JAPAN Production Listings - April 7 2004

ASHURAJO NO HITOMI
(Shochiku) Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Samurai action drama. A samurai battles with monsters that haunt ancient capital Edo. Dir: Yojiro Takita. Scr: Masashi Todayama. Main cast: Somegoro Ichikawa. Release date: Spring 2005.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

CHI TO HONE
(Be Wild, Artist Film, Asahi Hoso, Eisei Gekijyo) Backers: Be Wild, Artist Film, Asahi Hoso, Eisei Gekijyo. Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku, Xanadeux. Drama. A dramatic life tale of a North Korean man who immigrates to Japan in 1924. Dir: Yoichi Sai. Scr: Chong Wishing. Main cast: Beat Takeshi.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

GODZILLA FINAL WAR
(Toho Studio) Backers: Toho. Dist (Jap): Toho. The final instalment of the famous Japanese monster Godzilla series. Dir: Ryuhei Kitamura. DoP: Takumi Furuya. Shooting in Japan, Shanghai, New York from June to August 2004. Release date: December 11, 2004.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

HIBI (Working Title)
(There's Enterprise) Budget: Y120m. Backers: There's Enterprise. Int'l sales: There's Enterprise. Dist (Jap): There's Enterprise. Drama. Non fiction tale of a woman pottery artist who is also an activist to support leukaemia patients. Exec prod: Koichi Kusakabe. Prods: Keiko Kusakabe, Takeshi Koide. Dir: Banmei Takahashi. Scr: Banmei Takahashi. DoP: Naoki Kayano. Main cast: Yuko Tanaka, Shunsuke Kubozuka, Asuka Kurosawa, Ittoku Kishibe, Eri Ishida. Shooting in Japan from late April to early June. Release date: Spring 2005.
Contact: There's Enterprise, (81) 33542 1951

RAMPO JIGOKU
(Micott & Basara) Thriller. Four short features based on the stories written by the Japan's biggest mystery writer of the 20th century, Rampo Edogawa. Exec Prod: Sumiji Miyake. Prod: Dai Miyazaki. Dir: Suguru Takeuchi, Akio Jissoji, Hisayasu Sato, Atsuhi Kaneko. Scr: Suguru Takeuchi, Akio Satsukawa, Sirou Yumeno, Atsushi Kaneko. Main cast: Tadanobu Asano. Shooting in Japan in June. Release date: Spring 2006.
Contact: Micott & Basara, (81) 35773 5811

SASORI
Backers: Art Port, BS-i. Int'l sales: Art Port. Dist (Jap): Art Port. Action. The remake of hit erotic action series, Sasori (Scorpion) in 1970s. A female prisoner fights with her inmates. Exec Prod: Junichi Matsushita Prod: Shin Yoneyama. Dir: Kenji Sonoda. Scr: Yoshihiro Izumi. Main cast: Takami Mizuhashi, Masato Ibu. Shooting starts in Japan in June.

Contact: Art Port, (81) 35469 8735

SEMISHIGURE
(Toho Dentsu, Sedic International, K-7, Juneon Entertainment) Budget: Backers: Toho Dentsu, Sedic International, K-7, Jeneon Entertainment. Dist (Jap): Toho. Love Story. A young samurai warrior struggles to make his life in the battles within rural powers. Dir: Mitsuo Kurotsuchi. DoP: Junichi Tozawa. Main cast: Somegoro Ichikawa, Yoshino Kimura, Ryo Fukawa, Koji Imada, Mieko Harada. Shooting in Japan from May 2004.

Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

SHAMO
Backers: Art Port. Int'l sales: Art Port. Dist (Jap): Art Port. Action. A teenager in a juvenile prison masters Karate to survive in battles with his inmates. Exec prod: Junichi Matsushita. Prod: Shin Yoneyama. Dir: Izo Hashimoto. Scr: Izo Hashimoto. Shooting starts in Japan in August.
Contact: Art Port, (81) 35469 8735, mail@artport.co.jp

SHINOBI (NINJA SHINOBI)
(Same Way Production [HK]) Budget: US$2.2m. Backers: Art Port. Int'l sales: Same Way Production. Dist (Jap): Art Port. Action. A deadly battle between two master ninjas. Exec Prod: Junichi Matsushita. Prod: Shin Yoneyama. Dir: Herman Yau. Scr: Herman Yau. DoP: Shogo Ueno. Main cast: MASATO, Sonny Chiba, Eva Huang. Shooting starts in Hong Kong in mid-April.
Contact: Same Way Production, (85) 22787-1317

