Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” will serve as the Opening Night Gala Presentation at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF organizers announced on Thursday. It is the first time in the 48-year history of the festival that Japanese feature has opened the festivities, as well as the first time an animated film has been honored in such a fashion.
“We are honored to open the 48th Toronto International Film Festival with the work of one of cinema’s greatest artists,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a statement. “Already acclaimed as a masterpiece in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki’s new film begins as a simple story of loss and love and rises to a staggering work of imagination.