The program will pay tribute to the man who cut his teeth as an animator on Studio Ghibli's debut feature Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, working under Miyazaki Hayao, before going on to write and direct the enormously popular series Neon Genesis Evangelion, throughout its many television and film incarnations.
The tribute will include work from throughout the filmmaker's career, including television work, short films, promo videos, and, of course, all his major theatrical releases, including 1990's Nadia The Secret of Bluewater and 1997's Neon Genesis Evangelion movie, along with his live-action work, which includes Ritual and Love and Pop.
Studio Ghibli head honcho Suzuki Toshio (and bearer of recent devastating news) described Anno as "the only man [Miyazaki] would ever acknowledge as his apprentice". High praise, indeed. The festival is focusing on animation this year, and has already announced that Disney's Big Hero 6 will have its world premiere as the opening night presentation on October 23.