The British Film Institute have announced  a two month celebration of the influential Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli in honour of its 30th birthday next year and the UK release of its founder Hayao Miyazaki's most recent film, THE WIND RISES. The season starts on 2 April 2014.

The season will be divided into two parts and will look back at Ghibli's films chronologically, from NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, a Miyazaki film released before the studio's foundation, to the 2011 feature FROM UP ON POPPY HILL. The season includes a preview of THE WIND RISES, which premiered at the 2013 Venice International Film Festival.

For Miyazaki fans, the season will offer the opportunity to see many of the older Japanese animations on screen for the first time. OCEAN WAVES, a 1993 made-for-TV film that was made by younger Ghibli animators, has rarely been seen in Britain.

Miyazaki founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Since then, the studio has become known for exploring philosophical issues rarely touched upon in animated film and creating strong, independent female characters.

Further details on this exciting retrospective can be found here.