Evil Does Not Exist

ようこそ皆様。Welcome everyone and we’re starting this year with a bang!

We are proud to announce the opening film of our 14th edition: “Evil Does Not Exist” (Japanese: 悪は存在しない, Hepburn: Aku wa Sonzai Shinai), a 2023 Japanese drama film written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. (We showed Wheel of Fortune And Fantasy by Hamaguchi in 2022).

Hamaguchi, known for “Drive My Car”, was in Ghent last year during the Ghent Film Festival together with Eiko Ishibashi. They have been working together for years, also for “Drive My Car” where Hamaguchi was responsible for the direction and Eiko Ishibashi composed the music. Their collaboration was also crucial for this film “Evil Does Not Exist”. The production took an unexpected turn and grew from a short film to a feature film with dialogue. So there is also another version of the film called “Gift”, a silent film with Ishibashi’s live score. “Gift” premiered at the Film Fest Gent in October 2023. You can still enjoy the FFG Session with Eiko Ishibashi on the FilmFestGent YouTube channel. Now we can present the film that resulted from this project to you.

The film revolves around the lives of Takumi and his daughter Hana in the serene Mizubiki Village near Tokyo. The story beautifully explores the delicate balance between nature, human existence and the influence of modernity, all accompanied by the evocative music of Eiko Ishibashi.

Sit back, enjoy and then come and chat in the café, where we offer sushi boats and a selection of sake as always. Kanpai!

RELEASE INFORMATION:
World premiere: 80e International Film Festival Venice (September 2023)
Theatrale release in Japan: Planned April 26, 2024
Japanese premiere: Hiroshima International Film Festival (November 2023)

AWARDS:

• Venice Film Festival
  • Grand Jury Prize – Winner 2023
  • FIPRESCI Award van de International Federation of Film Critics – Winner 2023
  • Golden Lion for Best Film – Nominee 2023
  • Premio CinemaSara Award Special Mention – Winner 2023
  • Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award – Winner 2023
  • Ca’Foscari Young Jury Award – Winner 2023
• Tromsø International Film Festival – 2024 Nominee Aurora Award Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Chicago International Film Festival – 2023 Nominee Best Feature Film Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Haifa International Film Festival – 2023 Nominee Best International Film Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• London Film Festival – 2023 Winner Best Film Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Kerala International Film Festival – Golden Crow Pheasant – Winner 2023 for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Satoshi Takada
• Asian Film Awards
  • Best Film – 2024 Nominee
  • Best Director – 2024 Nominee for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
  • Best Screenplay – 2024 Nominee for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
  • Best Original Music – 2024 Nominee forEiko Ishibashi
  • Best Editing – 2024 Nominee for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Azusa Yamnazaki
  • Best Cinematography – 2024 Nominee for Yoshio Kitagawa
• Montclair Film Festival (MFF) – 2023 Nominee for Fiction Feature Competition
• Asian Film Festival Barcelona – 2023 Winner – Best Film

All images: © 2023 “Evil Does Not Exist”