The next project has been announced for young actor Yagira Yuya (14), surprise winner of the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival in May. He will star in “Hoshi ni Natta Shonen – Little Randy and Shining Boy,” to be released next summer. It tells the true story of Sakamoto Tetsumu who went to Thailand to become an elephant trainer. After returning to build an elephant park in Japan, he was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 20. The movie will be based on the book by Sakamoto’s mother. Filming will begin in October and take place in Japan and Thailand. With high school entrance exams coming up next spring, Yagira will study with a private tutor during the shoot. He plans to spend this summer vacation working with elephants.