Tokyo-based manufacturing firm K2 Pictures closed its K2P Movie Fund I at $33 million and unveiled a 10-title slate at a press convention at Cannes, with the session anchored by the world premiere of a teaser trailer for “Shumei – The Living Legacy of Kabuki,” auteur Miike Takashi‘s inaugural documentary characteristic.
The fund closed in February with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial institution and the Improvement Financial institution of Japan amongst its principal backers. K2 Footage additionally introduced $67 million in debt financing secured alongside the fund, bringing its complete financing to $100 million. Three productions backed by the fund are actually full – considered one of which opened theatrically in February – with three extra in post-production and 5 additional titles scheduled for launch between June and December 2026. An extra 5 productions are set to start capturing earlier than yr’s finish.
“Shumei – The Living Legacy of Kabuki,” slated for a September launch, turns Miike’s digital camera on the succession ceremony by which Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII formally inherited the storied Danjūrō identify in Kabuki, Japan’s classical performing artwork. The movie information the behind-the-scenes preparations for the actor’s name-inheritance debut efficiency. “Who exactly is Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII Hakuen? I want to ask this question in the simplest terms,” mentioned Miike. “Danjuro Hakuen’s Kabuki is not merely Kabuki. It delves into the very essence of entertainment. This is a documentary that captures that journey.”
“I am truly grateful and honored that the name Danjuro, passed down through generations over a long history, will be preserved for posterity in this film,” mentioned Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII.
Among the many newly introduced initiatives, director Nagata Koto – whose earlier characteristic “Baka’s Identity” competed ultimately yr’s Busan Worldwide Movie Pageant and swept 4 prizes on the thirty fifth Japan Movie Critics Awards together with finest image and finest director – will helm “The Nuke Crab,” a social noir set in Fukushima within the aftermath of the Nice East Japan Earthquake. The screenplay is co-written by novelist Akamatsu Riichi, drawing on his personal experiences as a decontamination employee, and filmmaker Iwai Shunji, who additionally serves as government producer.
Director Otomo Keishi, identified for the “Rurouni Kenshin” franchise and Netflix’s “10Dance,” will helm “Conde Koma,” a Japan-Brazil-U.S. co-production tracing the lifetime of Mitsuyo Maeda, the Japanese jujutsu grasp whose world travels are credited with sparking the event of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and modern MMA.
Director Kato Takuya, whose theater work has taken him to London and Taipei, will helm “Nap,” an experimental Japan-France-Iceland co-production centered on a protagonist with social consuming phobia who develops a sleep allergy – a conceit the movie makes use of to interrogate what it means to share a life with one other particular person.
Additional newly introduced titles embody “Gigant,” an animated characteristic primarily based on manga artist Hiroya Oku’s sequence of the identical identify, marking K2 Footage’ first foray into animation; a Mexico-Japan horror undertaking from director Katayama Shinzo – a former assistant to Bong Joon-ho who subsequently helmed “Siblings of the Cape” and the streaming sequence “Gannibal” – at the moment in growth with Miércoles Leisure (U.S.) and The Carry (Mexico); “My Teacher,” developed by South Korean director No Deok in collaboration with screenwriter Ikegami Junya; “Hold,” the characteristic directorial debut of actor and novelist Fujitani Ayako, a Kyoto-set romantic drama about two ladies – a Japanese girl and a foreigner – sure by a fateful connection whose lives start to shift consequently; “UFO Club,” the debut characteristic of director Kaneko Milena, chosen for this yr’s Udine Far East Movie Pageant undertaking market; and “The Book of Human Insects,” a darkish musical adaptation of Tezuka Osamu’s manga, a part of the Tezuka one hundredth anniversary undertaking, directed by Ninomiya Ken.
Beforehand introduced K2 Footage titles embody “Look Back” from Kore-eda Hirokazu; “Trophy,” directed by Son Myung-ah, due July 10; “Children Untold” from Nishikawa Miwa, due October 16; and “Between Two Lovers” from Hirose Nanako, due November 27.
K2 Footage was based in 2023 by CEO Kii Muneyuki, a former head producer at Toei who has labored throughout exhibition, distribution, and manufacturing.
