Hayao Miyazaki ‘worried’ over lack of publicity for his final film ‘How Do You Live?’
By Ryan General
Legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is reportedly concerned about the complete absence of promotional material for his upcoming anime movie “How Do You Live?”
Unorthodox marketing approach: The decision to not release posters, trailers or even a synopsis for the film is part of the marketing strategy by Studio Ghibli co-founder and president Toshio Suzuki.
In a Bungei Shunju livestream on June 2 translated by The Hollywood Reporter, Suzuku said:
I’ve been involved with our movies since “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,” but this was the first time Hayao Miyazaki genuinely praised me. ‘Suzuki-san, this is amazing. This is the best poster you’ve ever made,’ he said. I felt like that was a hint, so I decided ‘Let’s go with just this one poster for the marketing.’ So, no trailers or TV commercials at all … No newspaper ads either. Deep down, I think this is what moviegoers latently desire.
Miyazaki’s reservations: During the opening of the Friday Roadshow and Ghibli Exhibition on Thursday, Suzuki revealed what Miyazaki thought about his unusual strategy to market the film.
Quoting Miyazaki, Suzuki shared, “(Director Miyazaki) said, ‘I wonder if it’ll be OK without publicity…’ He really said that. ‘I am beginning to worry. I do believe in you, Mr. Suzuki. But I’m concerned… that’s all.'”
Suzuki defended the decision, stating, “In my opinion, in this age of so much information, the lack of information is entertainment. I don’t know if this will work. But as for me, I believe in it, so this is what I’m trying to do.”
Miyazaki’s final masterpiece: Touted as Miyazaki’s last film, “How Do You Live?” which is set to premiere in Japan on July 14, was inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s book of the same name.
The film’s plot remains a mystery as it has been reported that it does not follow the book’s narrative closely. While international release dates have yet to be revealed, a global release is expected as the film has already been pre-sold to international distributors.
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