BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE Exclusive: Poster for Japanese Directors' Fortnight Premiere

Japan is at Cannes in a major way this year, with six feature films across the sections - a feat that I'm told hasn't occurred for 30 years.

Amidst hotly-anticipated new works by Chie Hayakawa, Kei Ishikawa, Koji Fukada, Genki Kawamura, and Lee Sang-il, is Brand New Landscape, the debut feature of 26-year-old Yuiga Danzuka - the youngest Japanese filmmaker to play Directors' Fortnight. Danzuka's arrival creates a pleasing trend in the Quinzaine selection following last year's Desert of Namibia - that film's director, Yoko Yamanaka, being another voice from this generation.

A family drama of grief and strained connection, Brand New Landscape adopts a relaxed yet sensitive approach to its themes. After graduating from the Film School of Tokyo, Danzuka's graduation thesis project was selected and honored at various Japanese short film festivals. He wrote and directed his follow-up short, Far Far Away, under the auspices of government-supported programme New Directions in Japanese Cinema. Brand New Landscape world premieres in Cannes, where it will compete for the Camera d'Or Award.

Here's the synopsis:

"In the ever-changing landscape of redeveloping Shibuya, Tokyo, Ren works as a delivery driver for moth orchids. Haunted by the childhood loss of his mother, Yumiko, to suicide, he has long been estranged from his father, Hajime, a landscape designer. One day, during a routine delivery, Ren unexpectedly comes face to face with Hajime..."

Kodai Kurosaki makes his debut in a leading role here, with recognizable faces Endo Kenichi (Outrage, Visitor Q) and Haruka Igawa (Tokyo Sonata) supporting.

Julien Rejl, Artistic Director of the Directors' Fortnight, had this to say about the film at the Cannes press conference:

"With graceful direction and a deeply touching portrayal of certain corners of Tokyo, the film gently explores family and parent-child relationships in a way that recalls the richness and beauty of "Ozu cinema.""

We're pleased to exclusively debut Brand New Landscape's international poster ahead of the film's premiere on May 16.