Japanese distributor Bitters End has acquired international sales rights to "In My Father's Room," a San Sebastian Film Festival competition title marking the feature directorial debut of best-selling novelist Maha Harada. The film, known in Japan as "Muyou no Hito," is adapted from Harada's own short story and sees a hugely popular literary figure move into filmmaking, adding a notable new title to Bitters End's fall sales slate ahead of the festival.

The drama follows Satomi, a museum employee, who receives a key to a room left behind by her recently deceased father and gradually discovers the quiet dignity in how he lived. The cast includes Aoi Yu, Ogata Issey, Nagayama Eita and Watanabe Eri, with cinematography by Kitagawa Yoshio. Harada, who has sold more than ten million books since 2006, brings a background in art history and museum work to the project; Bitters End will also handle the film's Japanese theatrical release in January 2027, adding to a slate that has included "Drive My Car," "Anora" and "The Odyssey."