Kyoko Saito, a former member of the idol group "Hinatazaka46" and an actress, appeared at a photocall at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival, which is being held in Cannes, France on May 22nd.
Saito's first starring movie, "Renai Saiban" (directed by Fukada Koji, to be released this winter), was entered in the Cannes Premiere Section, and she appeared with Fukada at a photo call attended by many foreign media. The two of them showed big smiles with the ocean of Cannes behind them, responding to calls of "Kyoko!" and "Kouji!" from the foreign media. Photographers gathered from all over the world were excited, shouting "Awesome!", and an unusual round of applause broke out after the shoot ended.
With the world premiere official screening and red carpet walk coming up, Saito said, "This is something that I never dreamed of, something that might happen once in a lifetime, so I would like to walk down the red carpet feeling grateful for being able to be here."
Director Fukada was inspired by a newspaper article about a former female idol ordered to pay compensation, and the film took 10 years to conceive. Based on the theme of the "no dating rule" that is whispered about as fact in the Japanese idol world, the film depicts a popular female idol who was sued by her agency for breaching her contract and ended up in court.
