No trailer for Hayao Miyazaki’s last film 'How Do You Live?', says Studio Ghibli
"There must be people, who, after watching all the trailers, don’t want to actually go see the movie. So, I wanted to do the opposite of that.”
Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming film is set to be his final work and will be released with an unconventional twist — no promotional materials, including trailers or marketing.
‘How Do You Live?’ is set to hit Japanese cinemas on July 14. Studio Ghibli, the film's production house, released a poster for the movie in December, giving fans a glimpse of what's to come.
Additionally, Miyazaki revealed details about the film in a 2017 interview, stating that it was inspired by Genzaburō Yoshino's 1937 novel of the same name, but not a direct adaptation.
According to an interview with Japanese magazine Bungei Shunji, translated by the Hollywood Reporter, producer Toshio Suzuki stated that the film will be released without any trailers, TV commercials or newspaper ads.
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Suzuki believes that this unconventional approach will appeal to moviegoers who are looking for a more organic and immersive experience. “Deep down, I think this is what moviegoers latently desire,” he added.
The producer explains that the decision to forgo promotional materials for the film's release was a conscious one. Studio Ghibli wanted to avoid oversaturating the market with marketing materials; a trend he believes is rampant in Hollywood.
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In fact, Suzuki went on to criticize a recent unnamed film, which released three trailers prior to its debut; “There’s an American movie — ah, I almost said the title out loud! — coming out this summer around the same time [as How Do You Live?],” he said. “They’ve made three trailers for it, and released them one at a time. If you watch all three, you know everything that’s going to happen in that movie. So how do moviegoers feel about that? There must be people, who, after watching all the trailers, don’t want to actually go see the movie. So, I wanted to do the opposite of that.”
By taking a different approach and relying solely on the film's reputation and the director's legacy, Studio Ghibli is adding to the intrigue and anticipation surrounding the release of ‘How Do You Live?’.
Peek the only poster for the film below.
Adrianna Cheung is Mixmag Asia’s Culture Curator, follow her on Instagram.
