Mamiko Kawamoto
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Kadokawa ready for Hong Kong HQ launch
Japan's leading media group, Kadokawa Holdings, is to open its newheadquarters in China in August.
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Sumitomo snaps up Japan's AMC Theatres
Sumitomo already owns 11multiplexes across Japan through the United Cinemas exhibitor brand.
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Tropical Malady scoops Grand Prize at fifth FILMeX festival in Tokyo
TropicalMalady - this year's Cannes special jury prize winner, has won the Grand Prizeat the fifth edition of the FILMeX festival in Tokyo.Director Apichatpong Weerasethakulwon a $9,000 cash prize (Y1m) for the second time, after winning the prize withBlissfully Yours in 2002.The Special Jury Prize'Kodak Vision Award (with a purse ...
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Tropical Malady scoops Grand Prize at fifth FILMeX festival in Tokyo
TropicalMalady - this year's Cannes special jury prize winner, has won the Grand Prizeat the fifth edition of the FILMeX festival in Tokyo.Director Apichatpong Weerasethakulwon a $9,000 cash prize (Y1m) for the second time, after winning the prize withBlissfully Yours in 2002.The Special Jury Prize"Kodak Vision Award (with a purse ...
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Canary to sing at Tokyo FILMeX opening
The Tokyo FILMeX festival (Nov20-28) has announced its line-up for its fifth edition, with a competitionsection presenting ten features from young Asian directors.The festival's opening film will be Japanesedirector Akihiko Shinota's Canary, which receives its world premiere atTokyo FILMeX. The director of Harmful Insect, Shiota's latest featuredepicts the story of ...
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Steamboy under pressure on Japanese debut
Katsuhiro Otomo's long-awaited new animation Steamboy- which cost a record-breaking $22m (Y2.4bn) to make - grossed a weak $2.2m on its three-day opening weekend fromJuly 17 on 262 screens nationwide.
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Euro buyers swoop for Japanese samurai action feature
European buyers have snapped up Japanese samurai action feature Azumi.
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Japanese studio draws up mass market animation plans
Spurred onby the success of rival Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Japan's Toei Animation hasbegun to shift its emphasis away from kid-targeted TV fare to produce moreanimation features aimed at a wide audience.
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Japan's Movie Television files for bankruptcy protection
Japan's Movie Television, a leading seller of Hollywood films and TV programmes to Japanese TV, has filed for protection from its creditors after its debts climbed to $345m (Y38bn) at the end of January.
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Grudge remake sold to 27 territories
The Grudge, Ghost House Pictures' English-language remake of the Japanese hit horror Ju-On, has been sold to 27 territories including North America (Columbia Pictures), Czech/Slovakia (AQS), Greece (Audiovisual), Russia (Central Partner), Germany (Constantin), Benelux (Dutch Dreamwork), Scandinavia (Egmont), Portugal (LNK), France (Metropolitain), Spain (Planeta), Iceland (Sam Film), Poland (Vision), Bulgaria/Romania/Ex-Yugoslavia ...
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Top Japanese broadcaster unveils film ambitions
Japan's leading TV broadcaster Fuji TV is aggressively expanding its business into film production and foreign film acquisitions.
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Japan's Asmik Ace teams up for new video label
Leading Japanese independent film distributor Asmik Ace Entertainment, publisher Kadokawa Shoten Publishing and Kadokawa Holdings and have jointly launched a video & DVD distribution unit.
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Nippon Herald to slash Hollywood acquisitions
Leading Japanese independent distributor Nippon Herald plans to reduce its acquisition of major Hollywood titles to improve revenues in its film distribution business.
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Japan acts to boost its international film profile
Encouraged by recent Hollywood interest in Japanese films such as The Ring and Spirited Away, the Japanese government is looking to further raise the profile of local films abroad.
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Gaga blames losses on bad timing
Japanese distributor Gaga Communications has blamed its release strategy for Hollywood films as one of the reasons for cutting its earnings forecast earlier this month.
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Japanese horror takes Asian box office by storm
Japanese hit horror The Grudge (Ju-on) is repeating its box office success across Asia.
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Rings fever hits Japan early
Japanese distributor Nippon Herald Films has sold a record number of advanced tickets to The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King - even though it does not open in Japan until Spring 2004.
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Matrix Reloaded crosses Japanese milestone
The Matrix Reloaded has crossed the symbolic Y10bn ($83.3m) mark at the Japanese box office following its release on June 7 on 631 screens nationwide.
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Tokyo names Gong Li as head of jury
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, the new director-general of the Tokyo International Film Festival (Nov 1-9), has named Chinese actress Gong Li (Breaking The Silence, The Emperor And The Assassin, Temptress Moon) as the jury chairman for the festival's 16th edition.
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Buyers rush to acquire Grudge sequel
The Grudge 2, the sequel to Japanese hit horror The Grudge (Juon), was sold to France, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Korea and Thailand at Cannes this year, while over 18 other countries, including the US, are in negotiations.