m-appeal_EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
m-appeal_EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
m-appeal_EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
m-appeal_EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
m-appeal_EVIL DOES NOT EXIST

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST

(Aku wa Sonzai Shinai (悪は存在しない))

by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Japan, 2023, 106'

Urban ambitions clash with nature in a quiet village close to Tokyo

Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi’s house; offering city residents a comfortable ‘escape’ to nature. When two company representatives from Tokyo arrive in the village to hold a meeting, it becomes clear that the project will have a negative impact on the local water supply, causing unrest. The agency’s mismatched intentions endanger both the ecological balance of the nature plateau and their way of life, with an aftermath that affects Takumi’s life.

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Reviews

“a work of undeniable power”
“a movie that holds you tight in its grip right up to those jaw-dropping final moments”

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“meditative and moving"

VARIETY

“a brilliant piece of work”
“Ryusuke Hamaguchi Delivers A Constantly Surprising, Intellectually Agile Film”

DEADLINE

“an absorbing film of quiet power"

Screen Daily

Awards

SILVER LION – Grand Jury Prize - Venice IFF 2023
FIPRESCI Award (Venice IFF 2023) - International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)
Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente award - FAI Foundation 2023
Best Film Award (Official Competition) - BFI London FF 2023
Audience Award - Ulaanbaatar IFF 2023
Jury Grand Prize - Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2023
Best Film - IFF of Kerala 2023
Best Film & Best Original Music: Eiko Ishibashi - Asian Film Awards 2024

Festivals

World Premiere: Venice IFF 2023 - Competition
Toronto IFF 2023
San Sebastian IFF 2023
New York IFF 2023
Hamburg FF 2023
Vancouver IFF 2023
Zurich IFF 2023
Busan IFF 2023
Mostra Sao Paulo 2023
Viennale 2023
BFI London FF 2023
Ulaanbaatar IFF 2023
Kyiv IFF Molodist 2023
Jio MAMI Mumbai FF 2023
Mill Valley IFF 2023
Hamptons IFF 2023
Chicago IFF 2023
Orcas Island Film 2023
Hawaii IFF 2023
IFF Boston Fall Showcase 2023
Philadelphia FF 2023
FilmColumbia 2023
Montclair FF 2023
IndieMemphis FF 2023
AFI Fest 2023
Virginia FF 2023
Miami FF GEMS 2023
San Diego Asian FF 2023
Denver FF 2023
Mar del Plata IFF 2023
Qcinema IFF 2023
Asian FF Barcelona 2023
Gijón IFF 2023
Cambridge IFF 2023
Inverness FF 2023
Leeds IFF 2023
Foyle FF 2023
Free Zone FF 2023
Seoul Independent FF 2023
Arava FF 2023
Adana Golden Boll Film Festival 2023
Filmekimi (IKSV) 2023
Cinecity FF (UL) 2023
Tbilisi IFF 2023
Trois Continents Nantes IFF 2023
Red Sea IFF 2023
Jogja-NETPAC Asian FF 2023
Seoul Independent FF 2023
Kerala IFF 2023
Havana IFF 2023
Keswick FF 2023
Asia Pacific FF 2023
Filmfest Hamburg 2023
FF Cologne 2023
IFF Mannheim-Heidelberg 2023
Around the World in 14 Films Festival 2023
Internationales Filmwochenende 2024
Tromsø IFF 2024
Pune IFF 2024
Göteborg FF 2024
Black Movie FF 2024
IFF Rotterdam 2024
Yashwant IFF (Mumbai) 2024
Johannesburg FF 2024
Bengaluru IFF 2024
Kosmorama FF 2024
Habitat International FF 2024
Perth Festival 2024
Red Sea FF Foundation 2024
Cinevesture IFF 2024
Washington, DC IFF 2024
Dublin IFF 2024
Borderlines FF 2024
Manchester FF 2024
Japanese FF Ireland 2024
Sydney Travelling FF 2024
Bangalow FF 2024

Cast & Crew

With: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Miura

Production company: NEOPA Inc., Fictive LLC
Producer: Satoshi Takata

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Ryusuke Hamaguchi was born in Japan in 1978. In 2008, Passion, his master’s degree graduate work from Tokyo University of Arts, was selected at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and Tokyo Filmex. In 2015, his award-winning film Happy Hour premiered at the 68th Locarno International Film Festival. In 2021, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 71st Berlinale. At the 74th edition of Cannes, Drive My Car won the Screenplay Prize and three independent prizes, including FIPRESCI. The following year it received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

m-appeal PRESS KIT