Japan’s Cloud11 Studios, France’s Les films du Sillon and Hong Kong’s Saidam Baryl Ltd. have joined forces on Almost There, a new feature project from Sakha filmmaker Stepan Burnashev. The collaboration was unveiled on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival‘s Marché du Film.

The partnership brings together producers from Japan, France and Sakha, a republic of Russia that is also known as Yakutia, around what is being described as “an intimate, character-driven road movie” that is currently in development and positioned as an international arthouse feature with cross-cultural reach. A completed script and production are targeted for 2027.

Burnashev has become a key voice of Sakha’s film scene with his previous features Aita, Our Winter, Black Snow and The Penthouse.

Set in Japan, Almost There follows “an unexpected encounter between a Japanese man and a man from the Sakha Republic who, despite their vastly different backgrounds, find themselves in a similar emotional state,” according to a description of the project. “Both are unable to let go of their past and set out on a journey toward a place where they hope to finally confront it. Their chance meeting gradually evolves into a shared journey, as emotional distance gives way to an increasingly profound human connection. As they move closer to their destination, the journey itself begins to change them – and the very reasons that brought them there start to shift.”

The project, designed to combine “cultural specificity with universal resonance,” explores such themes as memory and isolation. Burnashev also said that the film would dive into “male vulnerability, inner conflict and what often remains unspoken.”

To provide lightness and humor, the movie is set to also feature cultural misunderstandings and comedic moments, while the Japanese landscapes are set to add an “almost meditative quality,” according to the producers. “Rather than pushing toward heaviness, the film approaches its characters with openness and compassion, allowing intimacy and human connection to emerge gradually.”

The producers are Hiroyuki Yoshihara for Cloud11 Studios, Emmanuelle Faucilhon for Les films du Sillon and Burnashev’s Saidam Baryl. They are currently focused on further development and financing on Almost There.

“Almost There is a restrained yet emotionally intense male drama,” Burnashev said. “It’s a story about two men who seem very different on the surface, but are both carrying something they have never really learned how to express. They come from entirely different worlds, yet share a sense of isolation and unspoken inner conflict that allows them to recognize each other beyond language or culture. As their journey unfolds, they begin to understand one another on a deeply human level – a connection that transcends borders and gives the film a universal resonance. One hides himself behind movement, confidence and the habit of always going forward, while the other lives with silence, hesitation and the weight of unresolved things.”

Yoshihara said about the project: “What drew us in was its confidence. The film does not try to overstate itself. It trusts rhythm, character and silence, and that gives it a strong cinematic identity. We believe that kind of precision can travel internationally.”

Faucilhon shared: “We were struck by the film’s emotional precision and its quiet strength. As the war [by Russia in Ukraine] rages on, Sakha culture is increasingly reaching beyond its borders and building new connections with the East. One can only applaud the director’s determination to keep creating whilst forces of destruction are at work.”

Japanese newcomer Rimu Kuwaki makes his debut as a savvy robot child surrogate.

Japanese auteur Hirokazu Koreeda is a regular at the Cannes Film Festival, largely returning to present films that deal with issues of life, death and parenting, both good and bad. This year his Competition entry Sheep in the Box, offers a sci-fi twist on those familiar themes, marking the acting debut of Kuwaki, who will turn 10 years old during the festival. Haruka Ayase and Daigo Yamamoto play his parents. And Kuwaki? “I play a humanoid who looks exactly like their child, who died in an accident,” he explains, “and continues living in their place.”

Kuwaki was chosen from more than 200 contenders, despite having next to no acting experience. “I’ve never really had any acting lessons — almost none, to be honest — but I have appeared in one drama series. The lines were basically just me being myself, so I’m not sure if you could really call it acting.”

Nevertheless, Kuwaki took to the challenge, and praises Koreeda for helping him ease into the role. “Director Koreeda Hirokazu is very kind,” he says. “He would encourage me by saying, ‘Let’s do our best,’ so any feelings of fear or embarrassment just disappear. Every time after shooting a take, he would also say to me, ‘That was really great,’ which made me so happy and motivated me to do my best again the next day. The atmosphere on set was fun and relaxed.”

Not every take was perfect, however. “Sometimes I got a bit too excited and started running around,” he recalls, “and I was told, ‘Robots aren’t supposed to sweat.’ And when I had a little bit food around my mouth, the crew said, ‘Robots don’t eat sweets, right?’ So I realized I had to be more careful.”

Kuwaki also learned a lot from his screen parents. “They’re kind, beautiful, and cool — I love them very much,” he says. Did he hang out with them to prepare for the role? “Yes, I did. We spent time together having meals, looking at photos of me as a baby, and even giving each other shoulder massages! It was a really fun time. As for what I learned, I was really moved by their facial expressions and movements during the acting, and it made my heart ache at times. It made me realize how amazing acting can be.”

Any plans to act again? “I like both watching movies and acting in them, and I hope to continue acting in the future. I’ve already told my family about my decision, and I’m going to do my best to appear in three more films.” And in the meantime, what else keeps him busy? “I like baseball, soccer, video games, golf, dancing and fishing. I’m currently practicing golf and dancing so I can get better at them.”

Russian writer-director Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Elena, Loveless) is back in the Cannes Film Festival competition this year. Loveless won the jury prize at the 2017 edition of the festival after Leviathan received the 2014 best screenplay award, and Elena was honored with the Un Certain Regard special jury prize in 2011.

So, of course, the latest movie from the two-time Oscar nominee, his first feature in close to a decade, is highly anticipated.

Minotaur, co-written with Semen Liashenko, has been shrouded in mystery, though. What is known about the film is that the now-exiled Zvyagintsev reunited for its creation with longtime collaborators, such as cinematographer Mikhail Krichman and production designer Andrey Ponkratov. The film is a co-production between France, Latvia and Germany. The producers are MK2 Films’ MK Productions, CG Cinéma and Zvyagintsev, in association with Leaf Entertainment. The co-producers are Razor Film in Germany and Forma Pro films in Latvia.

MK2 Films (Sentimental Value) is handling international sales. Mubi has acquired Minotaur for North America, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria and Latin America.

The crime thriller is understood to also be a political and moral fable, as the title, which is a nod to Greek mythology, hints at. The minotaur was a monster, half man and half bull, that was imprisoned in a dark underground labyrinth.

The Cannes website only reveals the following about Minotaur: “Russia, 2022. When Gleb, a successful company director, finds himself under siege from mounting corporate pressures and an increasingly unstable world, the collapse of his carefully ordered life accelerates toward violence.”

Dmitriy Mazurov stars as Gleb opposite Iris Lebedeva as Galina. An exclusive clip from Minotaur that THR can now premiere takes us to their breakfast table. Does the sneak peek give you the sense that there is a certain awkwardness in the air? Could there be trouble brewing because of secrets that we, and Gleb, may not be privy to? Maybe it’s just us, but it feels like there is stuff that is left unsaid – even if not left untexted?

But make up your own mind! Watch the exclusive clip from Andrey Zvyagintsev‘s Minotaur below.