'Two Seasons, Two Strangers'

Source: Locarno Film Festival

‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’

EXCLUSIVE: Montreal-based distributor Ritual has picked up Canadian rights to Sho Miyake’s Locarno Golden Lion winner Two Seasons, Two Strangers in a deal with Japan’s Bitters End.

The company plans a theatrical release across Canada on June 19, 2026, which will be managed in collaboration with Several Futures, the film’s US distributor.

Based on a manga by surrealist artist Yoshiharu Tsuge, the film stars Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung as a writer who searches for creative and romantic fulfilment in Japan. The cast also includes Japanese actor Shinichi Tsutsumi and Yuumi Kawai. Following its award-winning A release for Two Seasons, Two Strangers in Japan is planned for November 7 through Bitters End.

Following a festival run that included competitive slots at Locarno, San Sebastian and Busan, it opened locally in Japan on November 7.

It marks a growing Asian slate for distributor Ritual, which has previously acquired Super Happy Forever from Japanese filmmaker Kohei Igarashi, Cannes title Only The River Flows from China’s Wei Shujun and What Does That Nature Say To You from South Korea’s Hong Sang-soo. The latter premiered in Competition at this year’s Berlinale and is set for a theatrical release in Canada on March 20, 2026.

Ritual launched in January 2024 and is building its reputation as a distribution company dedicated to international festival titles, restored modern classics and contemporary features.

William Gagnon, head of sales and acquisitions at Ritual, said Two Seasons, Two Strangers points to its growing ambition to bring international titles to Canadian audiences.

“These acquisitions reflect our ambition to assert Ritual’s leadership in the Canadian foreign-language film market,” he said. “Few distributors, for instance, brought Super Happy Forever to theatres despite its global rollout on Mubi but we believed it deserved that opportunity. Step by step, we’re working to grow audiences, strengthen the ecosystem, and ensure that remarkable international cinema has a meaningful place in Canada’s cultural landscape.”

Ritual creative director Olivia Courchesne added that the distributor planned to attach itself to Japanese titles at earlier stages going forward.

“When it comes to Japanese films specifically, we’re also looking to get involved earlier in these projects’ development,” she said. “Our approach of co-distribution — rather than sub-distribution — has proven particularly suited to films of this scale, helping them build momentum for a broader North American audience.”

Two Seasons, Two Strangers was previously picked up for several territories in Europe and Asia.

The feature is co-produced by Culture Entertainment, Sedic International, and The Fool.

Miyake is the director of Small, Slow But Steady and All The Long Nights, which were selected for the Berlinale in 2022 and 2024 respectively. He was awarded the Kurosawa Akira Award at Tokyo International Film Festival in 2024.

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