Hulu has acquired a new documentary from the Toronto International Film Festival about an infamous Japanese reality show.
What’s Happening:
- Variety reports that Hulu has acquired the documentary The Contestant out of this year’s TIFF.
- Directed by Clair Titley, the film follows the bizarre story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, an aspiring comedian who ended up on a series called Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes.
- The early reality format followed Hamatsu as he was enclosed in an empty room, completely naked, and could only fill out magazine sweepstakes in the hopes to earn food, clothing, and other necessary items for living.
- The series was watched by over 15 million people back in 1998 and became a blueprint for exploitative and extreme reality television.
- The documentary is set to be released sometime in 2024.
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