2018 was a standout year for Japanese cinema in the US, with two of the country’s major international releases nominated in top categories at the 91st Academy Awards.
The award ceremony, which takes place on February 24, is the US film industry’s showcase event. It is broadcast in more than 225 countries and reaches hundreds of millions of viewers, according to the Academy.
While several Japanese films have won in the past, including Yojiro Takita’s “Departures” in 2008 and Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” in 2003, it’s the first time that Japanese films have been nominated in two top categories–best foreign-language film and best animated film–in the same year.
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s live-action “Shoplifters” follows an unconventional family of Tokyo grifters who face the consequences of their criminal lifestyle….
