His 2000 film Eureka, also set in Fukuoka, opened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival where it received both the FIPRESCI prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Together with the 2007 film Sad Vacation, Eureka and Helpless comprise Aoyama's "Kitakyushu Saga."
The 2000 film "Eureka," set in Fukuoka, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, winning both the FIPRESCI prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.  This was part of a trilogy with "Sad Vacation" (2007) and "Helpless", collectively known as Aoyama's "Kitakyushu Saga."