Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the director of the Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” and his most recent film “Evil Does Not Exist,” will head from Japan to Paris for his next feature titled “All of the Sudden.”
Hamaguchi is currently in Paris prepping the film based on a script he co-wrote with Léa Le Dimna, according to a report in Variety. And the film is set to star French-Belgian actress Virginie Efira (“Benedetta”) and Japanese actress Tao Okamoto (“The Wolverine”). The film will shoot primarily in Paris.
“All of the Sudden” is loosely based on a published collection of real-life letters by philosopher Makiko Miyano, who wrote two books after being diagnosed with months to live as a result of breast cancer, and exchanged letters with an anthropologist. The film will follow the bond between two women, one a Japanese theater director and the other a French head of a nursing home.
Hamaguchi told Variety that with this film he wanted to “show a Paris that’s a little different from the clichés we might have about the city.”
“I’m starting to discover some places that aren’t touristy. So I think that will give a slightly different view of Paris than usual,” he added.
Cinefrance Studios is producing the film, with David Gauquié, Julien Deris, Jean-Luc Ormières, and Renan Artukmaç serving as producers. Hiroko Matsuda, Kosuke Oshida, Yuji Sadai are also producing for the Japanese distributors Office Shirous and Bitters End. Bettina Brokemper is also producing for Germany’s Heimat Film, as is Joseph Rouschop at Belgium’s Tarantula.
The film is being shopped to international buyers at the Cannes Marche du Film next week, but it already has distribution in both Japan and France.
Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” was a box office hit, bringing in $15.3 million worldwide before winning the Oscar for Best International Feature. His follow-up “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in the U.S. last year, won the Silver Lion from Venice.
