'Drive My Car' scores big, but Hollywood budgets a distant dream

TOKYO -- The Oscar win by "Drive My Car" shows once again that Japanese movies can compete artistically on the global stage. But it also underscores the chasm between the Japanese and American film industries in terms of budgets.

"Drive My Car" received the Academy Award for best international feature film -- a "feat that is symbolic for a live-action Japanese movie," said a representative of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Adapted from a short story by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami, the movie meticulously tells a story incorporating the powerful themes of loss and renewal.