Three Japanese Directors in Cannes Competition as Country of Honor Delegation Works the Market

Japan has not had three directors simultaneously in the running for the Palme d’Or since 2001 – and as Hamaguchi Ryusuke, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Fukada Koji bring that once-in-a-generation confluence to the 79th Cannes Film Festival, Japan is celebrated as the Cannes Marché’s Country of Honor.

A delegation of 10 Japanese producers, who will be working the market, is organized jointly by the Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan (MPPAJ). The group comprises five veteran producers from the MPPPAJ, representing the country’s major studios, and five emerging producers from the independent sector selected by the Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO).

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Japan’s footprint across the full festival makes clear why the Country of Honor designation feels well timed. Beyond the three competition titles — Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” Kore-eda’s “Sheep in the Box” and Fukada’s “Nagi Notes” — Sode Yukiko’s “All the Lovers in the Night” screens in Un Certain Regard, while Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s “Kokurojo” (“The Samurai and the Prisoner”) plays in Cannes Premiere. Japan’s presence extends further into the parallel sections at Cannes: Kadowaki Kohei’s “We Are Aliens” and short film “Eri, the Cow” by Honami Yano both feature in the Directors’ Fortnight, while Miike Takashi’s “Sham” screens in Cannes Écrans Juniors.

The MPPAJ contingent leads with institutional firepower. Toho’s Koike Yurika has credits including “What If Tokugawa Ieyasu Became Prime Minister?” and “A Girl & Her Guard Dog,” which have achieved international reach with theatrical releases in multiple countries, primarily across Asia.

For shingle Shochiku, Ishida Satoko is on hand with Kurosawa’s “Kokurojo,” continuing a producing partnership with the director that stretches back to “Creepy” in 2016. Kadokawa’s Kodera Takeo also has Kurosawa ties: his most recent credit is the French-Japanese co-production “Serpent’s Path.” A veteran of acquisitions, L.A. development and the international co-production circuit, Kodera’s current project is “Six Lying College Students,” a Korea-Japan co-production based on Asakura Akinari’s novel; the film is currently in post-production.

Toei fields two producers with distinct international profiles. Takata Shiori, recently appointed director of international production after more than 20 years in international sales — including the remake deal for “100 Yen Love,” adapted in China as the box office phenomenon “YOLO” — now leads the company’s Asian co-production horror slate. Jerry Zhang, a former head of Chinese-language content at Netflix with credits including “Incantation” and “The Wandering Earth,” also serves as CEO and founder of Tokyo-based production company Mochi.

The five VIPO-backed producers come from the independent sector. Kamiura Yuna comes from K2 Pictures — a company backed by Kore-eda, whose production arm K2 Pictures Production is behind the director’s “Look Back,” heading to Cannes via the Tokyo International Film Festival’s Goes to Cannes showcase. She built her record across 36 late-night drama series at MBS, including “Seven Orifices” and “Call Me by No Name.”

Hashimoto Shoko of Tokyo Theatres Co. is expanding into international co-productions following connections forged at Busan’s Producer Hub in 2025.

Tsutsui Ryohei, TRIXTA (Tokyo and Vancouver), whose credits include “Underground” by Oda Kaori (Berlinale), “Gama” by Oda Kaori (IDFA) and “Bangkok Nites” by Tomita Katsuya (Locarno) and currently in post-production on “Movie Kintsugi” by Knopf Eva, and in pre-production “The Lang Fang Republic” by Tomita Katsuya. 

Kamata Yusuke of Generation11, one of the few genuinely bilingual producers in Japan, works across scripted and documentary formats, with credits including “Tokyo Vice” (HBO Max) and the Netflix documentaries “Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn” and “Missing: The Lucy Blackman Case.”

Rounding out the delegation is Ogi Hiroto, who established shingle Barravento in 2026 in collaboration with U.S.-based Spacemaker Prods. to develop international projects. His producing credits include “Titanic Ocean” (directed by Konstantina Kotzamani), which screens in Un Certain Regard at this year’s festival, “Vintage Violence” (directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko) and “#Mito” (directed by Miyazaki Daisuke).