‘Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki’ – Documentary on the Iconic, Academy Award®-Winning Director and Co- Founder of Studio Ghibli Coming to U.S. Cinemas
GKIDS and Fathom Events Partner to Bring Miyazaki Biopic to Big Screens Nationwide on December 13 and 18
DENVER – October 18, 2018 – GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of multiple Academy Award®-nominated animated features, and Fathom Events are proud to announce the U.S. debut of “Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki.” This documentary follows the formerly-retired film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki as he experiments for the first time with CGI. Miyazaki is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. In 1985 he co-founded Studio Ghibli and went on to direct highly influential and acclaimed animated films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro – which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Miyazaki’s critical and commercial success continued through his final run of films including Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises. After the 2013 release of The Wind Rises, at the age of 72, he announced his retirement from directing, however his endlessly inventive mind has turned toward new creative avenues. The documentary explores the life and career of Miyazaki as he returns to work to create his short film Boro the Caterpillar using CGI.
“Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki” comes to move than 500 U.S. cinemas Thursday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m. (local time), subtitled in English. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
In 2013, Academy Award®-winning film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he can’t shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarks on a new project to utilize CGI for the first time ever. But the artist, who has been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronts many challenges that threaten to cancel the film. Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film Boro the Caterpillar using CGI.
Earlier this year, GKIDS and Fathom Events presented the U.S. premieres of Mary And The Witch’s Flower, Fireworks, and The Night is Short, Walk On Girl, as well as 20th anniversary retrospective screenings of the cult-classic Perfect Blue to big screens nationwide.
“The works of Miyazaki have proven to be timeless favorites with anime fans nationwide,” Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt said. “We have seen time and time again how his works resonate with U.S. audiences, and are proud that our ongoing partnership with GKIDS will bring this engaging documentary to these devoted anime aficionados.”
About Fathom Events
Fathom Events is the leading event cinema distributor with theater locations in all top 100 DMAs® (Designated Market Areas) and ranks as one of the largest overall theater content distributors. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom Events offers a variety of unique entertainment events in movie theaters such as live performances of the Metropolitan Opera, top Broadway stage productions, major sporting events, epic concerts, the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics series, inspirational events and popular anime franchises. Fathom Events takes audiences behind the scenes for unique extras including audience Q&As, backstage footage and interviews with cast and crew, creating the ultimate VIP experience. Fathom Events’ live Digital Broadcast Network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live and pre-recorded events to 941 locations and 1,496 screens in 181 DMAs. The company also provides corporations a compelling national footprint for hosting employee meetings, customer rewards events and new product launches. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com.
ABOUT GKIDS
GKIDS is the producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, GKIDS has scored an astounding 10 Best Animated Feature Oscar® nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and theWorld and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, and The Breadwinner in 2018. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others. GKIDS recently launched ANIMATION IS FILM, an annual LA-based film festival. The first edition took place last October at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood for a sold-out audience of 5,000 and generated over 750 million media impressions. ANIMATION IS FILM embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression of which the medium is capable.
