Yui Suzuki was 11 years old when she played Fuki Okita in “Renoir“, which was filmed in Japan from July 2012 to September 2012 and overseas in November 2024. It is an international co-production between Japan, France, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media collaborated with Japan’s Loaded Films as a co-production partner for the film while the Philippines’ Daluyong Studios and Nathan Studios joined the production team. Eiko Mizuno-Gray and Jason Gray served as producers.
“Renoir”
Suzuki was ultimately selected when she auditioned for the role of Fuki along with many other child actors. The character is a quirky and sensitive 11-year-old girl living with her terminally ill father Kenji Okita and stressed and busy mother Utako Okita in the late 1980s.
While battling cancer, Kenji deals with the bubble economy of Japan during that period. He is played by Lily Franky, a native of Fukuoka, Japan who turned 61 on November 4, 2024.
Utako, who is occupied with work, is played by Hikari Ishida. Born in Tokyo, Japan, the actor turned 52 on May 25, 2024.
Aside from Fuki’s parents, the child also encounters adults with different circumstances. They are played by Ayumu Nakajima, Ryôta Bandô and Yuumi Kawai.
Charlie St. Cyr plays a yacht party guest in the film. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, he turned 32 on April 7, 2025.
The film is written and directed by Chie Hayakawa. Born in Tokyo, she turned 48 on August 20, 2024.
Chie Hayakawa
In 2001, Hayakawa graduated from the School of Visual Arts New York City in New York City, New York, USA. In 2014, her short film “Niagara” was screened in the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France and it won the Grand Prix in the Pia Film Festival in Tokyo.
In 2018, Hayakawa’s short film “Plan 75” was included in the anthology film “Ten Years Japan“. Based on the short film, her feature film of the same title premiered at the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2022 and won the Special Mention award in the festival’s Camera d’Or competition.
The “Plan 75” feature film was Japan’s entry for the Best International Film Festival at the 95th Academy Awards. It starred Kawai, Chieko Baisho, Hayato Isomura and Stefanie Arianne.
“Renoir” is Hayakawa’s second feature film. It has been selected as one of the 19 films competing for the Palme d’Or in the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival from May 13-24, 2025.
Distributed by Happinet Phantom Studios, “Plan 75” will hit theaters in Japan on June 20, 2025. Its story revolves around elderly seniors over 75 years old forced to make a choice between life and death in the near future in Japan.
CONAN Daily 