"Black Prison," a film adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa's masterpiece mystery starring Masahiro Motoki Motoki (directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, scheduled for release on June 19), has been officially selected for the Cannes Premiere section of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, which will be held in Cannes, France from May 12 to 23 (local time).
The novel "Kuro Rōjō" (English title: THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER), published in 2021 by Kadokawa Bunko/KADOKAWA, is a popular work that has won numerous awards, including the 166th Naoki Prize and the 12th Yamada Futarō Prize. Araki Murashige (played by Motoki) rebels against the tyrannical methods of Oda Nobunaga and decides to siege his castle, but a series of strange incidents occur. The suspects are one of his retainers or family members who are trapped inside the castle... As everyone becomes suspicious of each other, Murashige teams up with Kuroda Kanbei (played by Masaki Suda), a dangerous genius strategist imprisoned in jail, to try and solve the case... This is a psychological mystery set in the Sengoku period. This marks Kurosawa's first period drama.
This year's Cannes Film Festival is attracting attention because Park Chan-wook, the acclaimed director known for films such as "Oldboy" (2003), will be the first Korean to serve as the head of the jury. The "Cannes Premiere" section, newly established at the festival in 2021, has previously selected films such as Mamoru Hosoda's "The Dragon and the Freckled Princess" (2021), Takeshi Kitano's "The Neck" (2023), and Koji Fukada's "Love Trial" (2025). As a section where "the most talked-about new films that should be screened right now" by internationally renowned directors gather for their premiere screenings, it has attracted considerable interest from media around the world.
Following this decision, comments have arrived from Motoki, whose first starring film will be screened at Cannes, as well as from Sugada, Yoshitaka Yuriko, and director Kurosawa, whose film will be screened in the official section for the sixth time. The full comments are as follows.
◇Comment from Masahiro Motoki Motoki (Arakimura Village Executive)
I believe this is a testament to the high level of trust placed in Director Kurosawa from around the world. Personally, this will be my first time at Cannes at the age of 60, and I will be there with curiosity, bringing back stories to share with the film crew and everyone in Japan.
I hope that this film will convey its appeal not as a stereotypical samurai movie, but as a new kind of human drama.
◇Comment from Masaki Suda(who plays Kuroda Kanbei)
First of all, I'm really happy.
I first met Director Kurosawa at an international film festival. At the time, I was participating in a different project, but our connection continued, and now I have the opportunity to be involved in his second film.
He's a director who's highly regarded overseas, so I've always had a feeling that one day I'd be able to stand on a stage like Cannes with a film I'm involved in. I wasn't specifically aiming for it, but I'm genuinely happy that it has come to fruition like this.
"Black Prison" is a period drama that is also a dialogue-driven drama, a rare combination even in Japan. I feel there is definite significance in being able to share this work with people overseas.
The film will be shown with subtitles, but I think that the clearer language might actually allow some parts of the message to be conveyed more directly.
The audience's reaction at film festivals is always simple and straightforward. I want to see how this film is received in that atmosphere, which is different from a preview screening.
I believe this film is meant to be enjoyed freely, with lots of laughter. That's why I'm really looking forward to experiencing that reaction firsthand.
I am grateful for this opportunity, and I sincerely hope that this work will reach a wide audience.
◇Comment from Yuriko Yoshitaka (who plays Chiyoho)
I am deeply honored that this work has been selected for exhibition. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the thoughts and atmosphere contained in this work will be received across countries and languages, within diverse cultures and values.
◇Comments from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
I am very surprised to learn that the story of Araki Murashige, a Sengoku period warlord who rebelled against his lord Oda Nobunaga, will be screened in Cannes, a place that transcends borders and time.
How wonderful it would be if, by some stroke of luck, people overseas could understand that this is still entirely possible in modern times.
