Japan’s Motion Picture Producers Association has selected Kokuho, a film set in the world of Japanese traditional theater (“kabuki”), as the country’s contender for Best International Feature Film at next year’s Academy Awards.
Nine Japanese films were submitted for consideration in the international category.
Kokuho, which means “national treasure,” follows the life and career of a kabuki performer.
Based on a 2018 novel by Yoshida Shuichi, the film follows a kabuki performer as he is born into a yakuza family and later adopted by a kabuki actor. He later dedicates his life to the stage and ultimately seeks to achieve recognition as a living national treasure.
Directed by Lee Sang-il, Kokuho stars Ryo Yoshizawa (Japanese film Kingdom), Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai), Ryusei Yokohama (Your Eyes Tell), Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima and Min Tanaka.
Kokuho became a box office hit over the summer in Japan since its June release, surpassing 10 billion yen ($68M) in ticket sales, making it the second-highest-grossing Japanese live-action film.
The film premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
In 2022, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car from Japan won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
