The program of the 24th Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is complete! From May 28 to June 2, the festival offers the opportunity to delve into Japan's film and cultural scene. The festival presents around 100 short and feature-length films at eight venues, including numerous premieres. Over 60 filmmakers and artists will travel from Japan to Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to present their works to the audience. At the freely accessible grounds of the festival centers Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Produktionshaus Naxos, visitors can enjoy the festival atmosphere with a large Japanese market featuring numerous food and craft stands. Detailed information and tickets for all films and events are available at NipponConnection.com.
This year's film selection promises exciting discoveries. Fans of genre films can enjoy Shinji Araki's acclaimed time-loop thriller Penalty Loop, Kaz I Kiriya's apocalyptic drama From The End Of The World, and Shimako Sato's action-packed fantasy adventure The Yin Yang Master Zero.
This year's film selection promises exciting discoveries. Fans of genre films can enjoy Shinji Araki's acclaimed time-loop thriller Penalty Loop, Kaz I Kiriya's apocalyptic drama From The End Of The World, and Shimako Sato's action-packed fantasy adventure The Yin Yang Master Zero.
- 5/13/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
A US-based distributor of Japanese independent films Sakka, in partnership with a Japanese production company Atmovie, is set to start a new initiative “Creator Tour” in their effort to foster new-generation Japanese filmmakers in the global marketplace. The two companies join forces to broaden the perspective of Japanese creators in filmmaking and inspire the next generation of talent to compete on the global stage.
In each of these tours, two Japanese filmmakers who have already proven themselves domestically will be invited to the US where they are given opportunities to interact closely with local creators and industry professionals, and learn firsthand the global market from both the commercial and artistic perspectives. The filmmakers will also participate in an event at the 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, scheduled for October 12-22 (www.hiff.org) in Honolulu, Hawai’i, where they will see how the Japanese filmmakers are...
In each of these tours, two Japanese filmmakers who have already proven themselves domestically will be invited to the US where they are given opportunities to interact closely with local creators and industry professionals, and learn firsthand the global market from both the commercial and artistic perspectives. The filmmakers will also participate in an event at the 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, scheduled for October 12-22 (www.hiff.org) in Honolulu, Hawai’i, where they will see how the Japanese filmmakers are...
- 10/10/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
A distribution hub for Japanese independent films Sakka is set to distribute “Ken and Kazu” which originally premiered in 2015 at Tokyo International Film Festival where the film won Best Picture in Japanese Cinema Splash. Directed by Hiroshi Shoji, this refreshing and gripping Japanese noir was invited to Edinburgh International Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Japan Cuts, and many more.
This will be the film's first ever overseas release despite being enthusiastically embraced by film fans around the world when it premiered. It will come to Sakka in August, and will be available to stream worldwide excluding Japan.
“This is my first feature film.” The director Shoji sent a special message to the Sakka audience. “It was shot in 2013, released in 2016, and traveled to many film festivals overseas. I am extremely grateful that the film will be released on Sakka and can be seen by audience overseas again 10 years after we shot it.
This will be the film's first ever overseas release despite being enthusiastically embraced by film fans around the world when it premiered. It will come to Sakka in August, and will be available to stream worldwide excluding Japan.
“This is my first feature film.” The director Shoji sent a special message to the Sakka audience. “It was shot in 2013, released in 2016, and traveled to many film festivals overseas. I am extremely grateful that the film will be released on Sakka and can be seen by audience overseas again 10 years after we shot it.
- 7/26/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Gravitas Ventures has acquired the global rights to Isaac H. Eaton’s 2023 crime thriller “Welcome to Redville” starring Jake Manley, Highdee Kuan and Chris Elliott. Gravitas, The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has set the film’s VOD release for August 29.
“Welcome to Redville” tells the story of a robbery-gone-wrong and the couple forced on the run in a small desert town called Redville. As drama and death ensues, couple Leo (Manley) and Toni (Kuan) discover that Redville and its strange townspeople are hard —if not impossible — to shake off.
The film was written by Eaton and Danny DeVoto. It was produced by Eaton and Frank Zanca and was executive produced by Brad Kramer and Alice Abernathy. Bill Guentzler, Gravitas Ventures VP of acquisitions, helmed the deal with Ramo Law.
