Hong Kong’s Asian Shadows has closed key territory deals for Kazuhiro Soda’s The Cats Of Gokogu Shrine, which debuted at the Berlinale and will have its UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival today (October 11).
The Japan-US documentary has been picked up by Fugu Films for Germany and Austria and by Hi Gloss Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand. A theatrical release has been scheduled for December in all four territories.
The film focuses on the stray cats living in an ancient Shinto shrine in the Japanese seaside resort town of Ushimado. Some residents take care of them, while others complain about the mess they create in the neighbourhood, which becomes an issue that divides the local community.
A local release will be handled by Tofoo Films, which will open the film on October 19. The Japanese distributor has previously handled Soda’s Zero, which won the Ecumenical jury prize at the 2020 Berlinale, and Inland Sea.
The filmmaker is in London to present the UK premiere of The Cats Of Gokogu Shrine in the festival’s Debate section. He is also a speaker on a festival panel titled All Creatures Great and Small: Animals on Screen, which will be held on October 13.
After London, the feature will screen at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA, November 14-24) in the Signed section.
The Cats Of Gokogu Shrine is an observational film made using Soda’s own ‘Ten Commandments’, which includes no research, no scripts, no pre-set theme, no narration and paying for his own production. These self-imposed rules are intended to minimise pre-conceptions and make way for unexpected discoveries.
The Japan-US production is produced by Laboratory X, Inc, with Soda and Kiyoko Kashiwagi as producers.
No comments yet