Hiroshi Okuyama’s ‘My Sunshine’ Japanese Drama Film Sets US Release Date | Trailer

My Sunshine (Boku no Ohisama) is an understated coming-of-age drama film , and the second feature from Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Okuyama. Set in a snow-blanketed Hokkaido, the film stars Keitatsu Koshiyama as Takuya, a shy boy struggling with a stutter, whose true world opens up when he meets a graceful figure skater.

Also starring in the movie is Sosuke Ikematsu as Arakawa, a former skating champion-turned-coach who mentors both children, forging an unexpected bond that melts the ice around them. Okuyama serves not just as director but also as the cinematographer, writer, and editor, rendering the film as a wholly personal and visually cohesive work.

The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes Film Festival, followed by Busan International Film Festival and Taipei Film Festival where it won Special Jury Prize, Audience Choice Award along with Taiwan Director’s Guild Award. In the US, it opens in theaters beginning September 19, 2025.

Here is the synopsis:

One winter on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, a young boy named Takuya has resigned himself to the fact that he’s the worst player on his ice hockey team. While practicing, he becomes transfixed by the figure skaters who share the ice rink, particularly Sakura, a rising star from Tokyo. Her coach, Arakawa, takes an interest in Takuya, seeing himself in the young boy. He pairs the two up and trains them as a competitive ice-dancing duo. Although tentative with each other at first, the kids eventually grow closer and form a deep bond with their supportive coach. But as the winter continues, unspoken feelings begin to surface and the harmony the trio once knew begins to falter.

Director Hiroshi Okuyama said, “In ‘Jesus’, my first feature film, I drew on my own childhood experiences. It was an opportunity to realize that I have many childhood memories, but they are fragile and tend to fade day by day. Since then, I’ve made commercials, music videos, and TV movies, but my passion for cinema is strong. I want to use the lingering scents of childhood for this new film. […] My ambition is to create a simple, poetic film without being explanatory. I want to bring staging to everything that appears on screen and through this, I hope the viewer can remember the emotions of their childhood as a treasure for the present .”