Sydney Film Festival
Travelling Film Festival
Buy Tickets
Search
We acknowledge Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF are based.
We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

The Contestant

Directed by Clair Titley
2023
UK
90 minutes
All Ages
Buy Tickets
Buy a Flexipass now and save!
The incredible true story of a TV contestant left naked in a room, unaware his months-long challenge was being broadcast to millions via a Japanese television show.
In 1998, a budding actor nicknamed ‘Nasubi’ auditioned for a popular TV producer. Successful, he was led into a room, ordered to strip, and tasked with entering magazine sweepstakes to win what he needed to survive – food and clothing included. Nasubi’s expressive face endeared him to viewers, but the hapless contestant was unaware that his every move was being filmed and aired live, and he’d become a mega-celebrity in Japan. With footage from the show and contemporary interviews with Nasubi and his producer, director Clair Titley uncovers the truth behind one the most extraordinary events ever broadcast, a harbinger for today’s reality television.
If it were told in a narrative film, it would seem about as realistic as Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy, which might be the work of fiction that it most closely resembles
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
Your jaw may drop, your head may shake and you may well end up hating at least one character, but it’s hard to take your eyes off the damn thing – and especially hard to take your eyes off Tomoaki Hamatsu, aka Nasubi, the poor guy at the centre of it
Steve Pond, The Wrap
Program Strand
Teaser, International Documentaries
Year
2023
Classification
All Ages
Country
UK
Language
In English and Japanese with English subtitles
Director
Clair Titley
Producer
Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder, Ian Bonhôte
Cast
Tomoaki Hamatsu, Toshio Tsuchiya
Screenwriter
Clair Titley
Cinematographer
Mikul Villaluna Eriksson
Editor
Rachel Meyrick, Katie Bryer
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Genre
Documentary, Women Directors, Asia, Off-Beat
Company Credits
Production Company: Misfits Entertainment

If you like this, you might like...

The Sloth Lane

Feature When a fast-paced city demands fast food, a family of sloths set on opening a food truck might need to pick up the pace in this World Premiere home-grown animated charmer.

La Cocina

Feature Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones star in this intense comedic drama set during the hectic lunch rush at a New York restaurant, from Mexican maverick Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie, SFF 2021).

The Battle For Laikipia

Documentary A powerful film set in Kenya’s spectacular Laikipia region, home to traditional herders, wildlife conservationists, and white pastoralists; a place where drought, politics and colonial history collide.

The Pool

Documentary A spectacular cinematic portrait of the iconic Bondi Icebergs – the pool and the people who cherish it – from The Final Quarter (SFF 2019) director Ian Darling.
Cart
Clear Cart

Your in cinema cart is empty.

View over 500 sessions to find the right films and events for you!

Browse In Cinema Program

Check out our list of films showing in your area

Browse Films

Donate Today
Help us bring you the best in cinema worldwide.
Booking Fee
$0
Subtotal
Total
Planner

Your planner helps you schedule your entire SFF experience. It shows sessions you've saved, purchased or added to your cart in a helpful timeline.

Sign in or register to save your planner!

Your planner is empty.

Use your planner to create your own unique SFF Experience

Browse Films & Events