Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was born on 5 January 1941, the same year that Japan entered World War II. Miyazaki’s earliest memories are of cities bombed flat, memories that have shaped him profoundly – his deep aversion to war has its roots there.

He was a talented artist and began working as an illustrator at a young age, which led to his first film in 1979: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. In 1985, he founded his own production company, Studio Ghibli, with his good friend Isao Takahata. The studio was highly successful and changed the landscape of anime film forever with award-winning films such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and The Boy and the Heron.

French filmmaker Léo Favier sheds light on the work of the Japanese anime artist through interviews with Miyazaki experts. He focuses in particular on how Miyazaki depicts the relationship between man and nature in his films.