Desert of Namibia
2024 film by Yôko Yamanaka
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Desert of Namibia (Japanese: ナミビアの砂漠) is a 2024 psychological drama film directed and written by Yôko Yamanaka. It stars Yuumi Kawai, Daichi Kaneko, and Kanichiro. For her performance, Kawai won a Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actress and received nominations at the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and 18th Asian Film Awards.
- Keisuke Konishi
- Shinji Ogawa
- Masashi Yamada
- Tokushi Suzuki
| Desert of Namibia | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Japanese | ナミビアの砂漠 |
| Directed by | Yôko Yamanaka |
| Written by | Yoko Yamanaka |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shin Yonekura |
| Edited by | Banri Nagase |
| Music by | Takuma Watanabe |
Production company | Happinet Phantom Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 137 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $27,915[1][2] |
The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2024, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize – Parallel Sections.
Premise
A young directionless woman tries to find herself while working as a beautician and navigating a new relationship.[3]
Cast
- Yuumi Kawai as Kana
- Daichi Kaneko as Hayashi
- Kanichiro as Honda
- Yuzumi Shintani as Ichika
- Keisuke Horibe as Koichiro
- Makiko Watanabe as Mari
Release
Desert of Namibia had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2024 in the Directors' Fortnight section.[4] It won the FIPRESCI Prize at the festival, and the director Yoko Yamanaka became the youngest woman to win the award.[5]
In November 2024, it was reported that Kani Releasing acquired the film's North American rights.[6]
Reception
Siddhant Adlakha of Variety described the film as "an intentionally languid psychological portrait".[7] William Repass of Slant Magazine gave the film two and a half stars out of four and praised Kawai's performance, describing it as "arresting".[8] Mark Schilling of The Japan Times gave the film three out of five stars and described Kawai's performance as "masterful and multilayered".[9]
Writing for Screen International, Fionnuala Halligan gave the film a mixed review and criticized the vague reference to mental health issues.[10]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | FIPRESCI Prize – Parallel Sections | Yoko Yamanaka | Won | [11] |
| World Film Festival of Bangkok | 17 November 2024 | Lotus Award for Best Film | Won | [12] | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 30 November 2024 | Best Film | Yoko Yamanaka and Keisuke Konishi | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Performance | Yuumi Kawai | Nominated | |||
| Blue Ribbon Awards | 28 January 2025 | Best Actress | Won[a] | [14] | |
| Mainichi Film Awards | 13 February 2025 | Best Lead Performance | Won[a] | [15] | |
| Asian Film Awards | 16 March 2025 | Best Actress | Nominated | [16] | |
| Best New Director | Yoko Yamanaka | Nominated |