Telluride Film Festival Unveils 50th Anniversary Festival Poster By Luke Dorman
Telluride Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 50th anniversary.
“Welcome to Redville” tells the story of a robbery-gone-wrong and the couple forced on the run in a small desert town called Redville. As drama and death ensues, couple Leo (Manley) and Toni (Kuan) discover that Redville and its strange townspeople are hard —if not impossible — to shake off.
The film was written by Eaton and Danny DeVoto. It was produced by Eaton and Frank Zanca and was executive produced by Brad Kramer and Alice Abernathy. Bill Guentzler, Gravitas Ventures VP of acquisitions, helmed the deal with Ramo Law.
Telluride Film Festival Unveils 50th Anniversary Festival Poster By Luke Dorman
Telluride Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 50th anniversary.
- 7/19/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, McKinley Franklin, Jaden Thompson and Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
US-based Japanese film distribution hub Sakka marks its 1st anniversary today, and they are celebrating with exclusive gift campaigns as a gesture of gratitude to the community. Since its launch in May of last year, Sakka has distributed nine award-winning Japanese films to an international audience along with the directors' voices and exclusive content.
“While there are many more emerging voices and films yet to be liberated, our priority for the first year was to approach this endeavour with sincerity, respect, and love for cinema,” explains Chiaki Yanagimoto, founder of Sakka. “At the center of our every step is the filmmakers and the film community around the globe. We want to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to everyone who believed in us and has supported our vision to bring more Japanese films and filmmakers to the world. To those who came and watched the films on Sakka, explored bonus content,...
“While there are many more emerging voices and films yet to be liberated, our priority for the first year was to approach this endeavour with sincerity, respect, and love for cinema,” explains Chiaki Yanagimoto, founder of Sakka. “At the center of our every step is the filmmakers and the film community around the globe. We want to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to everyone who believed in us and has supported our vision to bring more Japanese films and filmmakers to the world. To those who came and watched the films on Sakka, explored bonus content,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Docaviv, the prestigious all-documentary film festival in Tel Aviv, today announced the International Competition lineup for the 25th anniversary of the event, which takes place May 11-20.
In competition are some of the early favorites for Oscar recognition, including Apolonia, Apolonia, winner of Best Feature at IDFA; 20 Days in Mariupol, the harrowing examination of the siege of the Ukrainian port city in the early days of the Russian invasion; Kokomo City, winner of two awards at Sundance, and The Eternal Memory, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance [scroll for the full International Competition lineup].
Docaviv is an Oscar-qualifying festival, with winners in the International, Israeli, and Shorts competitions automatically becoming eligible for Academy Awards consideration. It is the only all-documentary festival in Israel and widely considered one of the world’s foremost nonfiction film events.
Some of the expected international guests include Emmy-winning documentary producer John Battsek, who will hold...
In competition are some of the early favorites for Oscar recognition, including Apolonia, Apolonia, winner of Best Feature at IDFA; 20 Days in Mariupol, the harrowing examination of the siege of the Ukrainian port city in the early days of the Russian invasion; Kokomo City, winner of two awards at Sundance, and The Eternal Memory, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance [scroll for the full International Competition lineup].
Docaviv is an Oscar-qualifying festival, with winners in the International, Israeli, and Shorts competitions automatically becoming eligible for Academy Awards consideration. It is the only all-documentary festival in Israel and widely considered one of the world’s foremost nonfiction film events.
Some of the expected international guests include Emmy-winning documentary producer John Battsek, who will hold...
- 4/20/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
As the market for independently made documentaries continues to dry up, regional film festivals have become essential to filmmakers hoping to sell their docs.
At this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, which kicks off on March 25, 36 documentaries are part of the lineup. Over 25 of them are seeking distribution. They include Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice,” Alexandria Bombach’s “It’s Only Life After All” about the Indigo Girls, Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng’s “Invisible Beauty.” All four films premiered at Sundance in January.
“From Submarine’s point of view, we’ve always encouraged great regional festivals like Sarasota, the Berkshires, Woodstock and the Hamptons partially because there is the possibility that awards voters are there,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who reps both “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and “Invisible Beauty.
