Kôji Fukada Makes His Cannes Competition Debut with ‘Nagi Notes’: A Drama Inspired by a Rural Contemporary Art Museum
Takako Matsu stars as Yoriko, an artist living in the rural town of Nagi, grappling with the emotional fallout of a failed romance she struggles to mourn.
Yuri, played by Shizuka Ishibashi, is Yoriko’s friend and former sister-in-law, who travels from Tokyo to visit. Recently separated from her husband, the architect finds herself at a crossroads as she engages in a quiet confrontation of loss alongside Yoriko in the serene setting of Nagi.
Director Fukada cites the Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art (Nagi MOCA) in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture as the initial inspiration for the film, a site renowned for its rural landscapes and lifestyles.
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Fukada notes, “I was first drawn to the idea of filming a story where diverse people intersect within that architecture designed by Arata Isozaki, a structure that stands out in the peaceful landscape like a sudden estrangement effect (Verfremdungseffekt).”
He elaborates, “Gradually, my interest expanded ‘outside’ the museum walls. As I engaged with the local community over eight years of field research, I encountered various motifs: the contrast between urban and rural life, the tension between art and daily existence, and the deep-seated structures of patriarchy and gender.”
“Ultimately, however, I found myself returning to a theme central to my work: the problem of human solitude. While cinema often demands unique or grand conflicts, I believe the mere acts of being born and dying are, in themselves, profound conflicts and mysteries. Truly, there is no greater reason to make a film than to simply turn the camera toward those fundamental truths,” he adds.
Fukada gained recognition at the Cannes Official Selection in 2016 with his film Harmonium, which screened in the Un Certain Regard section and won the Jury Prize. His 2020 film The Real Thing received a Covid-19 label from the festival, while he returned to Cannes in 2025 with Love on Trial, which was presented in the Cannes Premiere section.
Mk2 films is handling sales for the new film Nagi Notes.
