All articles by Mamiko Kawamoto – Page 2

  • News

    Hollywood to make live-action feature of Japanese comic book

    2003-02-26T04:05:00Z

    Twilight Entertainment has signed a deal to make a live-action feature of Japanese animation Lupin The Third .with Japan's TMS Entertainment who created animation features and TV series of the story and Kazuhiko Kato the writer of the original comic book. Hollywood producer, Gerald Molen (Schindler's List, Jurassic Park: The ...

  • News

    Toho takes over Virgin Cinemas Japan

    2003-02-25T00:00:00Z

    Major Japanese distributor and exhibitor Toho announced on Tuesday a deal with Virgin Cinemas Japan to acquire its chain of multiplex cinemas. The $83m (Y10bn) deal will take effect by the end of March.Launched in September 1997, Virgin Cinemas Japan now operates eight multiplexes with 81 screens in suburban areas, ...

  • News

    Broken Wings flies at Tokyo Int'l film festival

    2002-11-05T04:05:00Z

    Israeli title Broken Wings (pictured) by Nir Bergman won the Grand Prix at the 15th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival which ended on Monday (November 4)The Grand Prix (accompanied by a $83,000 (Y10m) cash prize) was the highlight of the event, which also featured a sneak preview of ...

  • News

    Three Japanese titles to compete at Tokyo film festival

    2002-10-08T04:05:00Z

    The full lineup of the 15th edition of the Tokyo international film festival, (Oct 26 to Nov 4) includes three Japanese titles out of a total 15 competition films. The three Japanese films, which will compete for the $83,000 (Y10m) Grand Prix and the $16,000 (Y2m) Jury Prize, are ...

  • News

    Oldest living Japanese director shoots The Owl

    2002-10-01T04:05:00Z

    Veteran Japanese director Shindo Kaneto is currently producing his latest feature, The Owl (Fukuro). The 90 year-old Shindo (pictured) is best known in the west for his The Island / Naked Island (1960) which was awarded to the Grand Prix at Moscow international film festival in 1961. Written and directed ...

  • News

    Japan's Toei to produce Battle Royale sequel

    2002-09-30T04:05:00Z

    Japan's leading distributor/exhibitor Toei, is to produce a sequel to the smash-hit feature Battle Royale. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Battle Royale earned $25.8m (Y3.1bn) in Japan from 2,150,000 admissions and went on to sell more than 29,000 video and DVD copies. The film's violence became an issue at the ...

  • News

    Tokyo festival sails with Russian Ark

    2002-09-30T04:05:00Z

    Tokyo FILMeX (Dec 1-8), the three year old festival that is mounting a challenge to the longer established Tokyo International Film Festival, will open with a screening of Alexander Sokurov's experimental digital film The Russian Ark. Otar Iosseliani's Berlin prize winner Monday Morning will close the festival.The festival, which is ...

  • News

    New Yorker gets US rights to Unknown Pleasures

    2002-09-30T04:00:00Z

    New York-basedspecialized distributor New Yorker Films has acquired US distribution rights toJia Zhang-Ke's Chinese teen drama Unknown Pleasures which world premiered in competition atthis year's Cannes Film Festival. It also screened in Toronto and playedat the New York Film Festival last night.The story ofjobless teenagers in rural China cost $0.5m ...

  • News

    Tokyo film festival boosts international profile

    2002-09-10T04:05:00Z

    The 15th edition of the Tokyo international film festival, (Oct 26 to Nov 4) is to welcome high-profile Hollywood guests at the same time as increasing the number of Japanese films at the event. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, festival organisers have introduced a number of changes to the ...

  • News

    Veteran BVI Japan executive Nakajima dies aged 71

    2002-08-14T00:00:00Z

    Veteran Japanesemovie executive Isamu Nakajima died last week (Aug 7) in Tokyo at the age of71. He was vice president of sales for Buena Vista International Japan (BVIJ)at the time of his death.Nakajima-san wasconsidered one of Japan's top distribution executives, respected byexhibitors and admired by competitors. He began his career ...

