‘Shall We Dance?’ 4K Restoration Nabbed by Film Movement (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran

16 March 2025 at 7:05 pm·2-min read

Film Movement has acquired North American rights to the 4K restoration of Masayuki Suô’s 1996 box office hit “Shall We Dance?,” it was revealed at Hong Kong FilMart.

The deal, announced by Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg and Kadokawa Corp.’s Shoko Yoneda, includes the original, uncut version never before available in North America.

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The romantic comedy, starring “Perfect Days” actor Yakusho Koji, will receive a theatrical release beginning May 30 at New York’s Film Forum. The restored film runs 17 minutes longer than the version previously released by Miramax. The film grossed nearly $10 million in the U.S. and spawned a 2004 English-language remake with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.

The film follows Shohei Sugiyama (Yakusho), a successful, middle-aged accountant who feels unfulfilled despite having a loving wife (Hideko Hara) and beautiful daughter. After spotting a beautiful woman, Mai Kishikawa (Tamiyo Kusakari), dancing in a window during his commute, he tracks her to a dance studio and signs up for ballroom dance lessons.

“‘Shall We Dance?’ was truly a revelation when it opened in U.S. theaters,” said Rosenberg. “Suô crafted a warm, wonderful romantic comedy that captured the hearts of filmgoers, and we’re thrilled to bring it back to North American theaters in a gorgeously restored 4K edition, original and uncut as the director intended.”

The deal also includes 4K restorations of two earlier Suô films: 1989’s “Fancy Dance,” about a punk rocker turned Buddhist monk, and 1992’s “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t,” which follows an underdog collegiate sumo team. Both films will screen at Film Forum during the “Shall We Dance?” run and will be released digitally at the end of 2025.

Film Movement’s recent acquisitions also include Sean Devlin’s “ASOG,” Sook-Yin Lee’s “Paying for It,” Scandar Copti’s “Happy Holidays,” Leonardo Van Dijl’s “Julie Keeps Quiet,” Lou Ye’s “An Unfinished Film,” the Zürcher brothers’ “The Sparrow in the Chimney” and Hiroshi Okuyama’s “My Sunshine.”

Founded in 2002, Film Movement distributes award-winning independent and international films, having released more than 300 feature films from festivals worldwide. The company launched its reissue label Film Movement Classics in 2015, featuring new restorations released theatrically and on digital platforms.

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