100 Yen Love Still - H 2015
Courtesy of Fantasia Film FestivalJapan’s submission for the foreign-language category at the Oscars is Masaharu Take‘s drama about a female boxer, 100 Yen Love, starring Sakura Ando.
After winning the Japanese Cinema Splash award for up and coming domestic talent at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October last year, it was released in December, going on to win a slew of prizes in Japan for Ando.
The film tells the story of a directionless singleton who becomes inspired by watching a middle-aged boxer at the local gym and decides to start training in the sport.
The title comes from a local 100 yen shop (dollar store). Japan last tasted success in the foreign-language category with Yojiro Takita‘s Departures in 2009.