A man in a traditional Japanese garment is standing while other men dressed similarly are  crouched and surrounding him. A helmet and armour is visible in the background.

The Samurai and the Prisoner Sydney Film Festival

  • Cinema
  • Playhouse
  • Run time: 147 minutes Subject to change
  • Seating map

A Cannes-selected samurai epic from Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Japan | 2026 | Japanese | History / Drama | Unclassified 15+

Veteran auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, SFF 1998) delivers his first-ever samurai film with this majestic, Cannes-selected epic set in Japan's Warring States period.

Japan, 1578. Lord Araki Murashige (Departures) is at war with former ally, Oda. Oda sends gifted strategist Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda, Cloud) as an envoy to Arioka Castle, where Murashige is holed up. Instead of executing Kanbei, as is samurai custom, Murashige imprisons him in his dungeon, keeping him as a valuable, yet dangerous, pawn. Set over four seasons, each surrounding a puzzling occurrence within Arioka Castle that Murashige must solve, the film masterfully melds elements of the samurai and detective genres, adapting the award-winning novel by Honobu Yonezawa. With supreme elegance, beauty and thematic control, The Samurai and the Prisoner earns its place in the esteemed canon of Japanese samurai cinema.

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Sydney Film Festival

Event details

Cast and credits

Cast member Masahiro Motoki
Cast member Masaki Suda
Cast member Yuriko Yoshitaka

Director & Screenwriter Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Producer Satoko Ishida
Cinematographer Yasuyuki Sasaki
Editor Koichi Takahashi

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Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

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The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

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Playhouse

The Playhouse is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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