GKIDS Sets U.S. Release for Hirokazu Koreeda’s Live‑Action Look Back
The distributor published a new trailer and will roll the film into theaters to broaden its live‑action slate and reach both manga fans and arthouse audiences.
Overview
- GKIDS announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, that it will open Look Back in select U.S. theaters on Dec. 30, 2026 and expand nationwide on Jan. 15, 2027.
- The live‑action film is written, edited, and directed by Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Koreeda and adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one‑shot manga without revealing story details.
- Look Back premiered on the international festival circuit with its world bow at the Venice Film Festival and subsequent screenings at TIFF and the BFI London Film Festival, where critics gave it warm reviews for emotional detail and Koreeda’s work with child actors.
- The principal cast includes Natsuki Deguchi and Furi Nanase as the younger and older versions of Fujino and Aju Makita and Rokka Okada as the younger and older Kyomoto, with Daiju Koide producing for K2 Pictures.
- GKIDS released the first U.S. trailer to position the film as a tender coming‑of‑age story and a “love letter to the artistic process,” a move that could widen American exposure for Japanese live‑action adaptations and strengthen GKIDS’ non‑animation offerings.