At this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, which kicks off on March 25, 36 documentaries are part of the lineup. Over 25 of them are seeking distribution. They include Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice,” Alexandria Bombach’s “It’s Only Life After All” about the Indigo Girls, Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng’s “Invisible Beauty.” All four films premiered at Sundance in January.
“From Submarine’s point of view, we’ve always encouraged great regional festivals like Sarasota, the Berkshires, Woodstock and the Hamptons partially because there is the possibility that awards voters are there,” says Submarine Entertainment sales agent Josh Braun, who reps both “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World” and “Invisible Beauty.
- 3/25/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The Japanese cult behind a deadly nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 is the subject of Aum: The Cult at the End of the World from filmmakers Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto. Editor Keita Ideno talks about how his bilingualism, previous collaboration with the directors and personal memories of the nerve gas attack influenced the film’s cut. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]
The post “I Was Struck by the Danger of Ideology”: Editor Keita Ideno on Aum: The Cult at the End of the World first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Was Struck by the Danger of Ideology”: Editor Keita Ideno on Aum: The Cult at the End of the World first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The Japanese cult behind a deadly nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 is the subject of Aum: The Cult at the End of the World from filmmakers Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto. Editor Keita Ideno talks about how his bilingualism, previous collaboration with the directors and personal memories of the nerve gas attack influenced the film’s cut. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? […]
The post “I Was Struck by the Danger of Ideology”: Editor Keita Ideno on Aum: The Cult at the End of the World first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Was Struck by the Danger of Ideology”: Editor Keita Ideno on Aum: The Cult at the End of the World first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/6/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
There are few things more disappointing than a juicy subject with a dry documentary – like Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.” If one was to be generous, this could potentially be due to the duo’s relative prior inexperience. Despite Braun and Yanagimoto’s longstanding involvement in the film industry, “Aum” marks their first foray into the director’s chair. On one hand then, one could say that it is a laudable achievement that the documentary should be considered for Sundance’s prestigious US Documentary Competition. On the other, one could argue that it is all the more disheartening that their fresh eyes stick to the classic documentary script — which, for such a suggestive title, is a downright shame.
Aum: The Cult at the End of the World screened at Sundance Film Festival
“Aum: The Cult at the End of the World...
Aum: The Cult at the End of the World screened at Sundance Film Festival
“Aum: The Cult at the End of the World...
- 1/31/2023
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Plot: A look at Japan’s infamous Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult, run by Shoko Asahara, who claimed to be Buddha’s reincarnation.
Review: On March 20th, 1995, members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released deadly sarin gas into the Tokyo Metro system. Thirteen people were killed, and another fifty were injured. It’s still one of the worst domestic terrorist attacks in Japanese history. The nerve gas used, sarin, was first developed by the Nazis during WWII. How did it end up in the hands of a doomsday cult? Director Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto examine this in their terrifying documentary descent into madness, Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.
Like many in the west, I was only vaguely aware of the Tokyo subway attack, but I didn’t know the story behind it. Suffice it to say it’s quite the tale, with Braun and Yanagimoto examining...
Review: On March 20th, 1995, members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released deadly sarin gas into the Tokyo Metro system. Thirteen people were killed, and another fifty were injured. It’s still one of the worst domestic terrorist attacks in Japanese history. The nerve gas used, sarin, was first developed by the Nazis during WWII. How did it end up in the hands of a doomsday cult? Director Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto examine this in their terrifying documentary descent into madness, Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.
Like many in the west, I was only vaguely aware of the Tokyo subway attack, but I didn’t know the story behind it. Suffice it to say it’s quite the tale, with Braun and Yanagimoto examining...
- 1/30/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The success of long-format cult-exposé documentaries like HBO’s “The Vow” and Netflix’s “Wild Wild Country” has given the cult-curious an appetite for the kind of chain-link explosion rhythms that only serials can supply. We’re primed, one might even say programmed, to expect the smallest new kink on even the oddest tangent to get ample screentime, and broader thematic arcs and major personalities to have multiple episodes over which to develop. Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s “Aum: The Cult At The End of The World” certainly acknowledges that there is a whole season’s worth of material in the story of the infamous cult, fully named Aum Shinrikyo, that murdered 14 people and injured 6,000 when they released sarin gas into the Tokyo subway in 1995. In trying to cram it all into one 106-minute package, however, the directors deliver a far-ranging but only fitfully revealing investigation into how Aum came into being and,...
