Sidonie in Japan

Sidonie au Japon

64th TIFF: Greek Premiere
A well-known French author reluctantly travels to Japan to reissue her first book, which had catapulted her to fame in the 70s. There, besides battling persistent jet lag, she is greeted by the ghost of her late husband, who makes regular appearances and finds herself in a seemingly futile flirtation with the local publisher. With her trademark grace, the remarkable Isabelle Huppert embodies a heroine determined not to be indefinitely lost in translation and her own past. With the French star and Tsuyoshi Ihara flawlessly leading the cast, Sidonie in Japan manages to be funny, melancholically realistic and at the same time unapologetically romantic, as it fearlessly confronts the ghosts of yesterday to highlight, in perfect harmony with the unadulterated beauty of the Japanese landscape, the importance of renewal.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Élise Girard
Script: Élise Girard, Maud Ameline, Sophie Fillières
Cinematography: Céline Bozon
Editing: Thomas Glaser
Sound: Nicolas van Deth
Music: Gérard Massini
Actors: Isabelle Huppert, August Diehl, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Production: 10:15 Productions
Producers: Sébastien Haguenauer
Co-production: Lupa Film, Fourier Films, Box Productions
Costumes: Dorothee Hohndorf
Production Design: Reinhild Blaschke
Make Up: Rosalba Delfin
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: France
Production Year: 2023
Duration: 95'
Contact: Indie Sales

Élise Girard

Elise Girard is a French director living in Paris. A lifelong cinema enthusiast, she started out as a press attaché for Cinémas Action before becoming a director. Her first two films were documentaries: one on the Cinémas Action and the other on Roger Diamantis, founder of the Saint André des Arts: Seuls sont les indomptés, l’aventure des cinémas Action (2003) and Roger Diamantis ou la vraie vie (2005). Her first feature, Belleville Tokyo (2011), was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, as was Strange Birds (2016), presented at the Berlinale Forum in 2017. For Sidonie in Japan, Elise Girard benefited from the French Institute’s Louis Lumière grant, which enabled her to reside in Kyoto in 2017.

Filmography

2003 Seuls sont les indomptés, l’aventure des cinémas Action (doc)
2005 Roger Diamantis ou la vraie vie (doc)
2011 Belleville Tokyo
2016 Strange Birds
2023 Sidonie in Japan