News

East Winds Film Festival returns!

adam — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:41:47 +0000

'East Winds: A Third Window Film Festival' returns for its second year with a line-up of films and talent that really propels the festival to a higher status!

After the success of last years' festival, Third Window Films have once again teamed up with the Coventry East Asian Film Society (http://www.cueafs.com) to celebrate Asian cinema on a large and varied scale on the campus of Coventry University.

This year's line-up features

A Miki Satoshi mini-retrospective of three of his best works including 'In the Pool', 'Adrift in Tokyo' and 'Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers' - Director Miki Satoshi and his regular actress Fuse Eri will be in attendance for post-screening Q&As

A Herman Yau double-bill of 'Woman Knight of Mirror Lake' and 'True Women for Sale' with Herman Yau in attendance for post-screening Q&As. Herman Yau is the legendary Hong Kong director of over 80 films including such cult classics as 'Untold Story' and 'Ebola Syndrome' among many others.

'Starry Starry Night' - The second film from rising Taiwanese director Tom Lin who made his name working on such contemporary hits as 'Monga' and 'Wayward Cloud'. Tom Lin will also be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A/

'Mitsuko Delivers' - Yuya Ishii's follow-up to the delightful 'Sawako Decides'

'The Yellow Sea' - Big-budget Korean film from the director of 'The Chaser'

More information can be found at http://www.eastwindsfilm.com

Third Window Films gets into production with 'Land of Hope'

adam — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:04:11 +0000

Third Window Films have made their first step into the world of film production by co-producing the newest film from director Sion Sono ('Love Exposure', 'Cold Fish') entitled 'Land of Hope'. The film started shooting on January 13th, 2012, with the aim to premier at the Cannes Film Festival with the Japanese theatrical release planned at the end of Summer.

The main producers are Bitters End and Dongyu. Bitters End will handle domestic distribution with Dongyu and Pictures Dept (who are also co-producing) handling International sales. German distributor Rapid Eye Movies will also be co-producing along with Taiwan's Joint Entertainment.

INTRODUCTION
In a typical Japanese village, an old couple, their son and his wife are living peacefully. However, they have to disperse due to a large earthquake. It is a touching, but beautiful
story. Accomplished veteran actors, Isao Natsuyagi and Naoko Otani star as the old couple, who are attached to their lifetime family home and so are distraught. Jun
Murakami and Megumi Kagurazaka star as the young couple. Megumi Kagurazaka, who has been Sonoʼ’s latest muse, recently married with the director.

On March 11th, 2011, devastating damage far beyond anything imaginable occurred, causing people to think anew about life. It is very timely that this film is produced for a
wide audience to see.

STORY
In a typical Japanese village, Yoichi Ono lives with his wife, Izumi, and his parents, Yasuhiko and Chieko. The Ono family are dairy farmers who live frugally, but happily in
the peaceful countryside. One day, an unbelievably huge earthquake occurs. They are forced to seek refuge away from home. However, Yoichi is attached to their lifetime
family home, so he is hesitant to leave. Due to his wifeʼ’s pregnancy, Yoichi must take action to protect his wife Izumi, as well as their unborn child. That action is supposed to
lead them to the land of hope, however...

STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTOR
“THE LAND OF HOPE”
On March 11, 2011――
The Great East Japan Earthquake led to explosions at Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant, releasing a massive quantity of radioactive materials. This disaster destroyed lives
of many people ‒ lives that they used to know until that day. Faced with this unprecedented crisis, I am greatly alarmed that only the scale of the
nuclear accident and not much else is talked about in Japan. I fear that we will simply become desensitized to the idea of radiation in time and “co-exist” with it, willy-nilly,
conveniently “forgetting” about it in our daily life. The government may well declare that the nuclear crisis, the focus of our attention since last March, has been resolved.
I make this movie because I want people to “relive” “that time” again, to go back into March last year. By reliving that day again, we will be able to appreciate the horrifying
reality that we are forced into ‒ the reality of having to live with radiation. Thatʼ’s what we must talk about now.

These thoughts are behind my determination to make this movie.

Far from declining, nuclear power is actually on the rise globally as “clean energy.” Fear of nuclear power is pervasive, yet we continue to depend on nuclear energy. Do we really
have no other choice?

