Directed by:Mamoru Hosoda

Produced by:Yuichiro Saito
Toshimi Tanio
Nozomu Takahashi

Mamoru Hosoda is a renowned Japanese animation director. He began his career at Toei Animation in 1991 as an animator. In 1999, he made his directorial debut with the film Digimon Adventure. His second film as a director, Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! (2000) gained attention for its innovative approach. In 2006, he released the animated film, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, which, despite its small-scale release, turned out to be a long-running box office hit supported by young viewers. It was also the first winner of the newly established Japan Academy Prize Best Animation as well as numerous other awards. In 2009, he released Summer Wars based on a story he wrote himself, and it also became a smash hit. Like his previous film, it swept the animation awards in Japan, and it moreover received a formal invitation to the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival and gave Hosoda a nomination for the 2011 Annie Award Best Director, thrusting him to the top echelon. In 2011, he and producer Yuichiro Saito co-established Studio CHIZU, an animation studio where he directed and wrote the screenplay for Wolf Children (2012) and The Boy and the Beast (2015). His work on Mirai (2018) garnered a nomination for the 91st Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. His most recent film, Belle (2021), which he directed, wrote the screenplay for, and conceived the original story, has become the highest-grossing film of his career. Belle was also selected for the Cannes Première section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.

Studio CHIZU was established in April 2011 by director Mamoru Hosoda and producer Yuichiro Saito as a new base for filmmaking. Studio CHIZU is a studio specializing in the planning and production of animated films, and the name of the studio reflects the spirit of filmmaking: "to challenge new motifs, themes, and expressions, and to create a new map in the land of animated films, where there are still infinite possibilities. For children and their families around the world, we want to continue to be a "challenger" to create new values and a future for this era. www.studiochizu.com.