JAPAN Production Listings - December 8 2003

BOKUNO CHIKYU WA AOKATTA
(Rumble Fish) Int'l sales: Rumble Fish. Human drama. A boy, whose brother mysteriously disappears, goes on a search for his sibling and his own identity. Prod: Takenori Sento. Dir: Hitoshi Yazaki. Shooting in Japan in 2004.
Contact: Kumi Sato, Rumble Fish, (81) 3 5718 8760

KANREKI ROOKIE
(Rumble Fish) Int'l sales: Rumble Fish. Heart-Warming human drama. A middle-aged man, devastated after an earthquake, makes his dream come true and becomes a professional golf player. Prod: Takenori Sento. Dir: Takashi Miike. Shooting in Japan in spring 2004.
Contact: Kumi Sato, Rumble Fish, (81) 3 5718 8760

MOETSUKITA RAKUEN
(Rumble Fish) Int'l sales: Rumble Fish. Action human drama about criminal activities set in present-day Japan. Prod: Takenori Sento. Dir: Shinji Aoyama. Scr: Shinji Aoyama. Shooting in Japan in spring 2004.
Contact: Kumi Sato, Rumble Fish, (81) 3 5718 8760

SWITCH
(Rumble Fish) Int'l sales: Rumble Fish. Erotic drama. The adventures of a playgirl and a middle-aged man. Prod: Takenori Sento. Dir: Masashi Yamamoto. Shooting in Japan in 2004.
Contact: Kumi Sato, Rumble Fish, (81) 3 5718-8760

AMEMASU NO KAWA
(Kindai Eiga Kyokai, Micott &Basara) Backers: Micott & Basara, Kindai Eiga Kyokai, Royce Cnfect. Int'l sales: Micott & Basara. Heart-warming love story. The lives of three school kids in a rural village in Japan. Exec prods: Sumiji Miyake, Jiro Shindo. Prods: Kiyoshi Mizokami, Naoko Watanabe. Dir: Itsumichi Isomura. Scr: Hirotoshi Kobayashi, Hiroyo Zento. DoP: Tokusho Kikumura. Main cast: Hiroshi Tamaki, Haruka Ayase, Miko Nakatani, Hiroshi Abe. Shooting in Japan until late December 2003.
Contact: Micott & Basara, (81) 3 5773 5811,

APPLESEED
(Micott &Basara, TBS, Toho, Pioneer LDC, Yamato, TYO, Digital Frontier) Backers: Micott &Basara, TBS, Toho, Pioneer LDC, Yamato, TYO, Digital Frontier. Int'l sales: Micott & Basara. Dist (Jap): Toho. 3-D animation based on a story by the creator of Ghost In The Shell. In 2131, a woman warrior survives the aftermath of the war which has devastated the world. Exec prod: Sumiji Miyake. Prod: Sori Fumihiko. Co-prod: Hidenori Ueki, Naoko Watanabe. Dir: Shinji Aramaki. Scr: Haruka Haneda, Tsutomu Kamishiro.
Contact: Micott & Basara, (81) 35573 5811

DEVILMAN
(Toei Studio) Budget: Yen1bn. Backers: Toei, Toei Animation, Toei Video, TV Asahi, Bandai. Int'l sales: Toei. Dist (Jap): Toei. Sci-fi live action feature. Based on a hit 1970s hit comic book and animation series. A demonic-looking superhero fights against evil. Exec prods: Tsutomu Tomari. Prods: Shigeki Endo, Kozo Morishita. Dir: Hiroyuki Nasu. Scr: Machiko Nasu. DoP: Tetsuro Sano. Main cast: Hisato Izaki, Ayana Sakai, Asuka Shibuya, Ai Tominaga, Ryusuke Izaki. Shooting in Japan until mid-January 2004.
Contact: Toei, (81) 33535 7621

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

INNOCENCE
(Rroduction I.G.) Backers: Production I.G., Tokuma Shoten, Nihon TV, Dentsu, Disney, Toho, Mitsubishi Corporations. Dist (Jap): Toho. Animation. The sequel to 1995 hit Ghost In The Shell. In the near future, the hero, a female 'living doll' with a human brain, fights against evil. Prods: Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Toshio Suzuki. Dir: Mamoru Oshii. Scr: Mamoru Oshii. Release date: March 6, 2004.
Contact: Toei, (81) 33535 7621