SPIN KIDS
Budget: $0.8m. Backers: Art Port. Int'l sales: Art Port. Dist (Jap): Art Port. Heart-warming drama about the friendship between two childhood friends. Exec prod: Junichi Matsushita. Prod: Shin Yoneyama. Shooting starts in Japan in autumn 2004.
Contact: Art Port, (81) 35469 8735, mail@artport.co.jp

SURVIVE STYLE 5+
(Tohokushinsha) Backers: Dentsu, Tohokushinsha, Tugboat. Dist (Jap): Toho. Thriller. Scr: Taku Tada. DoP: Main cast: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Hiroshi Abe, Kyoko Koizumi, Yuki Aso. Release date: Autumn 2004.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

TETSUJIN 28 GO
Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Live-action feature based on a hit comic book. A robot fights against terrorists to save Tokyo. Dir: Mori Togashi. Scr: Hiroshi Saito, Kodai Yamada. Main cast: Soryo Ikematsu, You Aoi, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Teruhiko Kagawa, Ayako Kawahara. Release date: January 2005.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
(Studio Ghibli) Backers: Tokuma Shoten Publishing, Nihon TV. Int'l sales: Studio Ghibli. Dist (Jap): Toho. Animation. Based on the British children's book written by Diana Wynne Jones about a love fantasy of a 18-year-old girl who has been turned into a 90-year-old by a wizard, Howl. Prod: Toshio Suzuki. Dir/scr: Hayao Miyazaki.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

KAKUSHIKEN ONI NO TSUME
(Shochiku, Nihon TV, Sumitomo Corporations, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai, Eisei Gekijyo) Backers: Shochiku, Nihon TV, Sumitomo Corporations, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai, Eisei Gekijyo. Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Period drama. A dramatic tale of a young samurai who masters an ancient sword fighting technique. Dir:Yoji Yamada. Scr: Yoji Yamada. Main cast: Masatoshi Nagase, Takako Matsu, Hidetaka Yoshioka. Shooting in Japan until late May. Release date: Autumn 2004.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

KITA NO ZERONEN
(Toei) Budget: Y1.5bn Backers: Kita No Zeronen production committee. Int'l sales: Toei. Dist (Jap): Toei. Dramatic tale of a woman who settles down in a barren land on the northern island of Japan in the late 19th century. Prods: Dir: Isao Yukisada. Scr: Machiko Nasu. DoP: Nobuyasu Kita. Main cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Ken Watanabe, Etsushi Toyokawa, Satomi Ishihara, Yuriko Ishida. Shooting in Japan until October 2004. Release date: January 2005.
Contact:Toei, (81) 33535 7621

LORELEI
(Fuji TV, Toho) Backers: Fuji TV, Toho. Dist (Jap): Toho. Thriller. Japanese government uses a girl with supernatural powers for a secret mission on a hi-tech submarine, Lorelei in World War II. Prods: Hideshi Miyajima, Nozomu Enoki, Nobuyuki Tohya. Dir: Shinji Higuchi. Scr: Tomo Suzuki. DoP: Main cast: Koji Yakusho, Satoshi Tsumabuki, You Kashii. Shooting in Japan until mid-May. Release date: Spring 2005.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

STEAM BOY
(Bandai Visual, Bandai, Toho, Dentsu, IMAGICA, Sunrise.) Backers: Bandai Visual, Bandai, Toho, Dentsu, IMAGICA, Sunrise. Dist (Jap): Toho. Animated action adventure set in 19th-century London from the director of Akira. Prod: Shinji Komori. Dir: Katsuhiro Otomo. Scr: Otomo, Sadayuki Murai.
Contact: Bandai Visual, (81) 35828 3061

POST-PRODUCTION

BAKURETSU TOSHI
(Same Way Production (Hong Kong)) Budget: US$2.4million. Backers: Art Port. Int'l sales: Same Way Production. Dist (Jap): Art Port. Action. Based on a CIA agent's story; an international terrorist group in Hong Kong kidnaps children from across the world to train them to fight against local police force. Exec prod: Junichi Matsushita Prod: Shin Yoneyama. Dir: Sam Leong. Scr: Sam Leong. Main cast: Simon Yam, Sonny Chiba, Alex Wong.
Contact: Same Way Production, (85) 22787-1317

