All articles by Jason Gray – Page 21
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Contest winner cast in Shochiku franchise
In a break from the usualtalent agency system of Japanese movie casting, an unknown 20-year-old actresshas won a role in the 17th installment of Shochiku's long-running Free & Easy comedy series. Kyoto college student Hana Ebise was selected from more than10,000 entrants in Shochiku's nationwide "Star Gate" open audition contest,which ...
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Japan's Avex Entertainment plans anniversary film
Japan's Avex Entertainment hasannounced plans to produce a commemorative feature film for release in April2008, in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding ofthe Avex music and media group.Starting from this monthuntil October, the company will solicit story ideas from the public. The range ofpossible ideas is fully ...
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April Snow director's cut breaks Japanese record
The director's cut version ofhit Korean film April Snow, starringBae Yong-joon, has broken the all-time record for first-day advance ticketsales in Japan. Distributed by UIP in Japan, the film grossed $24.2m (Y2.75bn) last year, makingit the second most successful Korean film ever at the Japanese box officebehind A Moment To ...
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Shochiku enlists Centro for live-action Kitaro movie
Japanese major Shochiku andHong Kong-based special effects house Centro Digital Pictures are collaboratingon live-action creature feature Gegege NoKitaro. The film, directed byKatsuhide Motoki, is the first live-action feature based on Shigeru Mizuki'sfamous character, created in 1954, and popularised in the Gegege No Kitaro manga series from 1966-1970.Centro, established in 1987,is ...
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Sojitz, DBJ team for animation sales venture
Japanese conglomerate SojitzCorp, its affiliate Klockworx and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) haveinvested $12m (Y1.4bn) in a limited partnership to buy animation contents andlicense them to the global market. Sojitz is contributing 64%,DBJ 28% and Klockworx 8% of the investment in the partnership. Internationalsales of the contents will be ...
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Dentsu, Mitsubishi launch $18m animation fund
Japan's largest advertising firm Dentsu and trading house Mitsubishi Corp areestablishing a $17.8m (Y2bn) investment fund to produce and distribute Japaneseanimation. The fund will be managed byDentsu subsidiary Geneon Entertainment and Mitsubishi subsidiary d-rights. Dentsu is contributing 30%,Geneon 20% and d-rights 50% of the fund which will underwrite 15 to ...
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Toei reports record-breaking Cannes sales figures
Japanese major Toei hasreported that it closed around $650,000 (Y73.4m) in sales during Cannes, marking the highest sales figures from a singlemarket in the company's 55-year history.The company, which had astrong slate featuring talent such as Ken Watanabe and director Kenta Fukasaku,expects to close a further $440,000 (Y50m) in sales ...
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Kadokawa sets up $18m animation fund
Japan's Kadokawa Shoten Publishing has established a $17.8m (Y2bn) animationfund which will underwrite 35 film and TV animation productions over the nextfive years.In addition to Kadokawa, theDevelopment Bank of Japan (DBJ) and other banking facilities such as ShinGinkoTokyo also contributed to the fund through a recently announced DBJ initiativeto stimulate ...
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Gonzo goes Gaga for Peggy Sue
Japan's Gaga Films and animation house Gonzo will collaborate on an animatedfeature adaptation of French children's book Peggy Sue And The Ghosts: Sleep Of The Demon, written by SergeBrussolo.The book is the second in aseries of eight best-sellers which have been published in France, the first six of which have ...
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Umizaru sequel floods Japanese box office
Japanese action title Umizaru 2: Test Of Trust, about a teamof coast guard divers, has scored the biggest opening of the year for adomestic film with a gross of $8.64m (Y964m) over the two-day weekend (May6-7).Produced by Fuji TV anddistributed by Toho, the film opened on 315 screens for an ...
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Japanese conglomerate invests in Klockworx
Japanese conglomerate SojitzCorp has announced the purchase of a 17.94% stake in independent filmdistributor Klockworx for $1.33m (Y157m). Sojitz execs were dispatched to thecompany this month.Sojitz, which already has agrowing library of animation contents for mobile phone distribution, sees theinvestment as a way to expand its content and methods of ...
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Usen Corp buys stake in CJ Media Japan
Japan's Usen Corp, parent of Gaga Communications, has acquired an 8.57% stakein CJ Media Japan, a foreign affiliate of Korea's CJ Media, for a reported $2.53m (Y300m).Usen stated that itsinvestment in CJ Media Japan, which was established last August, was to furtherdevelop the sharing and distribution of contents produced by ...
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Sumitomo buys controlling share in Asmik Ace
Japan's Sumitomo Corp has purchased a further 27.67% of production anddistribution company Asmik Ace Entertainment from Kadokawa Holdings. The deal gives Sumitomo a75.3% controlling share in Asmik Ace which becomes an official subsidiary ofSumitomo's media arm. The reported acquisition price was approximately Y500m($4.25m). The two companies previously held an equal ...
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Ninja-style Romeo & Juliet drama bought for North America
US-basedNavarre subsidiary FUNimation Entertainment has acquired North American rightsto Shochiku's Shinobi. No theatrical release date has beenset, but the film will open sometime before its DVD release in autumn.Broadcast rights were also included in the deal.Describedas a ninja film meets Romeo and Julietand starring Joe Odagiri (Suite Dreams,Blood and Bones) ...
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Shooting begins on Taku Shinjo's kamikaze pilot drama
Today marked the first day of shooting on Japan'slatest WWII drama, Ore wa, Kimi no Tame ni Koso Shinini Iku (literal translation I WillDie for You), which centers around Japan'sfamed kamikaze pilots. The project was announced last August by Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, who is serving as executive producer andscreenwriter ...
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Bayside Shakedown duo reteam for Udon
The director and producerbehind mega-hit franchise BaysideShakedown are teaming again on culinary comedy drama Udon which is set to star Yusuke Santa Maria (The Negotiator).The film, to be directed by KatsuyukiMotohiro and produced by Fuji TV's Chihiro Kameyama, revolves around a man who loseshis dreams, but rediscovers his roots in ...
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Eastern European buyers pick up rights to Toei's Yamato
TheEuropean Film Market (EFM) sales of Toei's domestic blockbuster Yamato (Otokotachi no Yamato) are progressing smoothly, with twelve countries lockedin so far. Eastern European deals were among the first closed, including Poland's Vision Films, and Slovenia's Fiviapicking up rights for Eastern Europe. Benelux was the first WesternEuropean territory to purchase ...