LADY JOKER
(Nikkatsu) Budget: Yen500m. Dist (Jap): Toei. Thriller. A detective thriller about a major beer company president's kidnapping. Dir: Hideyuki Hirayama. Scr: Chong Wi-shing. Main cast: Tetsuya Watari, Satoshi Tokushige, Miho Kanno, Koji Kitsukawa, Ren Oosugi. Shooting in Japan until early 2004.
Contact: Nobusawa, Nikkatsu, (81) 35689 1026

SHINI BANA
(Times In, Toei Studio) Backers: Shini Bana Production Committee. Dist (Jap): Toei. Comedy. A group of elderly people in an old people's home steals more than a billion yen from a safe at a bank. Exec prod: Mitsuru Ito. Prods: Tatsuya Kimura, Toshiro Kitta, Yasushi Matsuda. Dir: Isshin Inudo. Scr: Isshin Inudo, Hirotoshi Kobayashi. DoP: Naoki Kayano. Main cast: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Yukio Aoshima, Kei Tani, Takuya Fujioka, Ken Utsui. Shooting In Japan until late December.
Contact: Toei, (81) 33535 7621

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

AKAI TSUKI
(Toho Eiga) Backers: Toho, Nihon TV, Dentsu, Yomiuri TV, Yomiuri Shinbun, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai, Stardust Promotion. Dist (Jap): Toho. Real-life tale of a Japanese woman who survives hardship in Manchuria during World War II. Prod: Shogo Tomiyama. Dir: Yasuo Furuhata. Scr: Furuhata, Yumiko Inoue. Main cast: Takako Tokiwa, Yusuke Iseya, Teruo Kagawa. Release date: Feb 7, 2004
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

CASSHERN
(Casshern Production Committee) Backers: Casshern Production Committee. Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Sci-fi live action feature. Based on the hit 1970s TV animation, a super-hero robot fights against evil androids. Prods: Hideshi Miyajima, Toshiharu Ozawa, Toshiaki Wakabayashi. Dir: Kazuaki Kiriya. Scr: Kiriya, Shotaro Suga, Dai Sato. DoP: Shozo Morishita. Main cast: Yusuke Iseya, Kumiko Aso, Akira Terao, Kanako Higuchi, Toshiaki Karasawa.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

CUTIE HONEY
(Twani, Warner Bros Japan, Toshiba, Nihon TV) Backers: Twani, Warner Brothers Japan, Toshiba, Nihon TV. Dist (Jap): Warner Bros Japan. Live action feature based on the hit TV animation series. Superwoman Cutie Honey fights evil to save the world. Dir: Hideaki Anno. Scr: Rumi Takahashi. Main cast: Eriko Sato, Mikako Ichikawa, Jun Murakami. Release date: May 2004.
Contact: Warner Bros Japan, (81) 35251 6435

ELAN VITALE
(Kaijyu Theatre) Backer: Kaijyu Theatre. Int'l sales: Gold View. Dist (Jap): There's Enterprise. Love story. A medical student, who loses his memory in a car accident, retrieves his memory by performing an autopsy on his lost girlfriend - but enters a surreal world. Prod/dir/scr/DoP/ed: Shinya Tsukamoto. Main cast: Tadanobu Asano.
Contact: Kiyo Joo, Gold View, (81) 35347 2501

HANA TO ALICE
(Rockwell Eyes) Backer: Rockwell Eyes. Dist (Jap): Toho. Drama. A story about two high school girls, Hana and Alice, who have been best friends since they were little. Prods: Hiroko Maeda. Dir: Shunji Iwai. Scr: Shunji Iwai. DoP: Noboru Shinoda. Ed: Shunji Iwai. Music: Shunji Iwai. Main cast: Anne Suzuki, Yu Aoi, Tomohiro Kaku.
Contact: Rockwell Eyes, (81) 33444 7011

HANOCHI
(Toei) Int'l sales: Toei. Dist (Jap): Toei. Thriller. A police officer kills his wife who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Prod: Sunao Sakagami. Dir: Kiyoshi Sasabe. Scr: Toshiyuki Tabe, Sasabe. Main cast: Akira Terao, Kyouhei Shibata, Mieko Harada, Mayu Tsuruta, Hidetaka Yoshioka. Release date: Jan 10, 2004.
Contact: Toei, (81) 33535 7621

