By MISUZU SATO/ Staff Writer
March 29, 2022 at 16:20 JST
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director of "Drive My Car," holds the Oscar at a news conference in Los Angeles on March 27. Actress Reika Kirishima stands at the far left with actor Hidetoshi Nishijima, second from right, and Masaki Okada, far right. (Misuzu Sato)
LOS ANGELES--Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi was clearly over the moon after winning the Oscar for best international feature film for his movie “Drive My Car,” but said he hoped the accolade “is not a goal but a passing point.”
“I’m happy,” Hamaguchi said at a news conference after the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27. “Receiving the nomination itself is a great achievement. I never expected to win the Oscar. I’m so grateful.”
The cast also expressed their delight at having been involved in the first Japanese film in 13 years to garner the prestigious honor for the category.
“I believe I’ll never forget the moment when we stood up and hugged each other after the title ‘Drive My Car’ was called out,” said Masaki Okada.
“Many people congratulated us,” said Reika Kirishima. “I’m really glad that the film struck a chord with so many people.”
When asked what his plans are for the immediate future, Hamaguchi said: “I want to take a break. I think I will become eager to make a film while taking time off.”
It was only the second Japanese film to win the best foreign film award after “Departures” by Yojiro Takita in 2009.
Hamaguchi stressed that the time and care he put in preparing to produce the film, based on a short story of the same title by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami, had paid off.
“If you are determined to spend time (making a movie), that will allow you to work without being rushed and help to create an environment where you and the people you’re working with respect each other,” he said.
“The same goes for other industries as well,” he added. “I believe we will become a little happier if we can spend time working together on truly valuable things. I’ll be glad if people see this (movie) as a good example of that.”
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July 18, 2021
‘Drive My Car’ wins Oscar nomination for Best Picture
February 9, 2022
Hamaguchi’s ‘Drive My Car’ to compete at Cannes
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Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi wins award at Berlin Film Festival
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