"My Sunshine" by Hiroshi Okuyama, supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde
Published on 18 December 2024
In My Sunshine, Hiroshi Okuyama sketches a troubling tale of apprenticeship, as three characters meet on the island of Hokkaido, against a backdrop of figure skating. With sensitivity and delicacy, he captures the fragility of a difficult age and the evolution of passions as time goes by. In theaters since December 25, 2024, the film was supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde, co-managed by the CNC and the Institut français.
A filmmaker influenced by Kore-eda
Born in 1996 in Tokyo, Japan, Hiroshi Okuyama studied at Aoyama Gakuin University before embarking on his first feature film Jesus, which depicts Jesus Christ as the imaginary friend of an elementary school pupil. Here he worked as screenwriter, director, cinematographer and editor. The film is recognized at the 2018 San Sebastian International Film Festival, where it wins the Kutxabank New Directors Award. Willingly influenced by Kore-eda's cinema, the filmmaker presents his second film, My Sunshine, in the Un certain regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Filming winter
Hiroshi Okuyama films the island of Hokkaido in the heart of winter, at the height of the field hockey season. As time goes by, he probes a young boy in admiration of a figure skater, who decides to join her in her training sessions and take to the ice with her. Soon training for the next championship, they see, little by little, their relationship evolve as the director attempts to capture the complicity between sensitive characters.
A sensitive tale of learning
In My Sunshine, Hiroshi Okuyama recounts the first stirrings, the ambiguity of human relationships, but also the contradiction between two characters at opposite ends of the spectrum. He stages a journey of initiation against a backdrop of social prejudice, which progresses through the seasons in a sumptuous landscape. Behind the learning story, the filmmaker finds the right tone and the right delicacy to touch on the evolution of age and the meanders of Japanese society.
A feature film supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde
Winner of the Kutxabank prize in the New Directors section at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Hiroshi Okuyama also received the Best Cinematography award at the Stockholm International Film Festival, as well as at the Dublin Film Critics' Circle for his first feature, Jesus. He subsequently presented My Sunshine in the Un certain regard section of the Cannes 2024 Festival. In theaters in France from December 25, My Sunshine was supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde.
A propos de l'Aide aux cinémas du monde
Aide aux cinémas du monde (ACM) is a selective grant co-managed by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée and the Institut français, reserved for feature-length fiction, animation and creative documentary projects destined for initial theatrical release. It can be granted before completion, or after completion (for projects not selected for pre-completion assistance).
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