- 1/26/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Aum: The Cult at the End of the World tells the lesser-known story behind the widely covered 1995 Tokyo subway attack, the largest act of domestic terrorism in Japan’s history where sarin gas was released in the Tokyo subway system during rush hour, killing 14 people.
Chiaki Yanagimoto and Ben Braun directed Aum, which takes a deep dive into Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the attack, founded by Shoko Asahara, a self-claimed yogi who said he was the reincarnation of Buddha. The doc, which draws from the book about the cult by investigative journalist David E. Kaplan and Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Marshall, is told through the testimonials of characters like Fumihiro Joyu, a former Aum devotee who skirted blame for the attack, and Marshall, a British journalist living in Japan who early on rang the alarm bells about the cult.
Braun — who is the son and the nephew of Dan and Josh Braun,...
Chiaki Yanagimoto and Ben Braun directed Aum, which takes a deep dive into Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the attack, founded by Shoko Asahara, a self-claimed yogi who said he was the reincarnation of Buddha. The doc, which draws from the book about the cult by investigative journalist David E. Kaplan and Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Marshall, is told through the testimonials of characters like Fumihiro Joyu, a former Aum devotee who skirted blame for the attack, and Marshall, a British journalist living in Japan who early on rang the alarm bells about the cult.
Braun — who is the son and the nephew of Dan and Josh Braun,...
- 1/22/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sunday’s anticipated premieres include Drift, Flora And Son.
Heading into Sunday at Sundance studios and streamers were continuing to bid on Chloe Domont’s finance world psychological thriller Fair Play in what sources say could result in an eight-figure deal by the time a winner emerges.
The US Dramatic Competition entry has been the talk of the acquisitions scene since it premiered on Friday and MRC and T-Street have been taking their time mulling offers on the acclaimed feature directing debut that stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor as a newly engaged couple at a hedge fund.
After three...
Heading into Sunday at Sundance studios and streamers were continuing to bid on Chloe Domont’s finance world psychological thriller Fair Play in what sources say could result in an eight-figure deal by the time a winner emerges.
The US Dramatic Competition entry has been the talk of the acquisitions scene since it premiered on Friday and MRC and T-Street have been taking their time mulling offers on the acclaimed feature directing debut that stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor as a newly engaged couple at a hedge fund.
After three...
- 1/22/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A generally compelling story with obvious contemporary and global resonances gets an unfortunately dry and surface-level retelling in Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s Aum: The Cult at the End of the World, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Cult at the End of the World still offers interesting details, especially at a moment when every other television documentary or docuseries seems to be cult-focused. But, especially in its homestretch, I felt like the film was awash in hastily defended conclusions and bad choices involving at least one key interview subject.
The film begins, in medias res, with the March 20, 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, a horrifying event that left 13 people dead, thousands poisoned and — if you listen to several interview subjects and don’t require corroborating analysis — marked the conclusion of the Japanese economic resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s.
The attack was the final escalation for Aum Shinrikyo,...
The Cult at the End of the World still offers interesting details, especially at a moment when every other television documentary or docuseries seems to be cult-focused. But, especially in its homestretch, I felt like the film was awash in hastily defended conclusions and bad choices involving at least one key interview subject.
The film begins, in medias res, with the March 20, 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, a horrifying event that left 13 people dead, thousands poisoned and — if you listen to several interview subjects and don’t require corroborating analysis — marked the conclusion of the Japanese economic resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s.
The attack was the final escalation for Aum Shinrikyo,...
- 1/21/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s easy to understand why true-crime documentaries about cults have become so popular in a streaming age that depends on a constant stream of new (but reliable) content: Every one of these stories is different, and every one of these stories is also the same.
That double reality has seldom been more dramatic than it is in Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.” An American-Japanese collaboration that refracts the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway through local and global lenses at the same time, this well-sourced look back at the conditions that allowed for such a terrible act of bio-terrorism is flattened into an infinite hall of mirrors that shines a brighter light on the film’s own sub-genre than it does on the legacy of the Aum Shinrikyo cult itself.
Then again, it’s possible to see two...
