Kore-eda Hirokazu Brings Manga Adaptation 'Look Back' to Venice Competition

Kore-eda Hirokazu's live-action adaptation of Fujimoto Tatsuki's manga Look Back has premiered in competition at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, marking the Japanese director's fourth appearance at the Lido and his third time working from manga source material (Variety).

The film runs 100 minutes in Japanese and is produced by K2, Kore-eda's own production company, according to the official Biennale listing (Biennale). It screens as part of the Venezia 83 Competition section, with festival awards scheduled to be announced on 12 September (Crunchyroll News).

Look Back began life as a one-shot web manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki — best known as the creator of Chainsaw Man — published on Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ platform in July 2021. The story follows two classmates, Fujino and Kyomoto, who chase professional manga-making dreams while still in school (Variety; Wikipedia). In the original manga, Fujino is a fourth grader who draws a strip for her school newspaper (Manga Plus).

Kore-eda told Variety he decided to adapt Look Back as a response to the pandemic-era slump that shuttered cinemas worldwide. He said he wanted to convey his gratitude to Fujimoto for the work (Variety).

Translating manga to live action meant rethinking the form. Kore-eda turned the manga's monologues into dialogues and its words into actions, adapting the material for a medium that moves by showing rather than telling. He also softened the protagonist Fujino, who is brash and arrogant in both the manga and its anime incarnation (Variety).

The cast is led by four young actresses — Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Furi Nanase, Rokka Okada, and Masaki — who were trained by a hired manga-drawing instructor with weekly assignments to make the drawing scenes look authentic on screen. Nanase Furi portrays Fujino during her school years (Variety; Biennale).

Behind the camera, Kore-eda also took on editing duties. Senzo Ueno served as cinematographer, Shinsuke Kojima as production designer, Sacico Ito as costume designer, and Yuta Bandoh composed the score (Biennale).

Look Back was among the Asian entries in the 2026 Venice competition lineup, which was announced on 23 July (Variety). The project was first reported in December 2025, when Kore-eda's plan to adapt the manga was confirmed (Variety).

For a director best known for humanist dramas like Shoplifters, a manga adaptation is a lane he has returned to more than once — and the Venice competition slot puts it squarely in the awards conversation, with the jury's verdict coming on 12 September.