CANNES, France—Tao Okamoto became the first Japanese to win Best Actress at the Cannes International Film Festival on May 23 for her starring role in “All of a Sudden.”
The film was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 47, whose accolades include an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for “Drive My Car.”
She shared the prestigious prize with her co-star, acclaimed French-language actress Virginie Efira.
The two took the stage hand in hand at the awards ceremony.
“The simple reason why a mediocre Japanese actress, someone like me, is standing here today is purely because of our amazing director,” Okamoto, 41, said in her acceptance speech, crediting Hamaguchi for his screenplay and support.
In the three-hour, 16-minute dialogue-driven drama, Okamoto portrays a stage director with terminal cancer who forms a deep bond with the head of a care facility, played by Efira, 49.
Through interactions with the people at the facility, Okamoto portrayed a woman who, despite her declining health, does not give up hope of living on.
The film, which mixes French and Japanese, is based on the correspondence between the late philosopher Makiko Miyano who had cancer and medical anthropologist Maho Isono.
At a news conference after the ceremony, Okamoto paid tribute to the book’s authors.
“The film began with these documents in which two women seemed to exchange their souls, so I want to express my gratitude for their love and courage,” she said.
Speaking of Miyano, she added with emotion, “I hope she would be happy.”
A native of Chiba Prefecture, Okamoto began her career as a model at 14. She moved to France in 2006, achieving global success as a top model under the name “Tao” before transitioning to acting with a role in the 2013 Hollywood flick “The Wolverine.”
To prepare for her award-winning role, Okamoto undertook Hamaguchi’s unique “table read” method, repeating her lines in a monotone with the director almost weekly for 10 months before filming began.
While two Japanese have previously won the Best Actor prize—Yuya Yagira in 2004 for “Nobody Knows” and Koji Yakusho in 2023 for “Perfect Days”—Okamoto’s award is a historic first for a Japanese actress.
