Hidari Director Says Keanu Reeves Agreed to Call a Week After Pilot Screening
Masashi Kawamura told a Tokyo International Film Festival session that Reeves responded quickly after watching the pilot, while the film still needs grants and overseas distribution deals.
Director Masashi Kawamura said at the Tokyo International Film Festival that Keanu Reeves agreed to a Zoom call about a week after the pilot film of Hidari was arranged for him to watch, according to Variety. Kawamura appeared at the festival session with co-director Iku Ogawa to report on the Film Frontier talent development program.
Kawamura also said that a puppet design for the film was based on a mix of Toshiro Mifune and Keanu Reeves, then aged. In May, at Cannes, Reeves' casting in Hidari was announced.
The director said he met Indian filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli at Annecy, showed him Hidari, and the two talked standing for about 30 minutes about how the film was made. Ogawa works at Dwarf Studios; producer Noriko Matsumoto, also of Dwarf Studios, said earlier in October 2026 in Busan that talks with a U.S. company offering to fund the entire budget in exchange for all rights had stalled.
Kawamura said the budget is large and the team is still seeking grants and partnerships with overseas distributors. Film Frontier is in its third year and is part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Creator Support Fund.
About three years ago, the team shot a self-funded proof-of-concept short with crowdfunding help and posted it on YouTube, where it has drawn about 5.3 million views and roughly 120,000 followers.
Quick answers
How did Keanu Reeves get involved with Hidari?
Director Masashi Kawamura said Reeves agreed to a Zoom call about a week after the pilot film was arranged for him to watch. Reeves' casting was announced in May at Cannes.
Is Hidari finished and scheduled for release?
No release date has been announced. Kawamura said the budget is large and the team is still seeking grants and partnerships with overseas distributors.