Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s ‘Cloud’ Selected as Japan’s Oscar Submission

Japan has selected Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s Cloud as its submission for the Best International Film category at the Oscars.

The film will make its debut out of competition at the Venice Film Festival this week.

Cloud is produced by Nikkatsu Corporation and Tokyo Theatres Company. Nikkatsu is managing global sales and the film has already been acquired by several international distributors, including Art House Films in France, A Contracorriente Films in Spain, Minerva Pictures in Italy, and Sky Digi Entertainment in Taiwan.

Starring Masaki Suda, Cloud is a thriller that revolves around a young man named Yoshii who makes a living by reselling goods online. His activities set off a chain of mysterious events that blur the lines between the online and offline worlds.

Kurosawa previously won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for Wife Of A Spy in 2020. Additionally, he won the Un Certain Regard jury prize at Cannes for Tokyo Sonata in 2008, and the Un Certain Regard award for Best Director for Journey To The Shore in 2015.

Japan has had a strong track record at the Oscars in recent years. Last year, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days received an Oscar nomination. In 2022, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car garnered four nominations and won the Academy Award for Best International Film. In 2019, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Shoplifters was also nominated.

In 2009, Yojiro Takita’s Departures won an Oscar, and two years later, Tetsuya Nakashima’s Confessions made the Oscar shortlist.