The Locarno Film Festival has added Naomi Kawase’s Yakushima’s Illusion starring Vicky Krieps to its international competition line-up, taking t
The Locarno Film Festival has added Naomi Kawase’s Yakushima’s Illusion starring Vicky Krieps to its international competition line-up, taking the total number of films in the section to 18.
The French, Japanese, Luxembourg and Belgian co-production will have its world premiere in Locarno on August 15, and will compete for the festival’s top honour, the Golden Leopard.
Yakushima’s Illusion is the story of a French heart transplant coordinator who moves to work in Japanese hospital and whose partner subsequently disappears.
Kawase was the youngest winner of Cannes’ Camera d’or, for her 1997 debut Suzaku, which played in Directors’ Fortnight. She has also played in competition at Cannes with Shara (2003), The Mourning Forest (Grand Prix 2007), Hanezu (2011) and Still the Water (2014). Sweet Red Bean Paste was selected as the 2015 Un Certain Regard opening film.
Yakushima’s Illusion is her first feature since her 2020 adoption drama True Mothers. Kawase also directed the official film of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Yakushima’s Illusion will join recent films by directors including Radu Jude, Ben Rivers and Abdellatif Kechiche in Locarno’s international competition. The jury for the section is led by Rithy Panh.
The 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from August 6-16.
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