30/01/2025 - Adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s debut novel, the movie is now in post-production in Poland and will be introduced to international buyers at the upcoming European Film Market

Suzu Hirose and Fumi Nikaido in A Pale View of Hills (© U-Next/Bunbuku/Number 9 Films/Lava Films)

The debut novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, A Pale View of Hills, is being adapted into a feature film, marking a major international co-production between Japan, the UK and Poland. Directed, written and edited by Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa, the movie will be introduced to international buyers at the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin, with Japan’s Gaga Corporation handling global sales and the release being set for summer 2025.

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Originally published in 1982, A Pale View of Hills delves into the fragmented memories of Etsuko, a Japanese widow who experienced the atomic bomb in Nagasaki and later moved to England after the war. She lives alone in her suburban home, a place full of memories after the loss of her husband and eldest daughter. Her daughter, Niki, has distanced herself from Etsuko since the death of her half-sister. Niki, now a writer who dropped out of university to pursue her career, returns to the family home to work on her manuscript. As they spend time together, Etsuko begins to open up about a recurring "dream" she has been having – a vivid memory from her past in Nagasaki, involving a woman and her young daughter whom she encountered long ago. Niki, unaware of her mother's past, is gradually drawn into the fragments of Etsuko's history that have remained hidden for so long.

The film adaptation continues the tradition of bringing Ishiguro's introspective, character-driven narratives to the screen, following the success of previous acclaimed film adaptations like The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go [+see also:
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The lead role of Etsuko is played by Japanese actress Suzu Hirose, known internationally for her performances in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Our Little Sister and The Third Murder. She is joined by Fumi Nikaido, who portrays her enigmatic friend Sachiko. Nikaido gained global recognition for her performance in Sion Sono's Himizu, for which she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress at the Venice Film Festival, and she was recently seen in FX’s historical drama Shogun.

Director Kei Ishikawa, known for his acclaimed feature A Man, which premiered at Venice and won multiple Japanese Academy Awards, is engaging in his first collaboration with Polish production company Lava Films, which is handling post-production. Ishikawa has a strong connection to Poland, having studied at the renowned Łódź Film School. Polish cinematographer Piotr Sobociński Jr (Corpus Christi [+see also:
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Kazuo Ishiguro is actively involved as an executive producer, reinforcing the connection between the novel and its cinematic adaptation. A Pale View of Hills is being produced by Hiroyuki Ishiguro for U-Next, Japan’s leading local streaming service; Miyuki Fukuma for Bunbuku, the company founded by Kore-eda; Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen for the UK’s Number 9 Films, who have previously worked on another adaptation of Ishigiro’s work in Living [+see also:
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interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile]. Additional support comes from the Polish Film Institute and Desmar. Gaga Corporation will distribute the film in Japan, with an expected theatrical release in mid-2025. Further details on international distribution and festival premieres will be announced in the coming months.