Born September 19, 1967 in Toyama prefecture. Director of animation films. In 1991, he joined Toei Doga (now Toei Animation). He was an animator there before becoming a director. In 2003, he directed "SUPERFLAT MONOGRAM," a video for Louis Vuitton's spring/summer collection. He turned freelance thereafter, and in 2006, he released feature animation 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 grossing 1.65 billion yen in box office sales and drawing an audience of 1.26 million. 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 echelonBorn in 1967 in Toyama Prefecture, Mamoru Hosoda began his career in animation in 1991 when he joined Toei Doga, now known as Toei Animation. Hosoda reached his first significant milestone as a movie director with “Digimon Adventure” in 1999. Afterward, he transitioned to freelance work and directed the feature animations “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006) and “Summer Wars” (2009), both achieving long-running box office success. In 2011, Hosoda founded 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.