Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car won best international feature at the 94th U.S. Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 27, becoming the second Japanese film to bag the prestigious Oscar for the category.
The category, previously known as best foreign language film, was won in 2009 by Yojiro Takita’s Okuribito (Departures).
Drive My Car is based on a short story of the same title by author Haruki Murakami and features a widower, portrayed by Hidetoshi Nishijima, who faces his grief over the sudden death of his beloved wife. He finds solace in the company of a female chauffeur (Toko Miura).
In a brief speech, Hamaguchi, 43, thanked the Academy in English — and was almost played off stage before saying “just a moment” and continuing to thank both the actors in attendance and those who could not travel to Los Angeles.
Since winning an award for best screenplay in the Cannes Film Festival in July last year, the three-hour-long brooding drama has received about 90 awards both in Japan and abroad.
The film made history as the first Japanese film to be nominated for a best picture Oscar. It was also nominated in three other categories — best director, best adapted screenplay and best international feature. (Kyodo, AFP-Jiji)
毎週届く！
