Japanese filmmaker Koji Fukada is already lining up his next major project as his latest film, Nagi Notes, arrives in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. MK2 Films has boarded Roca, a new feature from the acclaimed director, adding another international title to its Cannes market slate and extending its long-running relationship with Fukada.
Roca is adapted from a manga by Hisaichi Ishii, the Japanese manga artist known for My Neighbors the Yamadas. The film follows two teenagers whose bond is shaped by music, loyalty and danger. At the centre of the story is Roca, an aspiring fado singer, and Mino, the daughter of a small-time yakuza. Their connection becomes increasingly complicated as Roca’s musical ambitions begin to grow while Mino’s dangerous world threatens to pull them apart.
The premise gives Roca a different emotional texture from the restrained domestic and social dramas often associated with Fukada’s cinema. The film brings together a coming-of-age story, a musical dream, a manga origin and the shadow of the criminal underworld. That combination suggests a project that may still carry Fukada’s interest in human relationships and moral pressure, but through a more youthful and possibly more accessible frame.
The core development was first reported by Variety, which said MK2 Films has boarded Roca for international sales. The timing is significant because Fukada is currently in the Cannes spotlight with Nagi Notes, which premiered in the festival’s main competition this week.
Nagi Notes marks an important milestone in Fukada’s international journey. The film is his first title selected for the Cannes main competition, placing him in one of the world’s most closely watched festival lineups. Fukada has been a respected name on the festival circuit for years, but a competition slot at Cannes gives his latest work a wider global platform.
The film is based on Oriza Hirata’s play Tokyo Notes and follows a story set in the rural town of Nagi. Its central drama revolves around sculptor Yoriko and her former sister-in-law Yuri, whose reunion gradually brings buried tensions and emotional questions to the surface. The film stars Takako Matsu, Shizuka Ishibashi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Waku Kawaguchi and Kiyora Fujiwara.
The creative team behind Nagi Notes also includes cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya, editor Sylvie Lager, composer Lee Pei-Chin and sound designer Hiroaki Masuko. The film’s Cannes presence has drawn attention not only because of Fukada’s reputation, but also because it arrives at a moment when Japanese cinema is enjoying strong visibility at the festival and market.
Fukada’s work has often been defined by quiet tension, emotional restraint and the way ordinary relationships can reveal deeper social and moral fractures. His 2016 film Harmonium won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, giving him one of his most important international breakthroughs. He later continued to build his festival profile with films such as A Girl Missing, Love Life and Love on Trial.
That background makes Roca especially interesting. On paper, the film appears to move into a slightly different space. A teenage fado singer, a yakuza-linked friend and a manga source material could give Fukada a broader emotional and tonal canvas. At the same time, the central conflict remains close to themes he has explored before: attachment, dependence, sacrifice and the painful choices people make when love and survival collide.
The use of fado music also gives the project a distinctive identity. Fado, traditionally associated with longing, melancholy and emotional expression, could deepen Roca’s journey as an aspiring singer. If handled with Fukada’s usual sensitivity, the music may not simply function as a career goal for the character, but as a way to express emotional escape, identity and the desire for a life beyond the limits around her.
Mino’s background as the daughter of a small-time yakuza adds another layer of pressure. Rather than presenting danger only as external conflict, the story appears to place it inside a close personal relationship. Roca is not merely choosing between safety and risk; she is choosing between her future and someone who has protected her. That emotional dilemma gives the film its strongest dramatic hook.
MK2 Films’ involvement also adds weight to the project. The company has worked with Fukada on multiple films, including Nagi Notes, Love on Trial, Love Life, Harmonium and A Girl Missing. That continuing collaboration suggests a strong level of trust between the filmmaker and the international sales company, especially as Fukada’s profile continues to grow across major festivals.
Roca is produced by TBS and Comme des Cinémas, with MK2 Films handling international sales. The project arrives at a time when manga adaptations continue to travel widely, but Fukada’s involvement gives this one a more auteur-driven identity. Rather than being positioned only as a genre or youth title, Roca has the potential to become a character-focused drama with music, emotion and social tension at its core.
For Cannes, the announcement also reflects the larger role of the market alongside the festival. While Nagi Notes is being presented as part of the official competition, Roca is already being introduced to international buyers as Fukada’s next step. That dual presence strengthens the director’s position at Cannes this year: one film competing for critical attention, another beginning its journey through the global sales circuit.
With Nagi Notes bringing Koji Fukada to the Cannes main competition and Roca now moving forward with MK2 Films, the filmmaker appears to be entering a busy new phase. His next project may be rooted in manga and music, but its emotional foundation — two young people caught between loyalty, danger and ambition — keeps it firmly within the human territory that has long shaped his cinema.
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