In the final stages of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s life, with touring and solo shows now impossible due to his health battle, the classical composer, techno-pop pioneer and prodigious piano soloist wanted to perform for the world one final time. So he booked the finest studio in Tokyo and played to a tiny audience – a film crew led by his son Neo Sora. The result is the extraordinary documentary RYUICHI SAKAMOTO | OPUS.
Ryuichi Sakamoto composed soundtracks for more than 30 films, including Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence by Nagisa Oshima, The Last Emperor andThe Sheltering Sky by Bernardo Bertolucci and The Revenant by Alejandro González Iñárritu. He won several cinematic accolades, including an Academy Award, a Grammy, a BAFTA, and two Golden Globes.
In 2018 Hi Gloss Entertainment released Ryuichi Sakamoto | Coda, which premiered at the 75th Venice Film Festival.Coda chronicled Ryuichi Sakamoto’s survival from throat cancer and his anti-nuclear activism after the Fukushima disaster while offering the first real insight into the maestro’s fascinating creative processes.
Shot with intimate detail by filmmaker Neo Sora at theNHK’s 509 Studio in Tokyo, the studio that Sakamoto regarded as the finest in all of Japan. Ryuichi Sakamoto performed for the world one final time. Alone on stage with his famed Yamaha grand piano, Sakamoto performed a carefully curated selection of 21 songs spanning his decades-long career. Shot in an intimate black and white, Sora captures the master’s swansong with breathtaking intimacy and emotion.
The film will be playing exclusively in cinemas on the weekend of May 05-06.
SYDNEY
Palace Central (Sat 4 May & Sun 5 May)
Chauval Cinema (Sat 4 May & Sun 5 May)
Dendy Newtown (Limited season from 2 May)
Golden Age (Limited season from 2 May)
Sydney Opera House (May 04-05)
Ritz Cinema (Limited season from 2 May)
Hayden Orpheum (May 05
Vale Ryuichi Sakamoto – January 17, 1952 – March 28, 2023
