Yahoo News Oscars: Japan Selects Wim Wenders Cannes Competition Title ‘Perfect Days’ For Best International Film Race
Japan has selected Perfect Days, the Tokyo-based fiction feature from German filmmaker Wim Wenders, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.
The pic, which debuted in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was picked by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. The decision marks the first time a non-Japanese filmmaker has been chosen to lead the country’s Oscars push. Wenders’ Perfect Days is likely to have beat out Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron for the spot.
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The film’s official synopsis reads: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine, he enjoys his passion for music and books. He loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveals more of his past.
Starring are Koji Yakusho (Babel), newcomer Arisa Nakano, Tokio Emoto (Norwegian Wood), Yumi Aso (Carnation), Sayuri Ishikawa (Run, Truck Rascal, Run!), Tomokazu Miura (Adrift in Tokyo), Aoi Yamada (Netflix series First Love) and veteran actor and dancer Min Tanaka (The Twilight Samurai). Producers are Koji Yanai, alongside filmmaker Wenders and co-writer Takuma Takasaki (Honokaa bôi). Lead actor Yakusho serves as executive producer.
Perfect Days is set to open this year’s Tokyo Film Festival, where the German filmmaker will also serve as the President of the competition jury. Neon is releasing domestically, while MUBI has rights to the UK, Ireland, LATAM, and Turkey.
Here’s the list of category submissions so far:
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