Janus Films has secured all U.S. distribution rights to “The Samurai and the Prisoner,” Kurosawa Kiyoshi‘s adaptation of Yonezawa Honobu’s prize-winning historical novel, ahead of the film’s world premiere in the Cannes Premieres section.
Janus will reveal theatrical release plans in the coming weeks.
Charades handled international sales on the title; the company brokered the agreement with Janus.
Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, the film follows Araki Murashige, a warlord who defies the formidable Oda Nobunaga and finds his stronghold sealed off from outside help. As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in. Yonezawa’s source novel won both the 12th Futaro Yamada Award and the 166th Naoki Prize. The film was produced by Shochiku in association with Tokyo Broadcasting System Television.
“I was very positively surprised to learn that the story of the Sengoku warlord Araki Murashige, who rebelled against his lord Oda Nobunaga, will be screened in Cannes, transcending both borders and time,” Kurosawa said in a statement. “If, by good fortune, people overseas can truly understand that this is something that could still happen even today, I would be immensely happy.”
Kurosawa built his reputation on psychologically unsettling genre cinema, breaking through internationally with “Cure” before developing a wide-ranging body of work that takes in “Pulse,” “Tokyo Sonata,” “Wife of a Spy,” and, most recently, “Cloud.”
Charades arrives at Cannes 2026 with a strong slate, including two competition titles – Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales” and Emmanuel Marre’s “A Man of His Time” – alongside Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime” and Jordan Firstman’s debut “Club Kid” in Un Certain Regard, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s “In Waves” opening Critics’ Week, and Julien Gaspar-Oliveri’s debut “Stonewall” in Critics’ Week special screening.
Janus Films recently added to its active slate with acquisitions including Alain Gomis’ Berlinale 2026 selection “Dao,” Bi Gan’s “Resurrection,” and Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day.”
