Japan Selects Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden for Oscars 2027
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s French-language feature All of a Sudden has been selected as Japan’s official submission for the best international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards, according to an announcement by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, known as Eiren. The selection positions the three-hour and sixteen-minute drama for a potential multi-category Oscar campaign ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony scheduled for March 14, 2027.
The Festival Circuit Precedent and International Backing
The film arrives in the awards race with significant critical momentum established during its world premiere. According to The Hollywood Reporter, All of a Sudden premiered to an 11-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where co-stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto shared the best actress prize. That victory made Okamoto the first Japanese actress to receive Cannes’ best actress honor.
Set primarily at a nursing home outside Paris, the narrative follows Marie-Lou, the facility’s director played by Efira, as she attempts to introduce a compassion-based approach to elder care against a backdrop of chronic understaffing and internal staff resistance. A chance encounter brings her into the orbit of Mari, a Japanese theater director with terminal cancer portrayed by Okamoto, forging an intense friendship between the two women.
The project draws loosely from When Life Suddenly Takes a Turn, a best-selling Japanese nonfiction collection of letters between philosopher Makiko Miyano, who was living with terminal cancer, and medical anthropologist Maho Isono. Hamaguchi co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna for the France-Japan-Germany-Belgium co-production.
Distribution Strategy and Awards Season Positioning
U.S. distributor Neon has slated All of a Sudden for a domestic release on November 25, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The distributor plans to mount a broad Academy Awards campaign, pushing the feature not only in the international feature category but also for best picture, director, adapted screenplay, best actress for Efira, and best supporting actress for Okamoto.
Managing a major multi-category Oscar campaign requires sophisticated media synchronization and studio-level strategy.
This selection marks the second time a film directed by Hamaguchi has represented Japan at the Oscars. Five years prior, his feature Drive My Car was chosen as Japan’s submission, ultimately winning the Academy Award for best international feature while securing additional nominations for best picture, director, and adapted screenplay.
Hamaguchi’s Track Record on the Global Stage
Over the past decade, 47-year-old Hamaguchi has established a prominent presence across major international film festivals. Alongside his Oscar success with Drive My Car—which also claimed the screenplay prize at Cannes—he won the Silver Bear grand jury prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy in 2021 and the grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival for Evil Does Not Exist in 2023.
As All of a Sudden prepares for its North American theatrical rollout and subsequent Academy screening cycle, production entities and international sales agents coordinate complex global distribution agreements.
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027, where voters will determine if Hamaguchi’s latest cerebral exploration of humanism can replicate the sweeping success of his previous Oscar contender.
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