Interview With "Kokuho" Filmmaker Lee Sang-il & Star Ryo Yoshizawa

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 22 November 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Kokuho" is a Japanese drama film directed by Lee Sang-il, written by Satoko Okudera, and based on a novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, starring Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Min Tanaka, and Ken Watanabe. It tells the story of a young boy who devotes himself to the traditional theatre of kabuki under the tutelage of a famous actor, aspiring for the same level of greatness someday. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. It would go on to find commercial success in Japan, even increasing kabuki ticket sales. It has been selected as the Japanese entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards. Filmmaker Lee Sang-il and star Ryo Yoshizawa were kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is set for a limited one-week qualifying release on November 21st in New York from GKIDS. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to The Next Best Picture Podcast and this is Daniel Howitt's interview with the director for Kukuo, Li Sang Il, and the film star, Rio Yoshizawa.
0:12.5	Jiu-Jusaii, my father-hooked-what-sichu-said myself.
0:19.0	Kikkjohn, you know, my name goana, you know? What, but I'll tell her. It's all right, it's a very a very shi-dochoo-do-mage, Miaqo Zeta! Sia! All the... All the......allish, beautiful,...youme-o-dust-y-you-be-dust-ky a year'sky, it was a dream-like a toiske and was a good man.
0:39.3	This is the same thing.
0:41.3	Daiaq are Kiko dekowde-ikoude-eke.
0:43.3	Seahka, Shunbonga.
0:45.3	All,
0:47.3	all,
0:48.3	you know,
0:49.3	all of you from
0:50.3	Anjiro's meaux's
0:51.3	money
0:53.3	to be a man who any it's a lot of My name I'm gonna' I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm
0:55.0	It's
0:56.0	What's
0:57.0	It's
0:58.0	You're
1:00.0	You're
1:01.0	You're
1:02.0	God's
1:04.0	Oh man
1:05.0	You know
	...

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