  • News

    Japan's Takeshi Kitano wraps Dolls

    2002-07-09T04:05:00Z

    Dolls, the latest feature from Japanese powerhouse Takeshi Kitano has wrapped principal photography and is set for local release in October by Office Kitano and Shochiku.Made for $2.5m (Y300m), Dolls is the director's 10th feature produced by Office Kitano and financed by a consortium of backers including Office Kitano, Bandai ...

  • News

    Japan's Toho gears up for new fiscal year with new president

    2002-05-28T04:05:00Z

    Toho, Japan's largest film distributor and exhibitor, has named its new president, Hideyuki Takai. He replaces Toshihiko Ishida, who will take the post of advisor. Takai joined Toho in 1964 and has been involved in film production since 1977. Credits include Kon Ichikawa's 48 Ronin (1994), Hideyuki Hirayama's School Ghost ...

  • News

    Luc Besson creates two-way French-Japanese distribution joint venture

    2002-05-02T04:00:00Z

    Luc Besson's Europa Corp has launched a rights, marketing and distribution venture in Japan to grow the company's business in the territory and to 'assist' the distribution of a number of Japanese films in France.Europa Corp Japan, which launched on April 19, is a joint venture backed by Europa Corp, ...

  • News

    Japan's Toho posts record profit of $78.5m

    2002-04-24T06:30:00Z

    Toho, Japan's largest film distributor and exhibitor, has posted a record-breaking net profit of $78.5m (Y10.29 billion) for the fiscal year 2002, ended February 28, an increase of 16.2% over 2001. The impressive profit surge is largely thanks to the unprecedented local success of Spirited Away, Hayao Miuyazaki's animated feature ...

  • News

    Warner Bros. to make live-action version of Akira

    2002-04-23T04:30:00Z

    Warner Bros. is to make a live-action feature based on the Japanese hit animation Akira. Currently in pre-production, the film is set to be released as early as 2004. The Hollywood studio has concluded a deal with Kodansha, the Japanese publisher which holds all rights to the animated feature, to ...

  • News

    Japanese distributor launches international film production arm

    2002-04-19T04:30:00Z

    Japanese film distributor Klockworx is entering the international film production business with the unveiling of its first project, Meher Grougian's Citizen Zero, due to start shooting in Los Angeles in December. Budgeted at $1m, the SciFi thriller about a man who has lost his identity, will be the director's first ...

  • News

    Iain Glen chosen to star in Japanese spy thriller

    2002-04-09T18:39:00Z

    Scottish actor Iain Glen is to star in veteran Japanese director Masahiro Shinoda's final film project: the $15m thriller Spy Sorge.The 71-year-old Shinoda has been trying for more than a decade to get backers for the film, which will require two months of filming in Shanghai and Berlin, as well ...

  • News

    Shochiku signs first-look deal with DiCaprio, IEG

    2002-03-18T17:20:00Z

    Japan's Shochiku has signed a $5m three-year, first-look distribution deal with Leonardo DiCaprio's production company Appian Way.In return for Shochiku's $5m, to cover Appian's project development overhead costs, for the next three years it will have first negotiation rights to distribute Appian Way films in Japan.Appian Way was established in ...

  • News

    Miyazaki spirits away crown from Go's record haul

    2002-03-11T18:14:00Z

    Spirited Away was awarded Best Picture at the 25th Japan Academy Awards ceremony, beating Go, Japan's nominee for the foreign film Oscar.Spirited Away director Hayao Miyazaki also received an outstanding achievement award for a remarkable four-decade-long career that has produced Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, My Neighhbor Totoro ...

  • News

    Gaga weighs major investment in live-action Tekken

    2002-02-21T18:19:00Z

    Japan's Gaga Communications is in talks to co-produce a live-action feature version of Namco's hit game Tekken with Namco and the US production Crystal Sky Entertainment.Currently in pre-production, Tekken is scheduled to go before the cameras in April 2003 and be released worldwide in 2005 at a reported overall budget ...