The 37th Toronto International Film Festival 2012 announced its award winners today. Sion Sono’s new film, THE LAND OF HOPE received the NETPAC Award. 

New this year is the NETPAC Award for the Best First or Second Feature World or International Asian Film Premiere, as selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. Jury members include Laurice Guillen (Philippines), Shelly Kraicer (Toronto/Beijing) and Azize Tan (Istanbul).

The award goes to Sion Sono’s THE LAND OF HOPE. The jury remarked: “For its subtle, complex and artful account of the social and political aspects of a national trauma that ends in hope and love, the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival NETPAC Award for best feature film is given to The Land of Hope by Sion Sono.”

The award-winning director Sion Sono (Love Exposure, Cold Fish, Guilty of Romance, Himizu) has presented his new film THE LAND OF HOPE in World Premiere in Toronto last week. The film is the Japan’s first feature drama depicting one family trying to face the hard but true reality of Tohoku Tsunami earthquakes and nuclear power plant explosion.

In a typical Japanese village, Yoichi Ono lives with his wife, Izumi and his parents. The Ono family lives a frugal but happy life as dairy farmers in the peaceful village. One day, the worst earthquake in history strikes, causing a nearby nuclear power station to explode. Their neighbours, who live within the range of the nuclear power station, are forcibly ordered by the government to evacuate. But the Ono family, whose property sits half in and half out of the designated range, must decide whether or not to leave their home.

Director Sion Sono has attracted both domestic and international acclaim through his recent films: "Cold Fish" (Venice 2010), "Guilty of Romance" (Cannes 2011) and "Himizu", which won the Marcello Mastroianni Award (Best New Actor Award) for the main actors, Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido. His new film “The Land of Hope” had its World Premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 37th Toronto International Film Festival 2012. 

THE LAND OF HOPE stars Isao Natsuyagi, Naoko Otani, Jun Murakami, Megumi Kagurazaka. The film is produced by Yuji Sadai, Mizue Kunizane, Yuko Shiomaki (Pictures Dept. – Japan) with Adam Torel (Third Window Films - UK) and James Liu (Joint Entertainment International - Taiwan). World Sales : Pictures Dept.

The film will have its Japanese theatrical release on October 20, 2012, distributed by Bitters End, inc.  

Metropolitan Films will release the film in France.