WarnerMedia OneFifty Acquires Academy Award Nominated Feature Film Drive My Car For HBO Max

WarnerMedia OneFifty has acquired the Japanese road drama DRIVE MY CAR to premiere on HBO Max on March 2, 2022. The film is directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi who also co-wrote the screenplay with Takamasa Oe, adapted from the short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami. A Sideshow and Janus Films release, the film received nominations for the 94^th Academy Awards in four categories: Best Picture, Directing, International Feature Film, and Adapted Screenplay. It is the first Japanese film ever to be nominated for Best Picture.

DRIVE MY CAR follows widowed actor/director, Yūsuke Kafuku, as he directs a multilingual production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, while grappling with the sudden death of his wife. Mandated by the festival’s producers, Yusuke is assigned a chauffeur, a young woman named Misaki, to take him to and from rehearsal each day. With the help of Misaki, Yusuke begins to face the haunting mysteries left behind by his wife during their long drives.

“As WarnerMedia's 'artist studio where innovation happens,’ OneFifty has built a track record of identifying incredible artists whose vision we believe in, and acquiring their extraordinary, groundbreaking content. DRIVE MY CAR is no exception. It is a beautiful masterpiece – a subtle but haunting work of artistic vision and innovation by a talented filmmaker and creative team” said Axel Caballero, Head of WarnerMedia OneFifty.

DRIVE MY CAR is one of the most honored international films of the year. Its world premiere was at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it won three awards, including Best Screenplay. DRIVE MY CAR won the 2021 Golden Globe for Best Picture – Non-English Language, and the 2021 Gotham Award for Best International Feature. In addition to its four Academy Award® nominations, it is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Critics Choice Awards, Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards, and received three BAFTA nominations, including Best Film Not in the English Language, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director. DRIVE MY CAR also won 47 critics awards including Best Film from the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics. The film has grossed over one million dollars at the US box office during its robust theatrical rollout.

WarnerMedia OneFifty’s acquisition of DRIVE MY CAR joins a catalogue of critically acclaimed content, including this year’s NAACP Image Award-nominated live action short film WHEN THE SUN SETS, 2022 Spirit Awards nominated film THIS IS NOT A WAR STORY, 2021 Oscar-nominated short WHITE EYE, and Sundance Sloan Winner SON OF MONARCHS, among other groundbreaking content.

Negotiations for DRIVE MY CAR were finalized by Leslie Cohen, SVP of Content Acquisitions for HBO/HBO Max with Chris Grunden, also SVP of Content Acquisitions for HBO/HBO Max.

About WarnerMedia OneFifty

WarnerMedia OneFifty represents the natural complement to the industry-leading work of WarnerMedia and its brands HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, and others. Inspired by the nearly 100-year tradition of innovation at our company, WarnerMedia OneFifty serves as the content elevation hub for WarnerMedia, and as an artist studio where content innovation happens, seeking to amplify the best, most compelling untold and artist-forward stories to audiences.  https://onefifty.com/

About HBO MAX

HBO Max™ is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform, offering best in class quality entertainment. HBO Max features the greatest array of storytelling for all audiences from the iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and more. The platform launched in the United States in May 2020 and introduced a lower priced, advertising-supported tier in June 2021. HBO Max began its global rollout launching in markets across Latin America and the Caribbean last summer, followed by its first European launches in the Nordics and Spain in the fall. Currently available in 46 countries, there are plans for continued expansion of HBO Max in 2022.

About WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands, including HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, and others.  

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