Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Picks 'My Sunshine' for Release on December 31

The film 〈My Sunshine〉, invited to the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, is set to be released on December 31 (Wednesday), and the impressive achievements of 20s genius director Hiroshi Okuyama, who played four roles in the film, are drawing attention.

The movie 〈My Sunshine〉 depicts the unforgettable winter story of Takuya, who has found something he wants to do well for the first time with the first snow, and is the work of Hiroshi Okuyama, who won the title of 'Youngest Winner at International Film Festivals' with his debut film.

Director Hiroshi Okuyama won the Best New Director Award at the 66th San Sebastián International Film Festival for his first feature film 〈I Don't Like Jesus〉 (2019), which he produced while still in college. At the time, he was 22 years old, making him the youngest recipient of that award in history. He also received the Best Cinematography Award at the 29th Stockholm Film Festival, the Best Cinematography Award at the 19th Dublin International Film Festival, and a special mention at the 3rd Macau International Film Festival, gaining international recognition right from his debut. Subsequently, in 2023, he participated as director, screenwriter, and editor for episodes 5-7 of the Netflix series [My Kone: Happy Table], directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and directed [Spring, Come] starring Aoi Miyazaki in the 3rd week of the 2024 NHK omnibus drama [Yuming Stories]. Additionally, he proved his outstanding capabilities with his sensuous visuals and direction, serving as the general director for the documentary film 「HUMAN ODYSSEY - A Journey Surrounding Creation」 for the luxury brand Hermes (HERMES) in 2021, and directing, filming, and editing the music video 「Globe」 for popular musician Kenshi Yonezu (the theme song for Hayao Miyazaki's film 〈How Do You Live?〉), continuing his impressive trajectory in the film industry.

Hiroshi Okuyama's second feature film, 〈My Sunshine〉, which he presents after six years, tells the story of a boy and girl sharing their hearts through skating against the backdrop of a small town covered in snow, offering an unforgettable winter atmosphere and aftertaste. The film is based on the director's childhood experience of learning figure skating, starting from the thought, "I want to depict the boy's growth from the moment the snow begins to fall until it melts." Once again taking on directing, screenwriting, filming, and editing, the director shot the film while skating with the camera in hand. This is the secret to the delicate and beautiful visual aesthetics that convey the characters' breath, touch, and body temperature in the skating scenes. The second feature film 〈My Sunshine〉 has been invited to the Un Certain Regard section of the 77th Cannes Film Festival and has been praised as a gem that captures unprecedented lyricism centered on figure skating, receiving high acclaim from Cannes Film Festival director Christian Jeune as "a new wave of Japanese cinema."

The new work of 20s genius director Hiroshi Okuyama, who has built his own style with outstanding aesthetics, 〈My Sunshine〉, is set to be released in theaters nationwide on December 31.