That double reality has seldom been more dramatic than it is in Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto’s “Aum: The Cult at the End of the World.” An American-Japanese collaboration that refracts the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway through local and global lenses at the same time, this well-sourced look back at the conditions that allowed for such a terrible act of bio-terrorism is flattened into an infinite hall of mirrors that shines a brighter light on the film’s own sub-genre than it does on the legacy of the Aum Shinrikyo cult itself.
Then again, it’s possible to see two...
- 1/21/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
It would be inappropriate to call cults “entertaining” — they’re soul-sucking, exploitative enterprises that ruin people’s lives — but if you’re interested in learning about human behavior, particularly its extremes, there’s no denying that cults are fascinating. Not just because people can do, say, and believe outlandish things as a result of cult mind control, but because of the social conditions that lead people to join them in the first place.
“Aum: The Cult at the End of the World,” directed by newcomers Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto, certainly doesn’t shy away from its subject’s atrocities; in fact, it opens with their most infamous one. But where less adept filmmakers might have resorted to shock value or bone-dry moralizing, the team behind “Aum” works hard to understand one cult in all its dazzling, horrifying complexity.
To reel you in, “Aum” opens with the cult’s notorious...
“Aum: The Cult at the End of the World,” directed by newcomers Ben Braun and Chiaki Yanagimoto, certainly doesn’t shy away from its subject’s atrocities; in fact, it opens with their most infamous one. But where less adept filmmakers might have resorted to shock value or bone-dry moralizing, the team behind “Aum” works hard to understand one cult in all its dazzling, horrifying complexity.
To reel you in, “Aum” opens with the cult’s notorious...
- 1/21/2023
- by Lena Wilson
- The Wrap
Saturday premieres include William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth follow-up Eileen.
Multiple offers from studios and streamers are understood to have come in for Chloe Domont’s Sundance finance thriller Fair Play following the world premiere on Friday.
The film about a promotion at a New York hedge fund that pushes two newly engaged employees to the edge stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor and screens again in US Dramatic Competition today (January 21) to public and P&i.
Fair Play hails from the partnership between MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street to support emerging directors, and Star Thrower Entertainment.
Multiple offers from studios and streamers are understood to have come in for Chloe Domont’s Sundance finance thriller Fair Play following the world premiere on Friday.
The film about a promotion at a New York hedge fund that pushes two newly engaged employees to the edge stars Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor and screens again in US Dramatic Competition today (January 21) to public and P&i.
Fair Play hails from the partnership between MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street to support emerging directors, and Star Thrower Entertainment.
- 1/21/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Former Netflix exec Janice Lee has joined Fifth Season as Vice President, Film Development and Production, with longtime team member Kara Duncan being promoted to the same role. The news comes as the global film and TV studio, formerly known as Endeavor Content, kicks off the year with four films heading to Sundance and another two soon heading to theaters.
As members of the team led by EVP, Film Development and Production, Alexis Garcia, Lee and Duncan will be responsible for expanding the studio’s slate of indie and big- budget features, made with top-tier talent for distribution on streaming platforms and in theaters. The pair will report to SVPs, Film Development and Production, Dan Guando and Negeen Yazdi.
After seeing major success at Sundance 2022 with Cha Cha Real Smooth, the Cooper Raiff Audience Award winner that went to Apple in the largest sale of the festival, Fifth Season...
As members of the team led by EVP, Film Development and Production, Alexis Garcia, Lee and Duncan will be responsible for expanding the studio’s slate of indie and big- budget features, made with top-tier talent for distribution on streaming platforms and in theaters. The pair will report to SVPs, Film Development and Production, Dan Guando and Negeen Yazdi.
After seeing major success at Sundance 2022 with Cha Cha Real Smooth, the Cooper Raiff Audience Award winner that went to Apple in the largest sale of the festival, Fifth Season...
- 1/18/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been three years since Hollywood touched down in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, with the 2023 fest offering a hybrid format of both in-person and online attendance after two years of purely digital incarnations. While the virtual festivals still produced major sales — 2021’s Coda being the most noteworthy — the overall market has lagged, with dealmaking continuing into the months after the close of the festival and mid-range deals becoming scarcer. Sellers are particularly excited for the return of in-person premieres, hoping that this will mean a return to urgency, if not a return to all-night bidding wars.
