Black Ox (2024)

[BluBonnet]

I have been eagerly awaiting any news about Tsuta Tetsuichiro's Black Ox finally receiving theatrical distribution outside of Asia.

You would think after how eager many people were to watch films like Oppenheimer and The Brutalist in 70mm (not to mention the recent re-release of Interstellar, also with some 70mm IMAX prints), there could be a decent chance for the film to be shown in North America and Europe in that format.

Maybe it's just a matter of time before an announcement is made?

‘Black Ox,’ 70mm Epic Premiering in Tokyo, Picked up by Asian Shadows

“Black Ox,” a powerful rural drama from Japan’s Tsuta Tetsuichiro, has been picked up for world sales by Hong Kong and Beijing-based agency Asian Shadows. The film has its world premiere on Friday in the Asian Future section of the Tokyo International Film Festival and will go on commercial release in Taiwan the following week.

Set in the 19th century, “Black Ox” follows the life of a man, transitioning from a hunter-gatherer existence in the mountains to a life in the farm. One day, he comes across an ox, which somehow, he succeeds in leading back to his home. He lives with the animal, which becomes his companion in a life of changing seasons.

Music for the film was created by the late Sakamoto Ryuichi.

With “Black Ox,” Tsuta embarks on even more ambitious work. It is the first narrative feature in Japanese film history to be shot on 70mm film stock.