Sawt Falasteen - Japan rides box office boom into Cannes

Fukada's quiet portrait of solitude and thwarted love in rural Japan with his "Nagi Notes" is one of three Japanese movies in the 22-strong main competition in Cannes, the world's biggest film festival.

"All of a Sudden", the first French-language film from Ryusuke Hamaguchi -- who got two Oscar nominations for "Drive My Car" -- and the widely tipped tech-themed "Sheep in the Box" by art-house favourite Hirokazu Kore-eda of "Shoplifters" fame complete the line-up.

Japan is also the country of honour in the Cannes film market, a vast annual gathering of industry executives where projects and rights are acquired by producers and distributors from around the world.

"It's very gratifying that so many Japanese films are submitted and evaluated (at the festival)," Fukada told AFP in an interview on Wednesday. "But I don't think that necessarily indicates the health of Japanese films in Japanese society."

Fukada, whose previous films include "Harmonium" and last year's "Love on Trial" about J-pop stars, counters that record revenue figures for the Japanese box office last year disguise struggles for independent auteurs like him.

The biggest-grossing films in Japan in 2025 -- blockbuster "Demon Slayer", period drama "Kokuho" which debuted in Cannes last year, and anime hit "Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback" -- helped push box office revenues beyond their previous pre-Covid record high in 2019.

- Exploring loneliness -

"Japan is a country where cultural budgets are extremely limited, and public-sector support for film is modest," Fukada said.

"Nagi Notes", starring Takako Matsu and Shizuka Ishibashi, explores the overlapping lives of a cast of characters in rural Okayama Prefecture, each lonely in their own way.

The theme of forbidden gay and lesbian love runs throughout.

"Loneliness isn't limited to people who live in the countryside. Whether you live in the countryside or in the city, the very act of living is lonely and difficult," Fukada, a Cannes regular since his 2016 break-out hit "Harmonium", added.

Loneliness "is like an illness you're born with and can't cure", he said.

"This film features both heterosexuals and sexual minorities, but for lesbians or gays, one of the major ways they can forget their loneliness is to get married and live with a partner, which is very difficult," he added.

"It's difficult because in Japan, same-sex marriage is not yet recognised legally."

Cannes runs until May 23 when the prestigious Palme d'Or will be handed out for best film.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST