YAKUSHIMA'S ILLUSION

France, Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg, 2025

122 min

Official Competition, Locarno Film Festival 2026

Director: Naomi Kawase

Screenplay: Naomi Kawase

Cinematography: Masaya Suzuki, Arata Dodo 

Cast: Vicky Krieps, Kanichiro 

Synopsis: 

Corry, a French coordinator of pediatric heart transplants is sent to Japan where organ donation remains taboo. As she fights to save a young boy, her partner Jin, a photographer from Yakushima, suddenly vanishes. He becomes a “Johatsu”, as the Japanese call the 80,000 people who disappear overnight each year. Corry faces a double ordeal: saving a child while coping with the loss of the man she loves.

Naomi Kawase

Naomi Kawase, born and based in Nara, is known for acclaimed films blending fiction and documentary. She won Cannes’ Camera d'Or for Suzaku (1997), Grand Prix for The Mourning Forest (2007), and directed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic official film, which was selected for Cannes Classics.