Japan has selected Lee Sang-il’s epic kabuki drama Kokuho (National Treasure) as its submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
The film was selected by Japan’s Motion Picture Producers Association from among nine Japanese films submitted for consideration
Kohuko is based on a novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, and follows the life and career of two kabuki performers.
The Japanese drama premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes, and will be showcased in the Gala Presentation at the 30th Busan International Film Festival. It was released theatrically in Japan earlier this year, where it became a box office hit, achieving over ¥10 billion (approx. $68 million) in revenue.
Kokuho spans fifty years, chronicling the life of Kikuo Tachibana (played by Ryo Yoshizawa), a yakuza boss’s son who, after his father’s murder, is adopted by kabuki master Hanjiro Hanai — portrayed by Ken Watanabe — to become an onnagata, alongside Hanai’s own son, Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama). Also starring in the movie are Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, and Min Tanaka, among others.
Japan won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2022 with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car.
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