Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s First-Ever Period Drama ‘Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner,’ Based on Award-Winning Novel, Boarded by Charades

Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s (“Wife of a Spy”) very first period film and most ambitious feature to date, “Kokurojo: The Samurai and The Prisoner,” has been boarded by Charades in the run up to the Berlinale’s European Film Market.

Set in 16th century Japan, “Kokurojo” is a feudal mystery adapted from Honobu Yonezawa’s award-winning historical novel “Kokurojo” (“The Samurai and the Prisoner”) which was published by Kadokawa Corporation in 2021 and made history in Japan by sweeping all four major mystery awards, including the 12th Futaro Yamada Award and the 166th Naoki Prize.

Shochiku, the 130 year-old Japanese studio behind Yasujirō Ozu’s films and other classics such as “Hara-kiri”, “The Twilight Samurai” and “Departures,” is producing Kurosawa’s film together with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc.

Paris-based Charades is handling international sales on the movie and will present its first exclusive footage to buyers at the European Film…