron’ for the first time outside its country of origin.”
In a year where the absence of American celebrities at the festival’s first-night gala was keenly felt, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, made a red carpet appearance as part of the Industry Conference, ahead of his keynote speech at TIFF.
Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto Film Festival, also introduced ‘The Boy and the Heron’ at Roy Thomson Hall. He expressed his admiration for Miyazaki and revealed that he had watched nearly all of the Japanese anime master’s films with his young son.
This year’s decision to open the festival with ‘The Boy and the Heron’ marked a historic moment as the first time a Japanese film or an animated title launched the prestigious Canadian festival. It was also a strategic choice by TIFF, considering the uncertainty surrounding the Hollywood strikes and the unavailability of American stars for the opening night.
The dual strikes by Hollywood’s major unions, SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America, have prevented their members from participating in promotional activities for movies associated with studios or streamers at film festivals, including Toronto and Venice.
At TIFF 2023, there are no official press conferences planned, and the absence of A-list celebrities from struck productions has shifted the spotlight to directors and indie film stars. Despite the challenges posed by the strikes, the Toronto Film Festival continues to celebrate global cinema with a diverse lineup of 277 films from 74 countries scheduled to screen through September 17.