Neon has set a Nov. 25 theatrical release date for “All of a Sudden,” the latest film from writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
The film premiered in competition earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, where stars Virginie Efira and Okamoto Tao shared the prize for best actress. Efira will separately receive the Leopard Club Award at this year’s Locarno Film Festival for her body of work in cinema. Neon is planning an awards campaign for the release.
A French-Japanese drama spanning both countries, “All of a Sudden” continues Hamaguchi’s recurring interest in the bonds that form between strangers. The director, whose “Drive My Car” won the Academy Award for best international feature, co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna. The script loosely draws on “When Life Suddenly Takes a Turn: Twenty Letters Between a Philosopher With Terminal Cancer and a Medical Anthropologist,” a collection of writings by Miyano Makiko and Isono Maho.
The story follows Marie-Lou (Efira), who runs a care facility for the elderly and pushes to introduce a new philosophy of care centered on listening and residents’ dignity, over the objections of some of her staff. Her outlook shifts after she meets Mari (Okamoto), a Japanese theater director facing a cancer diagnosis, and the two women form a close bond as they take on the challenge together.
“All of a Sudden” is produced by David Gauquié, Julien Deris, Jean-Luc Ormières and Renan Artukmaç for France’s Cinefrance Studios; Matsuda Hiroko, Oshida Kosuke and Sadai Yuji for Japan’s Office Shirous and Bitters End; Bettina Brokemper for Germany’s Heimatfilm; and Joseph Rouschop for Belgium’s Tarantula.
Hamaguchi has built one of the most decorated filmographies of the past decade. “Drive My Car” won best film honors from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics, then went on to win best international feature at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Independent Spirit Awards and Critics Choice Awards — making it the first Japanese film nominated for best picture, director and adapted screenplay at the Academy Awards. His “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, and “Evil Does Not Exist” took the Silver Lion and Fipresci prize at Venice.
“All of a Sudden” joins a crowded 2026 Neon slate that includes Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial,” twin directors Arie and Chuko’s “Clarissa,” Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner “Fjord,” James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” Na Hong Jin’s “Hope” and the William and David Greaves documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.” Earlier this year, the studio landed best picture nominations at the 98th Academy Awards for “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent,” with the former winning best international feature. Neon also notched the record-breaking Imax opening of “Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert” and saw Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” cross $10 million domestically. Most recently, the studio released Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters” and Adrian Chiarella’s Sundance breakout “Leviticus.”
In nine years, Neon has racked up 57 Academy Award nominations, including best picture wins for Sean Baker’s “Anora” and Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite.” This year the studio earned 18 Oscar nominations, the second-most of any studio, with “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent” both up for best picture and “Sentimental Value” ultimately winning best international feature – bringing Neon’s total wins to 11.
The studio has also won the Cannes Palme d’Or seven years running, with “Fjord” joining past winners “It Was Just an Accident,” “Anora,” “Parasite,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Titane” and “Triangle of Sadness.” Neon has grossed more than half a billion dollars at the box office, powered in part by Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs,” 2024’s highest-grossing independent film at $75 million domestically, and its follow-up, “The Monkey,” the studio’s second-highest opener. Upcoming releases include new films from Mungiu, Gray, Hamaguchi, Na and Bong.