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Academy to honor Hayao Miyazaki

Anime director Hayao Miyazaki speaks to reporters in March at his studio in Koganei, western Tokyo. Next to him is a poster for his film "Kaze Tachinu" ("The Wind Rises"), which was nominated for best animated feature at last year's Academy Awards. | KYODO

Kyodo

LOS ANGELES – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday it has picked anime director Hayao Miyazaki as one of three recipients of its Honorary Award this year.

The only other Japanese to receive the award was Akira Kurosawa, in 1990 at the 62nd Academy Awards.

The other recipients this year will be French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere and Irish actress Maureen O’Hara.

The award, which honors the recipients’ lifetime achievements in the film industry, will be presented Nov. 8 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Miyazaki’s “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (“Spirited Away”) won the Oscar for Animated Feature Film in 2003. His other works include “Mononoke-hime” (“Princess Mononoke”) and “Kaze Tachinu” (“The Wind Rises”), which was nominated for best animated feature at the 86th annual Academy Awards last March.

Miyazaki said last September he was retiring from filmmaking.

VIDEO: Hayao Miyazaki announces his retirement

VIDEO: Hayao Miyazaki speaks at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (2008)