Astrakan Film AB is proud to announce that it will release “Lost Girls & Love Hotels” from director William Olsson (“An American Affair,” “Reliance”), writer Catherine Hanrahan and producer Lauren Mann (“Swiss Army Man”) Digitally and On-Demand September 18th. The long-awaited film stars Alexandra Daddario (“San Andreas,” TV’s “True Detective”), and Takehiro Hira (“The Fighter Pilot,” “The Floating Castle”) and is an adaptation of Hanrahan’s 2006 novel of the same name.
“Lost Girls & Love Hotels,” tells the story of an American English teacher named Margaret (Alexandra Daddario) and her nightly pilgrimages through Tokyo’s glittering nightlife in an attempt to forget her painful past and discover new meaning in the arms of a mysterious Yakuza (Takehiro Hira) named Kazu. The provocative tale takes the viewer on a journey through the darkest alleyways of Japan, as their affair tears them apart and reshapes them across Tokyo’s landscape of dive bars, alleyways, and three-hour love hotels. In addition to Daddario and Hira, the film also stars Carice van Houten (TV’s “Game of Thrones,” “Valkyrie”), Misuzu Kanno (“37 Seconds,” “Vise”) and Kate Easton (“Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” “You Were Never Really Here”).
For fans of Catherine Hanrahan’s novel, the release of “Lost Girls & Love Hotels” marks the culmination of a lengthy journey from page to screen since the book’s initial publishing in 2006. With Alexandra Daddario and Takehiro Hira in the lead roles and William Olsson at the helm, supported by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning editor Sarah Flack (“Somewhere,” “Bling Ring”), the film is poised to bring audiences an exhilarating and often-overlooked view of the balance between tradition and modernity in Tokyo. Additional credits include US casting by Susan Shopmaker (“First Reformed,” “Martha Macy May Marlene”), and Japanese casting by Kei Kawamura (“Silence”).
The film will be the first title distributed by newly established Astrakan Releasing, the distribution arm of Astrakan AB Film, in partnership with distribution consultant Steven Friedlander of SGF & Partners. On launching with “Lost Girls & Love Hotels,” producer Lauren Mann (“Swiss Army Man”) says, “When I first read “Lost Girls & Love Hotels,’ I knew we had something very special on our hands. Having seen Catherine’s words come to life with such depth, honesty, and beauty, it was obvious to us that this was the film we wanted to make our debut into distribution with.”
Director William Olsson adds, “At the Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto there is a tomb called Buddhas Womb. As you enter the tomb, you walk into total darkness with only a handrail to guide you. You walk and walk until you are completely deprived of any visual sense. Then, finally, you start to see the light at the end of a tunnel, and you come upon an ancient stone illuminated by a small hole in the roof. The lesson is simple. In order to see the light you first have to experience the dark. And that is ultimately what Lost Girls is for me. A story of being reborn. A journey through the dark to the light. Just like the movie itself, which I am thrilled to bring into the light on September 4th.”
Astrakan Film AB is currently in the final days of shooting Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter” starring Tiffany Haddish, Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, and Tye Sheridan. The production was shut down in March due to the COVID pandemic.
“Lost Girls & Love Hotels” will hit select US theaters, Digital, and VOD September 4th. International sales are being handled by Voltage Pictures.
