According to producer Toshio Suzuki, 'The Boy and the Heron' is the most expensive film ever produced in Japan.
MENA-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has signed a distribution agreement with Goodfellas for the Studio Ghibli film, The Boy and The Heron. Directed by Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and is set to hit theatres across the MENA region on December 14, 2023.
Front Row’s history with both the Goodfellas team and Studio Ghibli spans over two decades, during which they represented the entire Studio Ghibli library in the MENA region. This library includes classics like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. Notably, the release of The Boy and The Heron marks the first Hayao Miyazaki film to screen in Saudi Arabia since the reopening of cinemas in 2018.
Front Row reportedly pioneered the animation space across the MENA by introducing the Studio Ghibli library on both theatrical and Home Video formats followed by a string of highly successful films and TV series which include the Dragonball features and One Piece: Red which dominated the MENA box office last year.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and The Heron initially premiered in Japan in July, amassing $53m in earnings. The film was released without any trailer or marketing promotions in Japan as a way to make seeing the film more of a discovery.
Following its international debut at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, numerous international territories have lined up for fall releases, culminating in the US release via GKIDS in December.
The Boy and The Heron is a semi-autobiographical fantasy that explores themes of life, death, and creation while paying tribute to the power of friendship. The film follows the journey of a young boy named Mahito, who yearns for his mother and embarks on an extraordinary adventure into a realm that blurs the lines between the living and the dead. In this mystical world, death takes on a new meaning, and life is granted a fresh start.
Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row, said: “The Front Row team is immensely proud to work on The Boy and the Heron. We see it as our duty to promote the work of one of cinema’s greatest living filmmakers and to continue our long-standing relationship with the Goodfellas team and of course, the legends at Studio Ghibli. We can’t wait for people to watch this absolute gem of a film.”
Front Row plans to bring The Boy and The Heron to theatres in all key MENA territories on December 14, 2023. Goodfellas Film is handling international sales.
