Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (film screening)
August 11 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
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Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
偶然と想像
Tuesday, August 11, 6:00PM (ET)
Doors open 5:30PM | Film Screening | In-Person | JFT Event Hall
Directed by HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke • 2021 • Drama • 121 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer
An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy explores three female-centred short stories thematically linked by coincidence and imagination.
The film captures the unpredictability of relationships, where conversations become turning points and small decisions cause lasting consequence. Winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, the film showcases Hamaguchi’s signature sensitivity to human connection.
Part of our Contemporary Japanese Cinema Spotlight series.
Free admission. Registration required.
Registration will be open on Thursday July 23, at 12:00PM ET.
Director Profile:
HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke is one of the most acclaimed contemporary filmmakers in Japan, known for his intimate explorations of human relationships. A graduate of Tokyo University and the Tokyo University of the Arts’ graduate film program, Hamaguchi started gaining attention in his home country with the graduate film Passion (2008). He went on to gain international recognition with Happy Hour (2015), a quietly monumental five-hour portrait of four women navigating personal upheaval.
His breakout continued with Asako I & II (2018), which competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and was followed by Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), which won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale. That same year, Drive My Car premiered to widespread acclaim, winning Best Screenplay at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Drive My Car was the first Japanese film to receive a Best Picture nomination, and Hamaguchi became the third Japanese director to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.
He followed with Evil Does Not Exist (2023), which also received widespread critical acclaim, winning the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize at Venice. His latest film, All of a Sudden, a France-Japan co-production, premiered at the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where the actresses shared the award for Best Actress.
