Against a backdrop of significant recovery in the sector and with the country's borders finally reopening last winter, Unifrance launches the French Cinema Season in Japan by stepping up its support for the release of seven films: Rise, Brother and Sister, Winter Boy, La Maison, The Crime Is Mine, The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess, Saint Omer.
Following a call for applications from Japanese distributors in the spring, seven films were selected by a jury of French professionals. The French films they release will receive the French Cinema Season in Japan label, and the distributors will receive exceptional promotional support for the titles' theatrical release. The jurors paid particular attention to the originality of the projects presented, which had to be highly event-driven, raise the film's profile and attract the interest of the Japanese media. In addition, distributors were encouraged to seek public or private partnerships, and to broaden their audience, notably by targeting younger viewers.
At the end of June, Michel Ocelot got the French Cinema Season in Japan rolling by coming to present The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess (distributed by Child Film) to Japanese audiences. On site, Ocelot also responded to numerous requests for interviews from the local press, supervised the Japanese dubbing of his film (performed by a young kabuki star), attended a sold-out children's anniversary screening of Kirikou and the Sorceress and took part in a public debate in a large bookshop in the Ginza district... The presence of the master of animation in the Land of the Rising Sun raised the profile of the film tenfold, which will be released on July 21.
A few days ago,, Alice Diop also visited Japan for the first time, for the release of her multi-award-winning film Saint Omer (distributed by Transformer, Inc.). The film systematically played to full houses and the director took part in a number of enriching encounters with the public at the legendary Bunkamura Le Cinéma, in the Shibuya district. Diop spoke in particular with the great Japanese writer Masatsugu Ono, who also translates Marie Ndiaye's work. At the Institut Français - Japon, she chatted with the audience following the screening of her film We, awarded Best Documentary at the Berlin International Film Festival - 2021. Numerous interviews with leading Japanese journalists and critics were also on the program.
Over the next few months and until the end of the year, the French Film Season in Japan will continue with strong promotional activities and supporting visits from the film teams of Rise by Cédric Klapisch (distributed by New Select Co., Ltd), Brother and Sister by Arnaud Desplechin (distributed by Moviola), Winter Boy by Christophe Honoré (distributed by Cetera International), La Maison by Anissa Bonnefont (distributed by SYNCA Creations Inc.), and The Crime Is Mine by François Ozon (distributed by Gaga Corporation).
As the third largest film market in the world and the first in Asia for French films, Japan is more than ever a key territory for French productions. Christian Carion's Driving Madeleine recently posted its second-best international performance after Germany, becoming the biggest French success in Japan since 2019.
In March 2024, Unifrance will organize the next French Film Festival in Yokohama and its accompanying Market.
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