NO ONE KNOWS (DAREMO SHIRANAI)
(TV Man Union Inc.) Budget: $1m. Backers: TV Man Union, Bandai Visual, Engine Film, C-Style. Dist (Jap): Cinequanon. Drama. Four brothers, by different fathers, are left by their mother to make their way in the world. Exec prods: Satoshi Kohno, Masahiro Yasuda, Yutaka Shigenobu. Prod: Kore-eda Hirokazu. Dir/scr: Kore-eda Hirokazu. DoP: Yutaka Yamazaki. Main cast: Yuya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu.
Contact: TV Man Union, Asako Nishikawa, (81) 35478 (81) 38

PINK RIBBON (Working Title)
(Uplink) Budget: Y20m. Backer: Uplink. Dist (Jap): Uplink. Documentary about Japanese porn films. Prod: Takashi Asai. Dir/scr/DoP: Kenjiro Fujii. Main cast: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Koji Wakamatsu, Mitsuru Meike, Yutaka Ikejima, Yoshiyuki Hayashida.
Contact: Uplink, (81) 35489 0755

QUILL
(Shochiku, TV Tokyo, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai, Eisei Gekijo) Budget: Yen 300m. Backers: Shochiku, TV Tokyo, Nihon Shuppan Hanbai, Eisei Gekijo. Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Heart-warming drama. The story of a guide dog, Quill, and his blind master. Dir: Yoichi Sai. Scr: Shoichi Maruyama, Yoshihiro Nakamura. Main Cast: Kaoru Kobayashi, Kippei Shiina, Teruyuki Kagawa. Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

69 sixty nine
(Toei) Int'l sales: Toei. Dist (Jap): Toei. Feel-good story about a high school student who enjoys his school life under the student activists movement in 1969. Prods: Kei Ijichi, Masatake Kondo, Yuji Saito. Dir: Li San-ile. Scr: Kantaro Kudo. Main cast: Masanobu Ando, Yuta Kamei, Rina Oota, Kyohei Shibata. Release date: May 2004.
Contact: Toei, (813) 3535 7621

TENGOKU NO HONYA KOIBI
(Tengku No Honya Production Committee) Budget: Yen 300m. Backers: Tengku No Honya Production Committee. Int'l sales: Shochiku. Dist (Jap): Shochiku. Romantic fantasy about bookshop assistants in heaven. Prods: Hideshi Miyajima, Nozomu Enoki, Nobuyuki Tohya. Dir: Tetsuo Shinohara. Scr: Kyoko Inukai, Tetsuo Shinohara. DoP: Shogo Ueno. Main cast: Yuko Takeuchi, Tetsuji Tamayama, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yoshio Harada. Release date: summer 2004.
Contact: Kiwamu Sato, Shochiku, (81) 35550 1623

TOKYO NOIR (Working Title)
(KSS) Backer: Gold View. Int'l sales: Gold View. Dist (Jap): Gold View. Trio of short stories shot by two young up-and-coming directors. The lives of women who do secretarial work in the day and work as prostitutes in the evening. Dir/scr: Masato Ishioka, Naoto Kumazawa.
Contact: Kiyo Joo, Gold View, (81) 3 5347 2501

UMIZARU
(Toho, Fuji TV, Robot, Pony Canyon) Backers: Toho, Fuji TV, Robot, Pony Canyon. Dist (Jap):Toho. Human drama. A group of young trainees to become top divers at The Maritime Safety Agency. Prod: Hirotsugu Usui. Dir: Eiichiro Hasumi. Main cast: Hideaki Ito, Ai Kato, Ken Kaito, Karina.
Contact: Toho, (81) 33591 3511

ZEBRAMAN
(Toei, TBS, Toei Video, MBS, Wowow, Shogakukan, Mainichi Shinbun, Dentsu, Sports Nippon, Bingo) Backers: Toei, TBS, Toei Video, MBS, Wowow, Shogakukan, Mainichi Shinbun, Dentsu, Sports Nippon, Bingo. Dist (Jap): Toei. Comedy. A middle-aged elementary school teacher tackles local problems as a masked superhero, Zebraman. Exec prods: Mitsuru Kurosawa, Takashi Hirano. Prods: Kumi Fukuchi, Shigeyuki Endo. Dir: Takashi Miike. Scr: Kankuro Kudo. DoP: Kazunari Tanaka. Main cast: Show Aikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, Teruo Watanabe, Mitsuyoshi Uchimura, Ren Osugi.
Contact: Toei, (81) 33535 7621