FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES WORLDWIDE RIGHTS TO JOSEF KUBOTA WLADYKA’S ‘HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!’
This marks the first sale in dramatic narrative competition and is Sony Pictures Classics’ first acquisition out of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered and received a standing ovation.
NEW YORK, NY (January 29, 2026) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired the worldwide rights to HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! co-written by Josef Kubota Wladyka, and Nicholas Huynh and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka. This marks the first sale in dramatic narrative competition and is Sony Pictures Classics’ first acquisition out of the festival. The director Josef Kubota Wladyka received a standing ovation at the film’s premiere, along with his mother, the real-life Ha-Chan.
Inspired by the spirit of Josef’s mother, Ha-Chan, HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! follows Haru and Luis who love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
The film, which was shot in Tokyo, stars Academy Award and Golden Globe ® nominee Rinko Kikuchi (BABEL, THE BROTHERS BLOOM), Alberto Guerra (GRISELDA, NARCOS: MEXICO), Alejandro Edda (AMERICAN MADE,NARCOS: MEXICO), YOU (COME COME EVERYBODY, 9 BORDER) Yoh Yoshida (FLYING COLORS, POISON BERRY IN MY BRAIN) and Damián Alcázar (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN). Additional notable film creatives include composer Nathan Halpern, cinematographer Daniel Satinoff and editor Benjamin Rodriguez, Jr. Producers include Kimberly Parker Zox and Mao Nagakura.
“Exhilarating, surprising, immensely entertaining describe this wonderful new film directed by filmmaker, Josef Kubota Wladyka. We can’t wait for theatrical audiences everywhere to be energized by and smile as they watch HA-CHAN SHAKE YOUR BOOTY,” stated Sony Pictures Classics.
“I have so much admiration and respect for the body of work and history that Sony Pictures Classics represents. To join their family and put this film out into theaters is a dream come true. I can’t wait for the world to see Rinko Kikuchi’s formidable performance,” added Kubota Wladyka.
The film was negotiated between CAA Media Finance and Sony Pictures Classics on behalf of the filmmakers.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world. Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 42 Academy Awards® (38 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 192 Academy Award® nominations (166 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for I’M STILL HERE, THE FATHER, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services. http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.
