Japan’s Nikkatsu Adds ‘First Gentleman’ to FilMart Lineup

New IndieWhen I’m once again free to move about the cabin and see movies in theaters again, I hope I get the chance to give the hilarious “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar” (Lionsgate) a second look with a rowdy and engaged audience.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapanese streaming platform U-Next will begin carrying a selection of HBO and HBO Max content from Thursday.HBO does not operate as a subscription service in Japan and for many years HBO content has instead been licensed to local players, including satellite channel Super! drama TV and pay-TV platform Wowow.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorYoshiki, leader of the group X Japan, has donated $100,000 in support of mental health to MusiCares to help music creators and industry professionals affected by depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health concerns, the organization announced Monday.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapan’s comic fans will get a taste of what it is like to return to normal as the Anime Japan 2021 expo will be held in person for four days (March 27-30), starting Saturday at Tokyo Big Sight center.But the show may be a static, booth-bound affair as there will be no physical, in-person events.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefRakuten Viki, a streaming platform specializing in Asian content and fan-generated sub-titles, is launching a transactional VOD function in North America. The new functionality kicks off with two recent Korean movies, “Josee” and “New Year Blues.”Backed by Japanese e-commerce and entertainment group Rakuten, Viki currently operates an ad-supported video service (AVOD) and two tiers of subscription video (SVOD).

The more contagious Covid-19 variant known as P.1 has hit New York, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. The patient affected is a Brooklyn resident in their 90s with no history of travel.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentThe 44th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony was held on Friday at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takawana in Tokyo, despite a state of emergency still in force on the nation’s capital.One big winner was Uchida Eiji’s gay-themed drama “Midnight Swan” with took the best picture prize, while star Kusanagi Tsuyoshi was awarded best actor honors for his turn as an ageing transgender nightclub performer.Meanwhile, best actress went to Nagasawa Masami for her portrayal of

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentA film studio since 1920, Japan’s Shochiku has a back catalogue filled with works by master directors including Ozu Yasujiro and Kinoshita Keisuke as well as 1960s New Wave leaders Oshima Nagisa and Shinoda Masahiro and studio stalwart Yamada Yoji, maker of the enduringly popular Tora-san series.Shochiku has been digitally remastering its classics in 4K for some time now and is bringing to FilMart four of the most recently restored titles in this ongoing

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentThe pandemic has led to changes in production that could well be permanent, but its effect on content going forward is less clear.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentSales agency Pony Canyon is bringing some of the biggest upcoming Japanese live-action films to FilMart, including genre titles with global ambitions.One is “Office Royale,” whose title references the 2000 Fukasaku Kinji classic “Battle Royale,” but is an action comedy scripted by popular funnyman Bakarhythm and directed by TV drama veteran Seki Kazuaki. Nakano Mei (“Park”) stars as an ordinary “office lady” (OL or clerk) in a humdrum company.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” the fourth film in the Rebuild of Evangelion sci-fi anime series created and co-directed by Anno Hideaki, has earned $30.6 million from 2.2 million admissions in its first week on release, according to distributor figures released on Monday.Bowing on March 8 on 466 screens, the film has grabbed 45% more at the box office than the third “Rebuild of Evangelion” film, “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” which had a

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentFollowing his win of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the recently concluded Berlin Film Festival for “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” 42-year-old Hamaguchi Ryusuke suddenly finds himself catapulted to the directorial front ranks in his native Japan.It’s not that he’s exactly obscure there: Hamaguchi’s 2018 romantic drama “Asako I & II” was selected for the Cannes competition while his 2015 breakthrough, the five-hour-plus drama “Happy Hour,” won a group best

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentThe Japanese film industry has been relatively quick to recover from the pandemic, despite the slow rollout of vaccinations in Japan. So industry leaders are bringing lineups to FilMart packed with titles that will hopefully play to packed theaters at home in the coming months.One is Gaga Corporation, which is bringing “Junk Head,” a first feature by stop-motion animator Takahide Hori that has won kudos around the international festival circuit.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentV6, a male idol supergroup associated with the once all-powerful Johnny & Associates agency, has announced its break-up, effective Nov. 1.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorSales agent M-Appeal has closed further territory deals for Japanese filmmaker Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” which just won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.Benelux rights have gone to September Film, and StraDa Films has picked the film up in Greece. September Film plans to release the title theatrically post pandemic.