Kokuho

Kokuhô

Director: Lee Sang-il
Country: Japan

2025 | 174 min. | Japanese
Subtitles: German, English

Cast_ Ryō Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Soya Kurokawa, Keitatsu Koshiyama, Mitsuki Takahata Screenplay_ Satoko Okudera Camera_ Sofian El Fani Producer_ Chieko Murata, Shinzo Matsuhashi Rights_ Pyramide International

Number one in Japanese cinemas – and that country’s candidate for the Oscars! A child of the yakuza becomes a famous kabuki dancer, but can never completely shake off his origins.

Kikuo’s father, a yakuza, is shot dead before his eyes. A Kabuki actor then takes the 14-year-old boy under his wing. Although blood relations are of the utmost importance in the world of Kabuki, the man teaches Kikuo the fine art of dance and song alongside his own son. Years of training lead the brothers to success on stage, to scandals and betrayal. And only one of them becomes the greatest master of Kabuki.

Breathtaking stage scenes and deep insight into a fascinating culture. If you’re not familiar with Kabuki, the traditional theatre of the Japanese bourgeoisie, you can learn to appreciate it here.

Director

Sang-il Lee is a Japanese director of Korean origin. He attended the Japanese Institute of Motion Pictures, founded by Shōhei Imamura. Since ›Chong‹ (2000), his highly acclaimed graduation film, he has made ten feature films, including a remake of Clint Eastwood’s ›Unforgiven‹ which was invited to Venice. ›Kokuho‹ was this year’s box-office sensation in Japanese cinemas.

Screenings