Mishima Yukiko has entered the main competition of the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival for the first time with her intimate new drama “Two Cigarettes, Three Nights”, which had its world premiere on October 27, 2026 and will release theatrically on November 6, 2026.
Matsuoka Mayu in Two Cigarettes, Three Nights (Credits: Happinet Phantom Studios)
Known for her dark relationship dramas, including the 2017 multiple-award-winner “Dear Etranger,” Mishima takes a different approach with this film, based on the 2014 novel “Otoko Tomodachi” (“Guy Friend”) by Chihaya Akane. The film is her eleventh feature, and she fielded questions from an enthusiastic audience after the premiere, introducing her cinematographer Otsuka Ryo, the art director and sound director.
Two Cigarettes, Three Nights Plot: Three Nights, Three Cities
The film stars Matsuoka Mayu as Kanna, a talented but emotionally stunted illustrator in Kyoto who, approaching 30, finds herself struggling creatively. An unexpected phone call reunites her with Haseo (Narita Ryo), a longtime male friend she has not seen in seven years. The two spend three nights together in Kyoto, Toyama and Hiroshima, rekindling a connection that defies conventional definitions of romance or friendship.
Mishima said she wanted the audience to physically feel the film through image and sound, building it around powerful long takes and nuanced performances. She also revealed she has been following Matsuoka’s work since “The Kirishima Thing” (2012), praising how thoroughly the actress builds her characters, down to how they walk and stand.
Competing for the Tokyo Grand Prix
The film is one of 15 titles in the competition section, vying for the Tokyo Grand Prix at the festival running from October 26 through November 4. The jury, led by president Rolf de Heer, will announce winners ahead of the November 6 theatrical release by Happinet Phantom Studios.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.