Mamoru Hosoda was born in 1967 in Toyama. After graduating from Kanazawa College of Art, he joined Toei Doga studio (now Toei Animation Co, Ltd) and began his career as an animator. In 1999, he directed his first 20 min short film, Digimon Adventure, which was released in theaters. In 2000, he directed a forty-minute sequel, Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!!!, and attracted critical attention thanks to his novel, cutting-edge style. He also introduced what would become recurring themes in his filmography. He became independent shortly afterwards and directed The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), an adaptation of the well-known novella by Yasutaka Tsutsui. The film was met with great enthusiasm, and its success exceeded all expectations, remaining on Japanese screens for one year.
In 2009, he directed his first original work, Summer Wars. The aesthetics of the film are reminiscent of those found in Digimon. In 2011, with Yuichiro Saito (the producer who has accompanied him throughout his career), he created his own animation studio, Studio Chizu, and spearheaded a new movement in theatrical animations. The studio’s first production, Wolf Children (2012), followed by The Boy & The Beast (2015), cemented Hosoda’s popularity in Japan and abroad, particularly in France. Wolf Children was also an APSA nominee for Best Animated Feature Film.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
