May 13, 2026 (News On Japan) - The Cannes Film Festival opened this week with three Japanese films nominated for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or, including 'Sheep in the Box' directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, 'Nagi Notes' directed by Koji Fukada, and 'Suddenly Feeling Unwell' directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
It marks the first time in 25 years that three Japanese films have been selected for the competition section at the Cannes festival, raising expectations that Japan could claim its first Palme d'Or victory in eight years.
'Sheep in the Box' is a near-future family drama centered on a couple struggling to cope with the death of their young son after bringing home an advanced humanoid robot created in his likeness. As the machine gradually becomes part of daily life, the film explores grief, memory and the uneasy emotional boundaries between humans and artificial intelligence.
'Nagi Notes' follows a reclusive artist living in the quiet town of Nagi in Okayama Prefecture whose isolated routine is disrupted by the arrival of a woman from Tokyo carrying emotional scars of her own. Through their growing relationship, the film examines loneliness, healing and the lingering weight of unresolved past experiences.
'Suddenly Feeling Unwell' is a French-language drama set in suburban Paris that follows the head of a nursing care facility attempting to introduce a more compassionate approach to end-of-life care. The story deepens after an encounter with a terminally ill Japanese playwright, leading both characters into a quiet reflection on mortality, human connection and dignity in the final stages of life.
Japanese cinema has maintained a long and influential relationship with the Cannes Film Festival, with directors from the country shaping the festival’s history from its early postwar years through to the modern era.
Japan first drew major international attention at Cannes in 1954 when Teinosuke Kinugasa won the Grand Prix, the festival’s top award at the time, for Gate of Hell. The victory helped introduce Japanese cinema to a broad global audience during a period when international viewers were becoming increasingly fascinated by Japanese storytelling and visual style.
The rise of Akira Kurosawa further elevated Japan’s standing at Cannes and in world cinema. Although many of Kurosawa’s greatest successes came at other festivals, his films became central to the global image of Japanese filmmaking, influencing generations of directors worldwide. Alongside Kurosawa, filmmakers such as Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujiro Ozu established Japan as one of the most respected cinematic cultures of the 20th century.
Japanese films periodically returned to prominence at Cannes throughout the following decades, but it was not until 1983 that Japan claimed the Palme d'Or under its modern name, when Shohei Imamura won for The Ballad of Narayama. Imamura secured a second Palme d'Or in 1997 with The Eel, making him one of the few directors in Cannes history to win the festival’s highest honor twice.
In the 2000s and 2010s, a new generation of Japanese filmmakers emerged as regular figures at Cannes. Hirokazu Kore-eda became one of the festival’s most closely watched directors, known for intimate family dramas exploring social isolation, generational divides and emotional fragility. After years of critical acclaim at Cannes, Kore-eda finally won the Palme d'Or in 2018 for Shoplifters, marking Japan’s first victory at the festival in 21 years.
More recently, Ryusuke Hamaguchi has carried Japanese cinema into a new international phase. His film Drive My Car gained worldwide acclaim after its Cannes premiere before later winning the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
