Singapore-based media and entertainment company mm2 Entertainment and Studio Ghibli have signed a five-year partnership to re-release some of the studio’s films across Southeast Asia cinemas. The countries that would benefit from this partnership include Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The deal encompasses 21 Studio Ghibli titles, including Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro. As mm2 Asia, mm2 Entertainment’s parent company, operates cinema chains in Singapore and Malaysia directly, the first slew of Ghibli releases under this agreement are slated for later this year.
Studio Ghibli’s films are renowned worldwide for their artistry, storytelling, and emotional resonance. This partnership allows us to bring these beloved classics to Southeast Asian audiences, where they can be enjoyed on the big screen as intended. We are confident that this collaboration will introduce a new generation of fans to the world of Studio Ghibli.
Statement from Chang Long Jong, group CEO of mm2 Asia
Many visitors from Southeast Asia come to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka and Ghibli Park every day. Recently, Miyazaki Hayao received the prestigious Magsaysay Award. We feel that our films are being enjoyed by a much larger number of Asian people than before. I am very happy that this opportunity will be a great help in bringing our works to even more people, and to the children who will be born in the future.
Statement from Junichi Nishioka, VP of PR, Curation and Archive, International Distribution at Studio Ghibli
Hayao Miyazaki has been recently recognized by the 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awards for “his lifelong commitment to the use of art, specifically animation, to illuminate the human condition, especially lauding his devotion to children as the torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own.” He was also recognized in TIME Magazine’s Top 100 for 2024, with his writeup written by Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.
The partnership between mm2 and Studio Ghibli comes after the renowned animation studio was awarded an Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th Festival de Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) in May this year. This was the first time an institution was awarded such recognition rather than an individual.
Source: mm2 Entertainment Facebook Page, Variety
Featured Image: Spirited Away (© 2001 Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, NDDTM)
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