“Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” has sold to Sony Pictures Classics following its debut at Sundance. The crowd-pleasing story of a widow named Haru — whose love of ballroom dancing helps her overcome her grief after the shocking death of her husband — was one of the festival’s opening night films, scoring a standing ovation. Critics seemed to agree with the audience, with reviews praising the direction of Josef Kubota Wladyka, the lead performance of Oscar nominee Rinko Kikuchi and the imaginative dance sequences.
IndieWire wrote, “‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!’ offers an effervescent spirit so often missing in this milieu, with a lovely performance from Kikuchi at its center.” And The Hollywood Reporter raved, “with an engaging star and a story that leads to a touching, optimistic ending, Wladyka has created a little gem likely to find its audience.”
The pact is for global rights to the picture. Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, Yoh Yoshida, You and Damián Alcázar co-star in the film. Wladyka co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Huynh. Additional members of the creative team include composer Nathan Halpern, cinematographer Daniel Satinoff and editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr. Producers include Kimberly Parker Zox and Mao Nagakura.
Kikuchi is best known for her work in “Babel,” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, and for her turns in “Pacific Rim” and “Tokyo Vice,” which she worked on with Wladyka. For her latest role in “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,” Kikuchi underwent six months of ballroom dance training.
“I needed the dance to be as convincing as possible,”Kikuchi told Variety. “It was very critical in order to show Haru and Luis’ relationship.”
Wladyka’s credits include the features “Catch the Fair One,” which launched the acting career of Kali Reis and earned the pro boxer an Independent Spirit Award nomination, as well as “Manos Sucias.” He has directed episodes of “Narcos” and “One Piece.” Wladyka said “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” was inspired by his own mother, who was in the audience on opening night and received her own standing ovation. “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” is the first feature film in competition at Sundance to score a distribution deal. Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” was purchased by A24, but that film bowed out of competition.
“Exhilarating, surprising, immensely entertaining describe this wonderful new film directed by filmmaker, Josef Wladyka. We can’t wait for theatrical audiences everywhere to be energized by and smile as they watch ‘Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty,” stated Sony Pictures Classics.
Sony Pictures Classics has released such seminal indie films as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Howard’s End,” “Whiplash,” “Capote” and “The Lives of Others.” Last year, it distributed the Oscar-nominated “Blue Moon,” as well as the box office hit “Nuremberg.”
“I have so much admiration and respect for the body of work and history that Sony Pictures Classics represents. To join their family and put this film out into theaters is a dream come true. I can’t wait for the world to see Rinko Kikuchi’s formidable performance,” Wladyka said in a statement.
CAA handled sales of the film.