Rukku bakku
2026, 99 min.

prepremiere screening

Awards and Selections: MFF Venice 2026, MFF Annecy 2026, MFF Toronto 2026
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Country: Japan

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

A moving adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s cult manga about the price of an artistic calling.

Fujino, an outgoing fourth-grader, is admired for the comics she passionately creates for the school newspaper. Everything begins to change when the work of Kyomoto—a talented, shy peer who studies from home due to severe social anxiety—starts gaining popularity. When the girls finally meet, rivalry gives way to friendship, and they begin creating manga together. Over the course of thirteen years, we follow the evolution of their relationship and see how their artistic journey collides with the unpredictability of life.

In the media

«Absolutely beautiful, deeply emotional cinema.»
— Mateusz Rot, Watching Closely, Filmweb capsule review

Hirokazu Koreeda

A Japanese director, screenwriter, editor, and producer, and one of the most important contemporary filmmakers specializing in family dramas. He began his career with documentaries and achieved international acclaim with films such as “Nobody Knows”, “Like Father, Like Son” (2013), “Shoplifters” (2018), and “Monster” (2023). “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018. Koreeda has presented his films in the festival’s Main Competition eight times.

Tags: coming-of-age, friendship, trauma, death