IKA WRESLER
(Klockworx, Phantom Film, Imagica, Cultural Publishers, TV Osaka, Twin, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, River Top) Backers: Klockworx, Phantom Film, Imagica, Cultural Publishers, TV Osaka, Twin, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, River Top. Int'l sales: Klockworx. Dist (Jap): Phantom Film. Romantic fantasy about bookshop assistants in heaven. Prods:. Dir: Minoru Kawasaki. Scr: Minoru Kawasaki. DoP: Yasutaka Nagano. Main cast: Osamu Nishimura, Akira, Kana Ishida, Miho Shiraishi. Release date: summer 2004.
Contact: Klockworx, (81) 35720 7791

LADY JOKER
(Nikkatsu) Budget: Y500m. Dist (Jap): Toei. Thriller. A detective thriller about a major beer company president who is kidnapped. Dir: Hideyuki Hirayama. Scr: Chong Wi-shing. Main cast: Tetsuya Watari, Satoshi Tokushige, Miho Kanno, Koji Kitsukawa, Ren Oosugi. Release date: autumn 2004.
Contact: Nobusawa, Nikkatsu, (81) 35689 1026

NIN NIN NINJA HATTORI KUN THE MOVIE
(Dentsu, Fuji TV, Jeneon Entertainment, Toho, Shogakukan, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai) Backers: Dentsu, Fuji TV, Jeneon Entertainment, Toho, Shogakukan, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai. Dist (Jap): Toho. Action comedy. Live action feature of hit comic book from the 1960s. The adventure of a young ninja boy, Hattori Kun. Exec prods: Nobuyuki Toya, Takehiko Chino, Kazuyoshi Seki, Toru Oota. Prods: Ryoichi Fukuyama, Ko Wada, Toru Miyazawa, Madoka Takiyama, Kazutoshi Wadakura. Dir: Masayuki Suzuki. Scr: Maggy. Main cast: Shingo Katori, Gori, Reina Tanaka, Shiro Ito, Kazuyuki Asano. Release date: August 28, 2004.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

SWING GIRLS
(Toho, Fuji TV, Altamira Pictures, Dentsu) Budget: Yen 300m. Backers: Toho, Fuji TV, Altamira Pictures, Dentsu. Int'l sales: Altamira Pictures. Dist (Jap): Toho. Feelgood comedy. A group of high school girls perform in a jazz band at a school festival. Prods: Shoji Masui. Dir: Shinobu Yaguchi. Scr: Shinobu Yaguchi. DoP: Takahide Shibanushi. Main cast: Naoto Takenaka, Juri Ueno, Shihori Kanjiya, Yukari Toyoshima, Yuika Motokariya, Yuta Hiraoka. Release date: September 2004.
Contact: Yoriko Sugimoto, Altamira Pictures, p6staff@altamira.jp

THIRTY LIES OR SO (YAKU SHANJYU NO USO)
(Asmik Ace Entertainment, IMJ Entertainment) Backers: Asmik Ace Entertainment, IMJ Entertainment, IMAGICA, Culture Publishers, SDP. Int'l sales: Asmik Ace Entertainment. Dist (Jap): Asmik Ace Entertainment. Comedy. A group of small time conmen search for their stolen money. Exec prods: Yasushi Shiina, Hiroaki Miki. Prods: Osamu Kubota, Shinji Ogawa. Dir: Kentaro Otani. Scr: Hideo Tsuchida, Kentaro Otani, Aya Watanabe. DoP: Kazuhiro Suzuki. Main cast: Kippei Shiina, Miki Nakatani, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Seiichi Tanabe, Noriko Yashima, Anri Ban. Release date: Winter 2004.
Contact: Asmik Ace, intl@asmik-ace.co.jp

WARAI NO DAIGAKU
(Toho, Fuji TV, Parco) Backers: Toho, Fuji TV, Parco. Dist (Jap):Toho. Heartwarming comedy. Friendship between a playwright and the government censor in Tokyo in 1940. Prods: Yumiko Shigeoka, Minami Ichikawa, Hideki Inada. Dir: Mamoru Hoshi. Scr: Koki Mitani. DoP: Hiroshi Takase. Main cast: Koji Yakusho, Goro Inagaki. Release date: October 2004.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511