Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi in the photo room with the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for Japan's "Drive My Car".
From the streets of Tokyo to the highest levels of government, Japan on Monday cheered the Oscar win of "Drive My Car" amid hopes it would raise the profile of Haruki Murakami, the perennial Nobel Prize hopeful who won the title. The story was written based on the story.
The three-hour play, the story of a widowed theater actor grappling with his past, was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and based on a short story by international bestselling author Murakami, whose name as a potential Nobel arose annually for over a decade. Is. Literary Award Winner
The film, which has received other awards including a Screenplay Award at Cannes, became Japan's second regular winner in the International Feature Film category and its first since "Departures" in 2009. At first, it was also nominated for "Best Picture". - Ultimately won by "CODA".
"Winning the Best Picture award for a Japanese film is a big hurdle, but I hope more Japanese films will be recognized in the future," said Azusa Shimizu, a 31-year-old media worker in downtown Tokyo, who said he still Quite pleased.
Others were more influential.
"Given that the mainstay of the Academy Awards is American films, I am really happy that a Japanese film was able to win this prestigious award," said Osamu Kaneko, 60, who was viewing the film's poster in downtown Tokyo.
Usually Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regularly scheduled news conference that the victory was "very exciting news", while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement that part of the film's charm was undoubtedly its location in Hiroshima's own electoral district. was the setting.
"I want to use this as an opportunity to strengthen support for cultural and artistic activities that are a source of soft power and spread Japanese culture to the world," he said.
Others hoped that the award would benefit Murakami.
Hiroshi Hatori, 65, said, "Haruki Murakami is a writer who has shown Japan to the world and has been mentioned as a Nobel candidate many times without actually winning."
"I think it would be really cool if this movie helps to take his name and his works even further."