Source: Madman Entertainment Official Movie Site: kazetachinu.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Ben Pollock Madman is proud to announce its acquisition of THE WIND RISES (????, Kaze Tachinu, 2013), the latest feature from Oscar-winning Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki, and the renowned Studio Ghibli, for release in Australia and New Zealand. THE WIND RISES follows the story of Jiro (voiced by famed EVANGELION director Hideaki Anno), who dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes, inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni. Unable to become a pilot because of his eyesight, Jiro joins the aircraft division of a major Japanese engineering company in 1927. His genius is soon recognized, and he grows to become one of the world’s most accomplished airplane designers.

Chronicling two decades, THE WIND RISES depicts key historical events that deeply affect the course of Jiro’s life, including The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, The Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic, and Japan’s plunge into war. He meets and falls in love with Nahoko, grows and cherishes his friendship with his colleague Honjo, and innovates tremendously, leading the aviation world into the future. The first feature to be helmed by Miyazaki since PONYO (???????, Gake no Ue no Ponyo) in 2008, THE WIND RISES brings together the lives and stories of the engineer Jiro Horikoshi, visionary designer of the famed ‘Zero’ WWII Japanese fighter, and Tatsuo Hori, poet and author of the 1938 novel, The Wind Has Risen, to create Jiro, who is at the center of an epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world. Screening in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival -- and soon also at Toronto -- THE WIND RISES is a complex and beautiful work that has been called Miyazaki’s most personal, unique and mature film to date, melding stark history alongside buoyant fantasy to tell a tender and tragic love story. In his native Japan, Miyazaki’s film has courted some timely controversy owing to its subject matter colliding with the Japanese government’s hotly debated proposed changes to military defense. Since its opening, however, THE WIND RISES has remained at the top of the Japanese box office for seven consecutive weeks, taking in over US$88 million (¥8.78 billion) and relegating even MAN OF STEEL’s opening to the number two slot. Once again, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have delivered a stunning visual work which remains faithful to traditional, hand-drawn animation techniques which showcase delicate colors and breathtaking vistas throughout. In a press conference held on Friday, 6th September, Hayao Miyazaki confirmed that THE WIND RISES will be his last full-length feature film. THE WIND RISES will release in Australian and New Zealand cinemas in 2014.

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About Madman Entertainment

Madman is a leading independent film and television distribution and rights management company, with offices in Australia and New Zealand. Madman is renowned for its commitment to quality Australian and foreign film, factual content, as well as highly collectable categories such as Japanese anime, genre film, animation and cult television. Madman`s capabilities encompass end to end acquisition, marketing, creative, sales and distribution in all mediums and formats, from the silver screen to the digital realm. Madman is also a proud producer of Australian film and television content. Put simply, Madman is mad for entertainment.

About Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by animated film directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, and has produced nineteen feature-length films. Most Studio Ghibli films ranked number one at the box office in Japan in the year in which they were released. SPIRITED AWAY, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in 2001, is the all-time highest grossing film in Japan, earning over 30 billion yen at the box office. The Studio’s PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997), SPIRITED AWAY (2001) and HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) are among Japan’s top 5 grossing films. Studio Ghibli films have garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim from film critics and animation specialists around the world. SPIRITED AWAY was awarded the Golden Bear as the Best Feature Film at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 2003 U.S. Academy Awards. In October 2001, Studio Ghibli, in conjunction with The Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation for Animation, founded the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, designed by Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli’s newest film is THE WIND RISES, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and was released on July 20, 2013 in Japan. THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA, directed by Isao Takahata, will open in Japan on November 23, 2013.

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For more information on THE WIND RISES, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan:

• THE WIND RISES Press Notes
• THE WIND RISES Production Notes