NEON and JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles are proud to present a special screening of SHEEP IN THE BOX, the latest film from acclaimed filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, followed by an Q&A with him.
Set in the near future, SHEEP IN THE BOX follows Otone and Kensuke, a couple navigating the profound grief of losing their young son. When they welcome into their home a humanoid identical to their late child, they are forced to confront questions of memory, love, identity, and what it truly means to hold onto someone we have lost. With the emotional depth and quiet humanity that have defined Koreeda’s celebrated body of work, the film offers a moving meditation on family and the evolving relationship between technology and the human experience.
Following the screening, Koreeda will discuss SHEEP IN THE BOX, touching upon the Japanese cultural influences reflected in the film and its exploration of technology, tradition, and humanity. The conversation will also offer audiences insight into his creative process and the distinctly Japanese sensibilities that shape his work.
SHEEP IN THE BOX opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 24, with a nationwide theatrical release beginning July 31.
Program Schedule
*Subject to change
- 7:00 PM | Screening
- 9:10 PM | Q&A with Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda (25 min)
About the Film
Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Starring Haruka Ayase and Daigo
Two years after losing their son Kakeru, Otone and her husband Kensuke take into their lives a humanoid from a company that rents humanoids to bereaved families as replacements for lost loved ones. The robot looks and behaves exactly like Kakeru, with Otone embracing its arrival as Kensuke struggles to accept it. Living with “him” seems to restore the flow of time within the family, yet gradually exposes the unspoken wounds and lingering regrets each parent carries after the loss. All the while, he begins to slip away to meet other humanoid children, unnoticed by the parents.
About the Director
Hirokazu Koreeda
Director
Born 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University in 1987, Koreeda joined TV Man Union where he directed several prize-winning documentary programs. In 2011, he launched his production company BUN-BUKU. In 1995, his directorial debut, Maborosi, based on the original novel written by Miyamoto Teru, won the 52nd Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Osella. After Life (1998), distributed in over 30 countries, …
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brought Koreeda international acclaim. In 2001, Distance was selected in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and with his fourth work Nobody Knows (2004), Yagira Yuya garnered much attention for becoming the youngest person to ever receive the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor Award. In 2006, Hana, a film centered on vengeance, became his first attempt at a period piece. In 2008, he presented the family drama Still Walking, which reflected his own personal experiences, and received high praise from around the world. In 2009, Air Doll was world premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival and was widely praised for marking a new frontier in its depiction of a sensual love fantasy. In 2011, I Wish won the Best Screenplay Award at the 59th San Sebastian International Film Festival. In 2012, he made his TV directorial debut with the series Going Home.
His feature film Like Father, Like Son (2013), won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, received the audience awards at San Sebastian, Vancouver, and Sao Paulo International Film Festivals and broke the box office record of his past films in many territories. In 2015, Our Little Sister premiered in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and received five awards including Best Film and Best Director at the Japan Academy Prize, as well as the Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival. In 2016, After the Storm premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, The Third Murder premiered In Competition at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival. In 2018, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, the Best Foreign Film at the 11th Césars, and many other awards, as well as being nominated for the 91st Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 2019, his first feature shot outside Japan, The Truth with two French film legends, Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche, is the opening film in Competition of the 76th Venice International Film Festival. In 2022, his first Korean film Broker won the Ecumenical Jury Prize and Song Kang-Ho the Best Actor Award, the first award for a Korean actor, at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, his first-ever Netflix series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House was released worldwide, and his latest feature Monster won the Queer Palme and writer Yuji Sakamoto the Best Screenplay Award, at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. In 2025, he adapted and directed the Netflix series Asura, a remake of Kuniko Mukoda’s iconic home drama, now available worldwide and featuring Rie Miyazawa, Machiko Ono, Yu Aoi, and Suzu Hirose.
In 2026, his original film The Sheep in the Box, starring Haruka Ayase and comedian Daigo, was officially selected for the Competition section at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival. Also that year, a live-action film adaptation of the popular manga Look Back, originally created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, is scheduled for release.
Co-Presented by
