Miyazaki Hayao‘s animated feature “Hauru no Ugoku Shiro” (Howl’s Moving Castle) has been nominated for an Academy Award. Miyazaki (65) previously won an Oscar in 2003 for “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (Spirited Away). Howl is a love story that tells of a 90-year old woman who is transformed into an 18-year old girl. The movie took in almost ¥20 billion at the box office and has been an international success, seen by over 9 million people in some 50 countries worldwide. It won an award at the Venice International Film Festival in 2004.
• Also nominated in six categories, including nominations for costume design and music, is “Memoirs of a Geisha” (Sayuri), the Hollywood adaptation of Arthur Golden’s bestseller. Though set in Japan, the movie has an international cast that includes local stars Watanabe Ken, Yakusho Koji and Momoi Kaoru.
Actor Ishida Issei (31) and former talento wife Miyake Emi (27) filed for divorce on January 30, it was revealed yesterday. They have one child, a son born in December 2003, who will remain with his mother.