EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Urban Sales has sold Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama Plan 75KimStim North America was also submitted by Japan. The film won a Camera d’Or Special Mention when it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year, and is also Japan’s submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.
Urban sold the film again to South Korea, Spain (Adso), Switzerland(First Hand Films), Indonesian Films, Thailand (Sahamongkol Film), and Spafax and Encore also acquired worldwide inflight rights.
It was previously sold in France (Eurozoom), Italy, Tucker Film, China (Dddream), Benelux (10 September Films), Philippines (8TBA Studios), Taiwan (6Sky Digi) as well as Singapore (Lighthouse Film Distribution).
The film has been shown at many festivals, including Toronto and Karlovy Vary. It will also receive a double US premier at the Chicago and Mill Valley film festivals. It is also currently screening at Korea’s Busan International Film Festival.
In Japan, where the film was released theatrically in June by Happinet-Phantom Studios, it has become the top domestic arthouse release of the year, grossing more than $2.3M (¥330m). It was produced by Japan’s Loaded Films, Happinet-Phantom Studios, Dongyu Club and WOWOW, France’s Urban Factory and the Philippines’ Fusee.
Based on Hayakawa’s segment of the Japanese version of the Ten YearsAnthology films Plan 75 In the near future, the Japanese government will launch a program encouraging senior citizens to choose voluntary euthanasia in order to address the problem of an over-aged society.
The story revolves around an elderly woman who isn’t able to live independently, a pragmatic Plan 75 salesman and a young Filipino caregiver. Veteran Japanese actress Chieko Baisho, Hayato Isomura and the Philippines’ Stefanie Arianne head the cast.