They’re not even hiding it anymore. Neon has set plans in motion to win that seventh straight Palme d’Or.
The indie label is already backing new 2026 films by Arthur Harari, Cristian Mungiu, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Nicolas Winding Refn — all ready for Cannes competition — and has just added another title to their 2026 sandbox: a film that will also, quite possibly, be vying for the Palme this coming May.
Neon has acquired Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All Of A Sudden,” the new film from the director of the Oscar winner “Drive My Car.”
Shot in France and Japan, “All Of A Sudden” stars Virginie Efira (“Benedetta”) and Tao Okamoto (“The Wolverine”). The film will have a similar runtime to Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” which clocked in at three hours — that’s what Efira told attendees last year at the Marrakech Film Festival.
Hamaguchi co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna. The story draws loose inspiration from “You and I – The Illness Suddenly Gets Worse,” a book by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono that compiles a series of real-life letters exchanged between the two authors.
Hamaguchi’s earlier films — the highly praised five-hour “Happy Hour” and the overlooked “Asako I & II” — helped lay the groundwork for his subsequent success. In 2021, he released, the captivating triptych “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” and the Oscar heralded “Drive My Car.” His last film was 2022’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” which also garnered acclaim.
Neon has built a remarkable Palme d’Or streak, beginning with “Parasite” and continuing through “Titane,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” and last year’s “Anora.” With “It Was Just An Accident,” they’re aiming to keep that winning streak alive.