A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

There was a rarity on the awards season trail Thursday night. None other than arguably the biggest movie star in the world turned up in Culver City to host an FYC screening, and it was for a movie he hadn’t even seen until just recently but one he is justifiably instantly passionate about.

Tom Cruise came in specifically to introduce a special screening of Lee Sang-il’s Japanese International Film Oscar entry , Kokuho , at the Culver Theatre in front of a packed house with many Academy voters present. The film has become the biggest box office success for a live-action film in Japan’s history , earning more than $112 million, a word-of-mouth sensation in the country. The epic drama spans 50 years in the life of

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