“Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!,” an American drama directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, was theatrically released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics on Sept. 25.
In the film, which won a directing award at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Haru (Rinko Kikuchi) and Luis (Alejandro Edda) are passionate competitors in the Tokyo ballroom dance scene. After a tragedy causes Haru to withdraw into isolation, her friends coax her back to the studio, where she develops an infatuation with a new instructor (Alberto Guerra). As sparks fly, Haru mas navigate her grief and her newfound desire
The case also includes You, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar, Keren Louis and Charley Flyte. The dialogue is in Japanese, English and Spanish.
Kikuchi previously worked with Wladyka on the Max series “Tokyo Vice,” in which she played Emi Maruyama. Kikuchi was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Babel” (2006).
Her other credits include “Norwegian Wood” (2010), “Pacific Rim” (2013), and “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” (2014), for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best female lead.
The film is currently playing at theaters throughout Southern California. Info/tickets: https://hachanshakeyourbooty.com/