Public screening of "Soshite Chichi ni Naru" at Cannes Film Festival

The public screening of movie "Soshite Chichi ni Naru" at the Cannes Film Festival was held on 18 May which was attended by the director Koreeda Hirokazu and cast members Fukuyama Masaharu, Lily Frankie, Ono Machiko and Maki Youko as well as the child actors who play their children in the film. The movie which is due to be shown in Japan from 5 May, is the first time in 9 years that a Koreeda film took part in the competition category at Cannes since 2004's "Dare mo shiranai" which gave Yagira Yuya the title of the youngest Best Leading Actor at 14 years old.  150 members of the press from various countries attended the screening and interviewed the cast.

When asked about his first time playing a father, Fukuyama said that it felt as if he was doing a live performance where there are many ways to convey the same thing so he relished the feeling of being able to explore various ways of acting. As he is still in the midst of filming for his ongoing drama "Galileo", Fukuyama could only take 4 days and 2 nights off his filming schedule just to be in Cannes for the first time. He will return to Japan on 19 May. Fukuyama also commented that if he had to be surrounded by so many members of the press in Japan, he might have been a bit irritated but in Cannes, he found it an enjoyable experience.

This film also happens to be the last for late actor Natsuyagi Isao who passed away on 11 May due to pancreatic cancer. He played Fukuyama's father in this film where Fukuyama's character finds out after 6 years that his own son had been accidentally switched at birth with another couple's child and he had been raising a boy unrelated to him all this while. Results for the competition category will be announced on 26 May in Cannes.

Lily Frankie who was also in Cannes for the first time, commented that it was a very vibrant place and made him very excited. Ono who last came to Cannes in 2007 for her film "Mogari no Mori", said that it was difficult to come back to Cannes again because it took such a long time before she could have the second opportunity. Meanwhile, Maki who was a newbie at Cannes said that she hoped to come back again.

Source: Sanspo