Kore-eda Live-Action Look Back Leads Tokyo Goes to Cannes Lineup

Hirokazu Kore-eda's live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back will lead the Tokyo International Film Festival's Goes to Cannes showcase at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, organisers confirmed. The works-in-progress sidebar, held within the Marche du Film, presents five upcoming Japanese titles to international buyers, sales agents, and festival programmers.

Kore-eda returns to Cannes territory with a manga adaptation

Kore-eda, whose previous features Shoplifters and Broker have collected major Cannes honours, is taking on his first manga adaptation with Look Back. The film is based on Fujimoto's one-shot manga, originally published by Shueisha in 2021, about two young girls bonded by their shared pursuit of drawing. The 2024 animated film by Studio Durian, directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama, became a critical and commercial success in Japan and abroad, raising the profile of any subsequent live-action treatment.

The Goes to Cannes slot is a works-in-progress presentation rather than a competition entry, designed to introduce buyers to films still in post-production. Kore-eda's involvement, paired with Fujimoto's brand recognition following Chainsaw Man, makes the project one of the most closely watched titles in this year's showcase.

The full Tokyo Goes to Cannes 2026 lineup

Alongside Look Back, the Tokyo International Film Festival selected four additional Japanese titles for the sidebar. The slate represents a cross-section of established auteurs and emerging directors that the festival is positioning for international sales conversations during the Marche du Film.

The Goes to Cannes programme has run for several years as a partnership between Tokyo's festival organisers and the Marche du Film, and has previously helped Japanese works-in-progress secure international distribution ahead of their domestic premieres. Tokyo International Film Festival programmers curate the lineup based on production stage, international appeal, and the readiness of sales materials.

Why a Fujimoto live-action matters globally

Fujimoto's work has driven sustained international demand. Chainsaw Man's MAPPA-produced anime expanded the manga's global readership, and the Look Back animated feature demonstrated that his more intimate, semi-autobiographical material can travel beyond the shonen-action audience. A live-action version directed by a Palme d'Or winner positions the property for an arthouse circuit that the animated film only partially reached.

Kore-eda's selection also signals continued cross-pollination between Japan's manga industry and its prestige live-action filmmaking community. Recent years have seen filmmakers including Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Sho Miyake adapt or work alongside literary and graphic source material, but a Kore-eda manga adaptation remains a notable first.

India and global rollout

No Indian theatrical or streaming partner has been announced for the live-action Look Back, and the film is not yet dated for release. Indian audiences who followed the 2024 animated feature, which screened at select festival programmes, will likely encounter the live-action version first through international festival coverage following its Marche du Film presentation. Distribution conversations during Cannes typically determine which territories pick up the film for theatrical or streaming release.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12 to May 23, 2026, with the Marche du Film and its Goes to Cannes presentations scheduled within that window. Sales results and any acquisition announcements out of the showcase are expected in the days following the screening.