All articles by Jason Gray – Page 10
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News
Wall-E ends Red Cliff's long run at the top of Japanese box office
Pixar's Wall-E opened at the top of the Japanese box office this past weekend, dethroning John Woo's Red Cliff after five weeks at number one. Although films typically open on Saturdays, distributor Walt Disney released Wall-E on Friday (Dec 5) in Japan. Opening on 461 screens, Wall-E earned $4.84m (Y450m) ...
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News
Japan's Toei to invest $45m in digital film facilities
Toei Studios has announced details of its plans to construct fully digital film facilities in Tokyo's Nerima ward. Budgeted at $45m (Y4.2bn), construction of the studios will be in the Oizumi district of Tokyo's Nerima ward. They will be located on the same lot that the original Shinko Kinema Tokyo ...
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News
Singapore's JCM buys majority share in Japan Digital Contents Trust
Singapore-based investment firm JCM Singapore Pte Ltd is set to purchase a majority share in Japan Digital Contents Trust (JDC), a backer of several local distributors and films such as Hula Girls and Mushi-shi. JDC will issue 247,729 shares valued at $4.14m (Y384.5m) to be bought by Gorgeous Grace Investment, ...
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News
Waltz With Bashir takes top prize at Tokyo Filmex
Director Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir was awarded the grand prize at the conclusion of the 9th edition of Tokyo Filmex (Nov 22-30).The award carried a cash prize of $10,470 (Y1m). The film's animation director Yoni Goodman was on hand to receive the honour.An Israel-France-Germany co-production, Waltz With Bashir is ...
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News
Board members at Japan's Picnic Pictures branch out
Board members at Japan's Picnic Pictures Inc have formed partnerships with two established film companies to set up separate production entities. Picnic president Tadaatsu Shundo has partnered with Tokyo Theatres Inc to establish Parade Inc. Shundo will serve as CEO and Toshikazu Nishigaya will serve as board member and head ...
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News
Japan's Fuji TV celebrates 50th year with film by Hiroshi Nishitani
Japanese broadcaster Fuji Television is to mark its 50th anniversary with a special feature film production Amalfi: Megami No 50-Byou (Amalfi: 50 Seconds of a Goddess), starring Yuji Oda, which will be shot entirely on location in Italy.The film is directed by Hiroshi Nishitani and stars Yuji Oda, Yuki Amami, ...
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News
Red Cliff remains at highest altitude in Japan
John Woo's Red Cliff has held the number one position for the third week in a row at the Japanese box office. The film has now earned a total of $25.87m (Y2.5bn) and surpassed two million admissions in the first sixteen days of its release. It held off Fuji TV-produced ...
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News
Japan's Sabu returns to director's chair with The Crab Cannery Ship
Japanese filmmaker Sabu is returning to the director’s chair after a three-year hiatus with an adaptation of Takiji Kobayashi’s famed literarywork The Crab Cannery Ship (Kanikosen).
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News
Details of Japanese Sideways remake emerge
Details regarding the Japanese remake of Oscar-winning 2004 film Sideways have been announced by co-producers 20th Century Fox Japan and Fuji TV. Popular character actor Fumiyo Kohinata will take on the lead role played by Paul Giamatti in the original film. He will be joined by Katsuhisa Namase, Oscar nominee ...
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News
Japan's Rumble Fish files for bankruptcy
Japanese feature film and TV production company Rumble Fish Inc has filed for bankruptcy. The news was reported today by Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd (TSR) credit reporting agency, the oldest such agency in Japan.Rumble Fish was established in 2001 by producer Takenori Sento. The company was behind several of Shinji ...
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News
Japan - A departure for Japan
When local films do exceedingly well in Japan, celebrations follow. That was the case last week when Departures director Yojiro Takita, star Masahiro Motoki and the media gathered before a screening of the award-winning film at distributor Shochiku's flagship cinema in Yurakucho.The modestly budgeted drama has stayed in the top ...
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News
Red Cliff opens at peak of Japanese box office
John Woo's Red Cliff Part 1 opened at the top of the Japanese box office the weekend of November 1st-3rd, dethroning Suspect X's four-week run in the number one position.Red Cliff opened November 1 on 549 screens, earning $9.64m (Y961.79m) on 825,000 admissions. The screen count represents the highest ever ...
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Features
AFM buzz - Japan
Despite successes at home, Japanese films continue to be a difficult sell to English-speaking territories.Even in Asia, where pre-sales were once commonplace, skittish buyers are demanding to see finished product. While Japanese companies introduce new titles at continental events such as Hong Kong's Filmart, Pusan's Asian Film Market and Tokyo's ...
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News
Tulpan takes best film and director at Tokyo fest
Sergey Dvortsevoy's Tulpan was awarded the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix at today's conclusion of the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The crystal trophy was accompanied by a cash prize of $100,000. Click here for review. Dvortsevoy also won the best director prize for the film, his feature directing debut. ...
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News
TIFFCOM: Asmik Ace dresses Asia in Handsome Suit
Japanese producer-distributor Asmik Ace closed several Asian deals for new comedy The Handsome Suit on the second day of the TIFFCOM market. The film was sold to Golden Harvest for Hong Kong and Macau; Serenity picked up Taiwanese rights, and Encore acquired rights for Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Bids for ...
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News
TIFFCOM: Japan's Hexagon unveils five-picture slate
Japan's Hexagon Pictures, a distributor that has recently entered production and international sales, unveiled its new line-up of five market premieres at a presentation held during the first day of the TIFFCOM market (Oct 22-24). The slate includes animated feature Chocolate Underground, based on Alex Shearer's children's novel Bootleg, which ...
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News
TIFFCOM: Tokyo delegates talk Japanese remakes
US studio and independent producers spoke about the challenges and realities of negotiating, buying and producing remakes based on Japanese properties at the 'Hollywood Remake Business Talk Session' held in Tokyo today. The seminar was conducted under the umbrella of the TIFFCOM contents market, now in its fifth edition, which ...
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News
Toho reaches $600m milestone in nine months
Japan's Toho Studios, the territory's largest distributor, has reached combined box office earnings of Y60.01bn ($599.4m) in the first nine months of 2008. The figure sees Toho have its best year in history for the third year in a row, topping its previous earnings of Y59.51bn ($594.3m) last year. Toho ...
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News
Oshii, Production I.G develop animated samurai film
Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii and his regular backer Production I.G are developing an animated feature film based on the life of samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Entitled Miyamoto Musashi: Soken Ni Haseru Yume (Musashi Miyamoto: The Dream Of Riding With Double Swords), the film will be directed by regular Oshii production collaborator ...
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News
Mikhalkov andChen receive Kurosawa award
Russian actor-director Nikita Mikhalkov and Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige have received this year's Akira Kurosawa Award. The announcement was made by the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).Awarded annually for lifetime achievements in film directing, the trophy carries with it a cash prize of $50,000. The award will be presented at ...