Cannes 2023: the buzz titles from Japan

Festival

Kubi

Dir. Takeshi Kitano
Renowned actor and filmmaker Kitano returns to Cannes, having played in Competition with Kikujiro in 1999 and Outrage in 2010. Kubi is based around a historical 16th-century feud, centred on powerful real-life Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga, and combines intense violence with dark humour. Kitano wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, and acts in the film alongside Ryo Kase (Outrage) and Hidetoshi Nishijima of Oscar-winning Cannes Competition title Drive My Car. Kadokawa will release locally in October 2023.
Contact: Chiyo Mori, Kadokawa

Monster

Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japanese auteur Kore-eda, who won the Palme d’Or with Shoplifters in 2018, returns to Competition for the seventh time. His latest centres on a mother who demands answers from a teacher when her son begins acting strangely, and reunites the director with Shoplifters star Sakura Ando. The score is by Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March — and who wrote the music for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, which played in Competition in 1983. Gaga and Toho will co-release the film at home on June 2.
Contact: Haruko Watanabe, Gaga Corporation (Asia); Flavien Eripret, Goodfellas (rest of the world) 

Perfect Days (Jap-Ger)

Dir. Wim Wenders
Three-time Oscar-nominated German filmmaker Wenders’ makes his tenth appearance in the Competition line-up, having won the Palme d’Or with Paris, Texas in 1984. His latest follows a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, played by Koji Yakusho, whose past is revealed through a series of unexpected encounters. The film shot in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, where architects and designers were employed to design artistically interesting public toilets throughout the area. The feature is a co-­production between Japan’s Master Mind Limited and Germany’s Wenders Images.
Contact: The Match Factory

Market

Best Regards To All

Dir. Yuta Shimotsu
Takashi Shimizu, the horror icon behind hit franchise Ju-On: The Grudge, is executive producer on the directorial debut feature of Shimotsu. The story centres on a young nursing school student who visits her grandparents in the countryside only to discover a horrifying truth in their house. The cast is led by Kotone Furukawa, whose credits include Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Berlinale 2021 award winner Wheel Of Fortune And Fantasy. A local release is planned for spring 2024.
Contact: Shoko Yoneda, Kadokawa; Etsuko Furutsuki, Kadokawa

The Box Man

Dir. Gakuryu Ishii
This adaptation of Kobo Abe’s 1973 novel of the same name is directed by influential director Ishii, known for stylistic films such as Burst City (1982) that helped spark Japan’s cyberpunk movement. The story follows a nameless man who gives up his identity to live with a large cardboard box over his head, encountering bizarre characters as he wanders the streets of Tokyo. The title role is taken by Masatoshi Nagase (Paterson, Mystery Train) in a cast that includes Tadanobu Asano (Mortal Kombat) and Koichi Sato (Kingdom II). Producers are Keisuke Konishi (Plan 75) and Tomohiko Seki, and a release is planned for 2024.
Contact: Rie Hatano, Happinet Phantom Studios

Komada — A Whisky Family

Dir. Masayuki Yoshihara
This animation centres on a young woman who takes over her late father’s ailing whisky distillery, and works to revive its signature drink while reforging bonds within her family. Director Yoshihara is known for animated series The Eccentric Family and the screenplay was written by Muneo Nakamoto (Sword Art Online) and Yukito Kizawa. The lead role is voiced by Saori Hayami of the hit Demon Slayer franchise. The film, produced by animation studio P.A. Works, has been selected for next month’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival and is slated for local release in November.
Contact: Haruko Watanabe, Gaga Corporation 

Mom, Is That You?

Dir. Yoji Yamada
The latest film from veteran director Yamada (It’s Tough Being A Man series, Twilight Samurai), who turns 92 this year, is a family drama that centres on a man on the brink of divorce and his mother, who has found a new lease on life and gives fresh inspiration to her troubled son. The two central roles are played by Yo Oizumi and award-winning veteran actress Sayuri Yoshinaga. Now in post-production, the film is due for local release on September 1.
Contact: Shochiku

One Last Bloom

Dir. Takahisa Zeze
Prolific filmmaker Zeze returns with drama One Last Bloom, about a retired boxer who takes on a young fighter, with both risking everything to win a championship title. The trainer is played by Koichi Sato, who starred in Zeze’s two-part suspense mystery 64, while the young boxer is played by Ryusei Yokohama (Village). Zeze wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Kotaro Sawaki. The director is known for Heaven’s Story, which won the Fipresci prize at the Berlinale in 2011, and more recently Fragments Of The Last Will, which opened last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. One Last Bloom is a set for a release in Japan on August 25.
Contact: Haruko Watanabe, Gaga Corporation 

River

Dir. Junta Yamaguchi
This time-loop comedy marks the second feature of Yamaguchi, whose Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes played leading genre film festivals in 2021. Building on the premise of his previous film, River centres on a waitress who finds that time is repeating itself every two minutes, a situation also experienced by her fellow waitresses, chefs and diners. The cast comprises Kyoto-based theatre troupe Europe Kikaku and is led by Riko Fujitani, with an appearance by Shiori Kubo of idol group Nogizaka46. Now in post-production, it is set for local release on June 23.
Contact: Taku Kato, Nikkatsu (Asia); Adam Torel, Third Window Films (rest of the world) 

Sana

Dir. Takashi Shimizu
Horror maestro Shimizu, who topped the US box office with Ju-On: The Grudge, returns with the story a schoolgirl who delivers a cursed melody through a cassette tape that infects all those who hear it. The horror, in the vein of Ringu and Ju-On, is written by Rumi Kakuta and Shimizu. The cast has yet to be revealed. A local release is planned for August 11.
Contact: Shochiku

Six Singing Girls

Dir. Yoshimasa Ishibashi
This fantasy drama marks the first feature from Ishibashi since Milocrorze: A Love Story, which won a series of plaudits at genre and Asian film festivals in 2011. His latest follows two men who stumble on a beautiful village after a car accident and discover six young women, who are incarnations of nature disguised as humans. The two lead roles are played by Yutaka Takenouchi (Shin Godzilla) and Takayuki Yamada (13 Assassins) in a cast that includes prolific actor and filmmaker Naoto Takenaka (Nowhere Man). A release is being planned for this year.
Contact: Momoko Nakamura, Free Stone 

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl At The Window

Dir. Shinnosuke Yakuwa
This animation is based on the bestselling memoir by Japanese media personality Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. The story follows the unconventional education that Kuroyanagi received during the Second World War at a Tokyo elementary school, founded by progressive educator Sosaku Kobayashi. Published in 1981, it became required reading for Japanese elementary school students and has sold around the world. Director Yakuwa is known for the Doraemon animated features, while character designer Shizue Kaneko has credits including Berlinale Golden Bear winner Spirited Away and Pokemon. Shin-Ei Animation will handle production on the film, which is slated for local release later this year.
Contact: Shion Komatsu, Toho