Nippon Rising Star Award

The NIPPON RISING STAR AWARD 2024 will be presented to actress Kotone FURUKAWA. This new award, which was established last year, is dedicated to outstanding young talent in the Japanese film industry. FURUKAWA gained international attention with her outstanding performance in Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI’s omnibus film WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY, which won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2021 and which will have a special screening at this year’s Nippon Connection festival.

We are particularly looking forward to the world premiere of Hayato KAWAI’s romantic drama SECRET: A HIDDEN SCORE, in which Kotone FURUKAWA is cast in one of the leading roles. She demonstrates her versatility with the role she plays in the horror film BEST WISHES TO ALL by Yuta SHIMOTSU. In addition to the Q&A sessions after the film screenings, she will also reflect on her career in an extensive talk on Saturday, June 1, at 2:30 p.m. The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 2, at 7:45 p.m. at Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm.

About Kotone FURUKAWA

Kotone FURUKAWA was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1996. She made her acting debut in 2018 and gained attention in 2019 when she was selected as one of the main cast members in 12 SUICIDAL TEENS, directed by Yukihiko TSUTSUMI. She has since appeared in numerous films, including OVER THE TOWN (2019) by Rikiya IMAIZUMI and REVOLVER LILY (2023) by Isao YUKISADA. CLOUD (2024), directed by Kiyoshi KUROSAWA, is scheduled for release in Japan in September 2024.