KVIFF@Colours — Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus (Japan 2023)

The swan song of a beloved maestro; a crystal clear encounter with a genius. The legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto lost his battle with cancer on 28 March 2023. In the years leading up to his death, the Academy Award-winner for Best Original Score for The Last Emperor no longer had the strength to perform live, yet, in late 2022, he mustered all his energy to leave behind one final performance: a concert film, featuring just him and his piano. The twenty pieces chosen by him, reflecting an artistic career spanning half a century, wordlessly narrate his life through his music: From the period when he co-founded the electropop legend Yellow Magic Orchestra, and his stunning scores for Bertolucci’s films, to his meditative final album, 12.

Directed by Neo Sora; 103 min.