Kore-eda's Live-Action Look Back Selected for Venice Film Festival Main Competition

Hirokazu Kore-eda's live-action adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga Look Back has been selected for the main competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, running September 2-12, 2026, at Venice Lido, Italy.

From One-Shot Manga to Award-Season Contender

Look Back originated as a one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto - the creator behind Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch - published on Shonen Jump+ in July 2021. The story follows two contrasting girls, Fujino and Kyomoto, whose clashing personalities are bridged by a shared devotion to creating manga. The one-shot became an instant phenomenon, accumulating over 2.5 million views on its first day of publication.

The manga already received an acclaimed anime film adaptation in 2024 from Studio Durian, directed by Kiyotaka Oshiyama. Now, Palme d'Or-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda - celebrated for films like Shoplifters and Our Little Sister - has brought the story to live action. Kore-eda handled screenplay, directing, and editing duties for the project, produced by Daiju Koide through K2 Pictures.

Cast and Creative Team

Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita star as the older versions of Fujino and Kyomoto, reuniting the pair after their previous collaboration in Kore-eda's Netflix series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House. Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada portray their younger counterparts. The supporting cast includes Masaki Suda, Kankuro Kudo, Kayo Noro, Ryo Ikeda, Miyu Sasaki, and Maho Yamada.

Behind the camera, cinematographer Senzo Ueno handled the film's photography, while composer Yuta Bando - whose credits include Belle and Kaiju No. 8 - scored the film. Shinsuke Kojima served as art director, Sachiko Ito designed the costumes, and Rinto Ueda supervised visual effects.

A Busy Festival Circuit

The Venice selection marks the second major festival appearance for Look Back's live-action adaptation, which previously screened at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2026. The film will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival, running September 10-20, making it one of the rare anime-originated properties to appear across three of the world's most prestigious film festivals in a single year.

Competing in Venice's main competition places Look Back alongside the festival's most high-profile international titles, vying for the prestigious Golden Lion award. Kore-eda is no stranger to major festival recognition, having won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2018 for Shoplifters.

Release Plans

Look Back will premiere theatrically in Japan on September 11, 2026, timed to coincide with its Venice festival screenings. For Western audiences, GKIDS has secured theatrical distribution rights for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, though specific release dates in those territories have not yet been announced.

The live-action film's journey through the international festival circuit positions it as one of the most anticipated manga adaptations of 2026, carrying both Fujimoto's beloved source material and Kore-eda's award-caliber filmmaking pedigree into the global spotlight.