Keanu Reeves’ path to the lead voice role in Japanese stop-motion feature “Hidari” began with the project’s proof-of-concept film.

Director Kawamura Masashi revealed at the Tokyo International Film Festival that Reeves watched the pilot before his casting was announced at Cannes in May. About a week after the filmmakers arranged the viewing, the actor’s team responded with an invitation to talk over Zoom.

“About a week later we heard back, and it was, ‘OK, let’s do a Zoom,’” Kawamura said. “I was thinking, so this is how fast things move these days. Then we got on the call and Keanu was there on the other side.”

Kawamura, who created and wrote “Hidari” and is directing it, had kept Reeves at the top of his list for the film’s lead voice. Producers subsequently found a way to contact the actor and get the pilot in front of him.

A Character Inspired by Two Screen Figures

The Reeves connection was built into the project long before that Zoom meeting. Kawamura said the film was heavily influenced by Kurosawa’s work, and he gave the puppet makers a highly specific reference while the central character was being designed.

“I asked for Mifune Toshiro and Keanu Reeves added together, divided by two and then aged,” Kawamura said.

Kawamura discussed the project alongside co-director Ogawa Iku during a session focused on Film Frontier, a talent development initiative supported by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and operated by Tokyo International Film Festival organizer UniJapan.

The program has covered the team’s travel to markets and other industry events. Now in its third year, Film Frontier is part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Creator Support Fund, which supports creators for approximately three years, spanning project development through overseas rollout.

The Pilot Became “Hidari’s” Calling Card

The filmmakers shot the proof-of-concept short about three years ago, financing it themselves with assistance from crowdfunding before releasing it on YouTube. Kawamura said it has since generated approximately 5.3 million views and around 120,000 followers, many of them outside Japan.

That visual demonstration was particularly important for a concept combining hand-carved wood, stop-motion filmmaking and period drama.

“It’s a very austere project,” Kawamura said. “If we’d pitched it with just a written proposal, I don’t think anyone would have understood it.”

With backing from Film Frontier, the team took “Hidari” to the Annecy Animation Showcase at the Cannes Film Market. They brought one of the production’s hand-carved puppets, which Kawamura said attracted even more attention than the filmmakers themselves.

The Cannes platform also allowed the team to present the film to distributors and agents, as well as audiences interested in live-action and action projects. Kawamura emphasized that the filmmakers do not define “Hidari” solely by its animation technique.

“Stop-motion is a really small world, and people tend to assume it’s a narrow market,” he said. “But even though it’s stop-motion, we think of it as an action film.”

Ogawa, who works at stop-motion company Dwarf Studios, also attended Annecy this year. He said stop-motion remains a niche technique in commercial film and television animation, even though it appears frequently in festival shorts and student programs. Annecy, he noted, brings together studios from Europe, North America and elsewhere.

“When I took the puppet along, it was hugely popular,” Ogawa said. “It was fun.”

Another Filmmaker Takes Notice

“Hidari” also drew interest from “RRR” director S.S. Rajamouli. Kawamura said he met the Indian filmmaker at Annecy and showed him the project, leading to a standing conversation of about 30 minutes focused on how it had been made.

According to Kawamura, Rajamouli told him: “You’re amazing. How did you make this?”

Kawamura described the encounter as the kind of unexpected connection that can happen at a festival between filmmakers who would rarely meet otherwise.

Financing Remains the Central Challenge

Despite Reeves’ involvement and the pilot’s online reach, “Hidari” is still seeking the financing needed to move forward. Kawamura said the project has a large budget and that the team continues to pursue grants, sales and partnerships with overseas distributors.

“In terms of speed, we’re making it the indie way,” he said, adding that the team’s ability to move quickly had helped the project make it “across thin ice.”

At an appearance in Busan earlier in the month, Dwarf Studios producer Matsumoto Noriko said discussions with a U.S. company had stalled. The company had offered to finance the full budget in exchange for all rights to the project.

ShowBiz Take

Reeves’ casting shows exactly why the “Hidari” team invested in making a pilot rather than relying on a written pitch. The short gave viewers a direct look at an unusual combination of wood carving, stop-motion, period drama and action—ultimately helping the filmmakers secure a conversation with their preferred lead voice.

The project’s 5.3 million YouTube views, international following and reception at industry events have created momentum around a form that its own filmmakers acknowledge remains commercially niche. The unresolved question is whether that attention can now be converted into financing without requiring the team to surrender all rights.

What Happens Next?

The “Hidari” filmmakers will continue selling the project while seeking grants and overseas distribution partnerships. With one full-budget funding discussion stalled, securing the remaining financial support is the next major step for the stop-motion feature.