Spirited Away

Hayao Miyazaki won the historic first Golden Bear awarded to an animated film at the Berlin Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away. The film ranks among the most prestigious animated works ever made.

The story follows a ten-year-old girl who finds herself in a mysterious city of spirits, gods, and ghosts. There are no battles between good and evil, no hero with supernatural powers - Miyazaki dispenses with the formulas of seasonal animated blockbusters. At the heart of the fantastical scenes lies a narrative about the boundary between childhood and adulthood, which the director understands not as a set of social norms, but as a path toward empathy, personal identity, and one's roots.

The protagonist arrives at this understanding without any didacticism, through a relaxed storytelling that captivates viewers of all ages with its unique vision.