Here are this year’s titles that are sure to entice buyers, whether they are sitting in the Eccles or on their couch at home.
Aum: The Cult at the End of the World
Directors Ben Braun, Chiaki Yanagimoto
Buzz The doc, which could satisfy a streamer’s true crime or nonfiction thriller needs,...
Here are this year’s titles that are sure to entice buyers, whether they are sitting in the Eccles or on their couch at home.
Aum: The Cult at the End of the World
Directors Ben Braun, Chiaki Yanagimoto
Buzz The doc, which could satisfy a streamer’s true crime or nonfiction thriller needs,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After two years of virtual and hybrid event offerings, the Sundance Film Festival is set to celebrate the first fully in-person edition of the landmark fest when it rolls out next week in Park City, Utah. As ever, this year’s festival boasts a wide variety of new films from some of our favorite filmmakers, plus an assortment of rising stars, new talents to keep an eye on, and perhaps a few surprises.
This year’s program includes new films from Nicole Holofcener, Ira Sachs, Brandon Cronenberg, Sebastian Silva, Cory Finley, Justin Chon, Nicole Newnham, Maite Alberdi, Roger Ross Williams, Sophie Barthes, Lana Wilson, Davis Guggenheim, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Anton Corbijn.
Looking for big stars? Sundance has them, too, as notable actors at this year’s festival range include Jonathan Majors, Daisy Ridley, Sarah Snook, Ben Whishaw, Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth, Cynthia Erivo, Alia Shawkat, Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Emilia Jones,...
This year’s program includes new films from Nicole Holofcener, Ira Sachs, Brandon Cronenberg, Sebastian Silva, Cory Finley, Justin Chon, Nicole Newnham, Maite Alberdi, Roger Ross Williams, Sophie Barthes, Lana Wilson, Davis Guggenheim, Rebecca Zlotowski, and Anton Corbijn.
Looking for big stars? Sundance has them, too, as notable actors at this year’s festival range include Jonathan Majors, Daisy Ridley, Sarah Snook, Ben Whishaw, Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth, Cynthia Erivo, Alia Shawkat, Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Emilia Jones,...
- 1/11/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Passages.The Sundance Institute has announced the films selected for their 2023 Festival, which will take place in-person in Park City, Utah, from January 19-29, 2023. A selection of the films will be available virtually in the US from January 24-29.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITIONThe Accidental Getaway Driver (Sing J. Lee): During a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts. Based on a true story. World Premiere.All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson): A decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us. World Premiere.Fair Play (Chloe Domont): An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a young couple’s relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement. World Premiere.Fancy Dance (Erica Tremblay...
- 12/7/2022
- MUBI
After two years of virtual festivals, Sundance is overdue for a comeback. The Park City event is set to return to Park City on January 19 and continue through January 29. While films will still be available to online ticket holders starting January 24, the main emphasis will be the in-person experience that put Sundance on the map in the first place.
While the pandemic disrupted the film industry in 2020, Sundance managed to take place that year just before the shutdowns, launching future Best Picture winner “Coda” into an unpredictable landscape. Now, the market and culture of moviegoing remains in flux, and Sundance is poised to return to the scene just in time to launch a wide array of movies into that ever-changing climate.
And there are a lot of movies in contention. After countless productions were put on hold at the start of the pandemic, they’ve been revving back to action over the past year,...
While the pandemic disrupted the film industry in 2020, Sundance managed to take place that year just before the shutdowns, launching future Best Picture winner “Coda” into an unpredictable landscape. Now, the market and culture of moviegoing remains in flux, and Sundance is poised to return to the scene just in time to launch a wide array of movies into that ever-changing climate.
And there are a lot of movies in contention. After countless productions were put on hold at the start of the pandemic, they’ve been revving back to action over the past year,...
- 11/7/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
As our tribute to the industry comes to an end, we have collected all the interviews that took place during its run, in a series of discussions we feel shed a rather interesting light to what happens behind and around the cameras of Asian cinema. In that fashion, we interviewed Ed Lejano, Earl Jackson, Matthieu Laclau and Yov Moor, Adam Torel, Kazutaka Watanabe, Amir Muhammad, Samuel Jamier, Joey Leung, Mark Schilling, Chiaki Yanagimoto, Tsogtbayar Namsrai, Wafa Ghermani and Huang Juxiang.
