Miyazaki on boycotting the US

The director of the acclaimed animated film Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki, decided not to attend the Academy Awards in 2003. Although he neglected to give a reason at the time, Miyazaki is finally willing to give an explanation:

Miyazaki, who has not spoken publicly of the subject, today explained his reasons in an interview with The Times at Comic-Con. “The reason I wasn’t here for the Academy Award was because I didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq,” he said. “At the time, my producer shut me up and did not allow me to say that, but I don’t see him around today. By the way, my producer also shared in that feeling.”

(The link is old, but thanks to reddit, not lost.)