Shochiku Acquires Oscar-Shortlisted ‘Last Film Show’ For Japan, Sets Release

Nancy Tartaglione
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Shochiku has acquired Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show (Chhello Show) for Japan and has set a theatrical release on January 20. Last Film Show is among the 15 films shortlisted for International Feature Oscar and the first Indian title to make the cut in 21 years.

The Gujarati-language movie is a semi-autobiographical drama that pays homage to the cinema of the past — a reminder of childhood innocence and the universal magic of the movies. It follows Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India who discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized.

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Last Film Show made its World Premiere as the Opening Film of Spotlight at Tribeca and has had a strong festival career, winning such prizes as Best Picture at Spain’s Valladolid, Audience Favorite at Mill Valley and the Los Angeles Asian World Film Festival’s Snow Leopard for Best Picture. It is also an official selection at this month’s Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Reiko Hakui, Head of Acquisition at Shochiku said, “We fell in love with this beautiful and inspiring story instantly. This film is not only a love letter to cinema, but also full of love towards family, friends and the pure innocence of following your dream without doubt. We are honored to introduce this wonderful gem from India to the Japanese audience.”

Nalin, who also wrote the film, added, “Shochiku started making movies more than a hundred years ago, It’s not only a studio but a monument to Japanese Cinema, and major a milestone in the history of Cinema. As a young film buff, I must have watched Shochiku Studio’s motion logo hundreds of times before the start of movies from masters like Kurosawa, Ozu, Yamada, Nakata; so today it feels like a dream come true that Shochiku logo will spearhead Last Film Show when it opens across Japan.”

The film is produced by Dheer Momaya (Jugaad Motion Picture), Siddharth Roy Kapur (Roy Kapur Films), and Nalin (Monsoon Films) in co-production with France’s Virginie Lacombe (Virginie Films) and Eric Dupont (Incognito films). Samuel Goldwyn Films is the U.S. distributor.

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