When Makoto Shinkai released his 2016 hit film Your Name, it was an absolute cultural sensation. His recently released film, Weathering With You, looks to be just as iconic, as it’s been hitting the Japanese box office like a typhoon since its release in July. The animated movie has made over 10 billion yen (around $100 million US) so far, and now the Japan Film Makers Association has decided to reward the incredible performance and quality of the film by selecting it to be Japan’s entry into the US Academy Award’s “Best International Feature Film” category.
A country can only submit one film for this award, with a stipulation that the main language used in the film has to be non-English. Live-action movies are often submitted in this category, but Weathering With You will be the third anime film to be submitted by Japan. The other two were Pom Poko and Princess Mononoke, meaning that Weathering With You is the first non-Studio Ghibli produced anime film to be submitted for the “Best International Feature Film” category.
This isn’t Makoto Shinkai’s first time being submitted to the awards, though. Back in 2016, Funimation Films submitted his box-office hit Your Name for the “Best Animated Feature” category, which is often populated by massive American releases from companies like Disney Pixar and Dreamworks. Unfortunately, Your Name did not end up getting nominated for the award that year. Japan has had 4 winners in the “Best International Feature Film” category over the last 65 years, with the most recent one being the 2008 win for the film Departures.
Weathering With You is currently screening across Japan, and opened in Australian cinemas on August 22nd. There are plans for a limited-time run in the United States in late 2019 before a full theatrical release hits theaters in 2020.
