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Toshio Suzuki, Renzo Kinoshita, Sayoko Kinoshita Honored at 49th Annual Annie Awards
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced the winners of its 49th Annual Annie Awards on Saturday. No anime won awards this year.
The awards presented Studio Ghibli co-founder and executive director Toshio Suzuki with the prestigious Winsor McCay Award alongside Ruben A. Aquino and Lillian Schwartz. The ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors select the winners for "their exemplary industry careers." Suzuki accepted the award in a subtitled video. He is the ninth Japanese person to win the award, with previous recipients including Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Mamoru Oshii, Satoshi Kon, Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Kihachirō Kawamoto, Iwao Takamoto, and Osamu Tezuka.
Renzo Kinoshita and Sayoko Kinoshita, who founded the Hiroshima International Animation Festival, were honored with the June Foray Award for significant and benevolent or charitable impact.
Mamoru Hosoda's BELLE, Ayumu Watanabe's Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Takayuki Hirao's Pompo: The Cinéphile, and Patrick Imbert's The Summit of the Gods received nominations in the "Best Indie Feature" category, but Flee won the award.
Hosoda's BELLE also received nominations in the "Best Direction – Feature," "Best FX - Feature," "Best Production Design - Feature," and "Best Writing - Feature" categories. The Mitchells vs. The Machines won all four of these awards. Hosoda presented several awards at the event.
Youki Kojima and Yuta Bando's music for the Poupelle of Chimney Town film was nominated for the "Best Music - Feature" category, but Encanto won the award.
The Star Wars: Visions anime's "The Duel" episode from Kamikaze Douga was nominated in the "Best TV/Media - General Audience" category, but Arcane won the award.
The Stillwater show from Polygon Pictures was nominated in the "Best TV/Media - Preschool" category, but Ada Twist, Scientist won the award.
Netflix's Castlevania was nominated for the "Best FX - TV/Media" category, but Arcane won the award.
The Annie Awards recognize outstanding achievement in animation. ASIFA-Hollywood added the Best Animated Independent Feature award for the 2016 awards in order to "recognize not only features in wide release, but also the independent animators, international studios, anime and special productions that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve." Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai film won the award in 2019.
No anime won awards last year.
Source: Annie Awards livestream
