Japan Picks Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s ‘All of a Sudden’ for Oscar Race

Hamaguchi Ryusuke‘s “All of a Sudden” has been selected as Japan’s entry in the international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren) has revealed.

The selection marks the second time a Hamaguchi film has represented Japan in the category, five years after “Drive My Car” won the international feature Oscar and picked up nominations for best picture, director and adapted screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards.

“All of a Sudden” is a France-Japan co-production made with backing from Germany and Belgium, shot largely in Paris. The film draws on “When Life Suddenly Takes a Turn: Twenty Letters Between a Philosopher With Terminal Cancer and a Medical Anthropologist,” a book of correspondence by Miyano Makiko and Isono Maho. It follows Marie-Lou Fontaine (Virginie Efira), who runs a nursing home outside Paris and pushes to adopt a more dignity-focused model of elderly care, and Morisaki Mari (Okamoto Tao), a Japanese theater director undergoing cancer treatment. Nagatsuka Kyōzō and Kurosaki Kōdai round out the cast.

The film premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it drew a seven-minute standing ovation. Efira and Okamoto shared the festival’s best actress prize; Okamoto is the first Japanese performer to win it.

“All of a Sudden” opened in Japan on June 19 through Bitters End. Diaphana Distribution released the film in France on Aug. 12, and Neon will open it in North American theaters on Nov. 25.

Eiren’s pick now advances to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will winnow submissions from countries around the world down to a shortlist of 15 films before narrowing to five nominees. The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place March 14, 2027.