“Kokuho,” the highest-grossing Japanese live-action movie ever made in Japan, will be released in UK and Ireland cinemas by Vue Lumière.
Since its premiere, the kabuki stage drama, which was directed by Lee Sang-il and adapted from a screenplay by Okudera Satoko, has brought in $125 million in Japan. After making the December shortlist as Japan’s submission for best international feature film, the movie was nominated for best makeup and hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards.
The movie made its Cannes Film Festival debut during Directors’ Fortnight in 2025. Before its theatrical release in the United Kingdom and Ireland, “Kokuho” will be screened at the Dublin International Film Festival on March 1 and the Glasgow Film Festival on March 1-2.
The five-decade period drama, which is based on Yoshida Shuichi’s 2018 novel, revolves around the friendship and rivalry between two men in the Kabuki theater industry. The plot, which is set in Nagasaki in 1964, centers on 15-year-old Kikuo, who is taught by a well-known Kabuki actor after the death of his yakuza father. The actor and his son Shunsuke train together, going on separate paths until one of them masters the traditional art form.
Yoshizawa Ryo, Yokohama Ryusei, Takahata Mitsuki, Terajima Shinobu, Tanaka Min, and Ken Watanabe are among the cast members.
Variety described the film as “A vivid portrait of a legendary Kabuki actor over the course of his career, “Kokuho” joins a rich tradition of films that depict the personal cost of making art.”
10-12 independent international titles are released each year by Vue Lumière, the distribution division of the European cinema chain Vue. “Little Amelie,” “The Thing with Feathers,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and “100 Nights of Hero,” starring Emma Corrin and Nicholas Galitzine, are among the company’s planned projects.
On April 3, “Kokuho” will be released in theaters in the UK and Ireland.