1. Ed Lejano – Director, producer, actor and QCinema artistic director 2. Earl Jackson – Asian cinema academic, writer and teacher 3. Matthieu Laclau – Editor 4. Adam Torel – Owner of Third Window Films 5. Kazutaka Watanabe – Producer 6. Amir Muhammad – Filmmaker, publisher, producer and owner of Kuman Pictures 7. Samuel Jamier – Executive producer of New York Asian Film Festival 8. Joey Leung – Owner of Terracotta Distribution 9. Mark Schilling – Film critic for the Tokyo Times, Variety, journalist, translator, and author 10. Chiaki...
1. Ed Lejano – Director, producer, actor and QCinema artistic director 2. Earl Jackson – Asian cinema academic, writer and teacher 3. Matthieu Laclau – Editor 4. Adam Torel – Owner of Third Window Films 5. Kazutaka Watanabe – Producer 6. Amir Muhammad – Filmmaker, publisher, producer and owner of Kuman Pictures 7. Samuel Jamier – Executive producer of New York Asian Film Festival 8. Joey Leung – Owner of Terracotta Distribution 9. Mark Schilling – Film critic for the Tokyo Times, Variety, journalist, translator, and author 10. Chiaki...
- 7/1/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Los Angeles-based Synepic Entertainment has announced that their anticipated platform for Japanese independent cinema Sakka is launching on May 25th, 2022. Their launch will feature five award-winning independent films that have charmed the crowd at the festival circuit.
As indicated by its name Sakka, a Japanese word for “auteur”, the platform will focus on featuring and supporting the emerging directors from Japan with unique voices. It will have a featured page for the directors of their distribution titles and allow people to send short reviews directly to the filmmaker as part of its effort to bring the community closer. The audience can enjoy special bonus contents that are available with rentals and purchases. The company is also looking to host in-person screenings as the venues start to come back to normalcy.
The platform will not only stream the films that the company is distributing, but it will also allow people to...
As indicated by its name Sakka, a Japanese word for “auteur”, the platform will focus on featuring and supporting the emerging directors from Japan with unique voices. It will have a featured page for the directors of their distribution titles and allow people to send short reviews directly to the filmmaker as part of its effort to bring the community closer. The audience can enjoy special bonus contents that are available with rentals and purchases. The company is also looking to host in-person screenings as the venues start to come back to normalcy.
The platform will not only stream the films that the company is distributing, but it will also allow people to...
- 5/18/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Los Angeles-based Synepic Entertainment is launching Sakka, a streaming service specializing in Japanese cinema. The platform will debut in North America and select further territories in early May, the company said. At launch, it will feature five movies: Happy Hour, the 2015 movie from recent Oscar nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi; Shô Miyake’s 2018 feature And Your Bird Can Sing; Seiji Tanaka’s 2018 film Melancholic; Chihiro Amano’s 2019 pic Mrs Noisy; and Hajime Tsuda’s 2020 drama Daughters. Synepic said it was focusing on independent films and would be acquiring two further titles later in the summer. The company is also looking to host in-person screenings of films it acquires. “We are beyond proud to create this unique platform for Japanese films of new generations,” commented Chiaki Yanagimoto, the president of Synepic Entertainment and the founder of the platform. “There are many Japanese films that unfortunately don’t see their full potential outside...
- 4/12/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The distributor has acquired North American rights to a pair of culinary documentaries – Ants On A Shrimp and Kampai! For The Love Of Sake.
Maurice Dekkers’ Ants On A Shrimp follows chef René Redzepi as he transplants his renowned restaurant Noma from Copenhagen to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo for five weeks.
Dan Blazer and Nelsje Musch-Elzinga produced the recent Berlinale world premiere and Dekkers served as executive producer with Marc Blazer.
Ants On A Shrimp will screen at the 2016 Hot Docs Film Festival in Special Presentations.
Mirai Konishi’s Kampai! For The Love Of Sake explores the Japanese spirit through the eyes of a British sake brewer in Japan, an American journalist and author of multiple sake guidebooks, and the reforming young president of an old Japanese sake brewery.
Konishi and Chiaki Yanagimoto produced the film, which premiered at the 2015 San Sebastián Film Festival.
Nao Komai, Soojun Bae, Fortissimo Films’ Michael J. Werner, and [link=nm...
Maurice Dekkers’ Ants On A Shrimp follows chef René Redzepi as he transplants his renowned restaurant Noma from Copenhagen to the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo for five weeks.
Dan Blazer and Nelsje Musch-Elzinga produced the recent Berlinale world premiere and Dekkers served as executive producer with Marc Blazer.
Ants On A Shrimp will screen at the 2016 Hot Docs Film Festival in Special Presentations.
Mirai Konishi’s Kampai! For The Love Of Sake explores the Japanese spirit through the eyes of a British sake brewer in Japan, an American journalist and author of multiple sake guidebooks, and the reforming young president of an old Japanese sake brewery.
Konishi and Chiaki Yanagimoto produced the film, which premiered at the 2015 San Sebastián Film Festival.
Nao Komai, Soojun Bae, Fortissimo Films’ Michael J. Werner, and [link=nm...
- 3/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Spidey better not swing too close to Wilson Fisk in his zombified form. Already a formidable foe as one of the living, Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk, is even more dangerous as a hulking zombie. The folks at Gentle Giant have captured the intimidating villain in his living dead state, complete with a wine glass filled with blood and garnished with an eyeball. We also take a look at Scream Factory's Blu-ray/DVD release of Gun Woman and the submission details for a new Sharknado 3 fan contest in our latest round-up.
Marvel Zombie Kingpin Bust: Now available to pre-order from Gentle Giant for $120.00, the Marvel Zombie Kingpin 1/6th scale bust is expected to be released in early 2016.
To learn more, visit:
http://www.the3dstudio.com/collectibles/pre-order-gallery/marvel-zombie-kingpin-bust
"The Kingpin of crime, Aka Wilson Fisk, has been a major villain in the Marvel Universe for nearly 5 decades. Though he...
Marvel Zombie Kingpin Bust: Now available to pre-order from Gentle Giant for $120.00, the Marvel Zombie Kingpin 1/6th scale bust is expected to be released in early 2016.
To learn more, visit:
http://www.the3dstudio.com/collectibles/pre-order-gallery/marvel-zombie-kingpin-bust
"The Kingpin of crime, Aka Wilson Fisk, has been a major villain in the Marvel Universe for nearly 5 decades. Though he...
- 3/26/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fortissimo takes world rights except Japan for Mirai Konishi’s feature documentary Kampai! For The Love Of Sake.
Fortissimo will start pre-sales at Afm for the film, which is currently in production. Early footage will be shown to buyers.
The English and Japanese-language film delves into the fascinating world of the Japanese liquor — as seen through the eyes of three unique outsiders who devote their lives to becoming sake experts. They are a sake brewer, a sake journalist and the young president of a century-old sake brewery.
The film is produced by Konishi’s L.A. based Wagamama Media LLC, along with La based producer, Chiaki Yanagimoto (Samurai Avenger).
The film is executive produced by Nao Komai and Synca Creations CEO, Soojun Bae and will be presented In Association with Fortissimo Films.
The deal was strucky by Fortissimo chairman Michael J Werner and Yanagimoto.
Werner and Fortissimo MD Nelleke Driessen will take executive producer credits on the...
Fortissimo will start pre-sales at Afm for the film, which is currently in production. Early footage will be shown to buyers.
The English and Japanese-language film delves into the fascinating world of the Japanese liquor — as seen through the eyes of three unique outsiders who devote their lives to becoming sake experts. They are a sake brewer, a sake journalist and the young president of a century-old sake brewery.
The film is produced by Konishi’s L.A. based Wagamama Media LLC, along with La based producer, Chiaki Yanagimoto (Samurai Avenger).
The film is executive produced by Nao Komai and Synca Creations CEO, Soojun Bae and will be presented In Association with Fortissimo Films.
The deal was strucky by Fortissimo chairman Michael J Werner and Yanagimoto.
Werner and Fortissimo MD Nelleke Driessen will take executive producer credits on the...
- 10/29/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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