Japan is the only country in the world that has experienced the horror of nuclear firsthand in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and now weʼ’ve had a nuclear accident even worse than
Chernobyl. It is only our responsibility to warn the world by reporting our experiences. This movie is my answer to that; it is a sci-fi movie about a nuclear plant accident that
occurs in mid-January, 2013 ‒ a few years after the Fukushima disaster. It depicts what is happening in “Fukushima”, and in Japan right now, through the story of one family.
The nuclear accident severely tests the familyʼ’s strong bond. The son has no choice but to leave the land of his family, while the father refuses to leave, choosing to live by it. The
family becomes torn apart by the nuclear disaster. Torn apart, and yet, they need each other. They learn just what they mean to each other. This is family drama that is actually
happening now in every household in “Fukushima”, which I encountered in my research for this movie. But I chose to make this realistic documentary drama a sci-fi movie,
setting it in the near future, because only drama, not a documentary, can convey what I wanted to tell the audience in this movie.

By setting the movie in the near future, paradoxically, the audience will learn what actually happened then, with all of its raw urgency. By witnessing the mistake we may make yet again some years down the line, we may be able to change the course of our future even a little, choosing not to repeat our foolish mistake. That is my sincere wish in making this
movie.

SION SONO
January 6, 2012

Miki Satoshi and Fuse Eri coming to London!

adam — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:27:27 +0000

We are very happy to announce that we will be bringing one of our favourite directors Miki Satoshi (Adrift in Tokyo, Turtles are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers) and actress Fuse Eri (Boiling Point, Instant Swamp) to London to promote the DVD release of 'Adrift in Tokyo' and the 'Miki Satoshi Collection', both of which are released on February 27th.

On the weekend of February 25th and 26th, both Miki Satoshi and Fuse Eri will take stage at the Hyper Japan Event in London to talk about their work and to sign copies of their films and chat to fans. It will be great fun and a wonderful chance to meet and talk to some of the most oddball characters in contemporary Japanese Cinema and Television

Hyper Japan was a huge success last year, selling out its huge venue immediately, with a 2 hour queue to get in! This year they have moved to an even larger venue, but buying tickets ahead of time is a must, so don't delay!

More information on the event at: http://www.hyperjapan.co.uk/2012-spring/highlights/567-third-window-film...

Plus Hyper Japan can be found on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/hyperjapan and Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/hyperjapanevent

See you there!

Third Window Films acquires Shinya Tsukamoto's 'KOTOKO'

adam — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:35:35 +0000

Third Window Films is pleased to announce the acquisition of Shinya Tsukamoto's award-winning 'KOTOKO' for release in the UK.

The film, winner of the Best Film Award in the Orrizonti section of the Venice Film Festival, is a true return to form for Shinya Tsukamoto, the director of such cult classics as 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man', 'Bullet Ballet', 'Vital' and 'Snake of June' among others.

We are truly proud to be able to release 'KOTOKO' within the UK and will be giving the film a theatrical run in the summer of 2012 with a DVD and Blu-ray release around October 2012.

Keep on checking back for more updates

Third Window Films acquires Sion Sono's 'Himizu' and Yuya Ishii's 'Mitsuko Delivers'

adam — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:54:08 +0000

Third Window Films are pleased to announce the acquisition of Sion Sono's latest work 'Himizu' and Yuya Ishii's latest 'Mitsuko Delivers' (Hara ga Kore Nande)

Sion Sono's 'Love Exposure' and 'Cold Fish' have both been previously released by Third Window Films, and we are proud to continue promoting the works of one of the most talented directors in contemporary Japanese cinema. 'Himizu' had its world premiere at the 2011 Venice Film Festival where it played in competition and won awards for Best Young Actor and Best Young Actress. It is based on the famous Manga of the same name and will have its theatrical release in Japan in January 2012 and April 2012 in the UK. DVD release date will be in July.

Another of the most promising young talents to emerge from Japan in recent years is that of Yuya Ishii, the director of 'Sawako Decides', a previous Third Window Films release. With 'Mitsuko Delivers', he continues his trend seen in 'Sawako Decides' and 'Girl Sparks' looking at women who are struggling to come to terms with themselves and the situation they are in. 'Mitsuko Delivers', is a heart-warming comedy that is recommended to all people who liked 'Sawako Decides'. It will be released in UK cinemas in May of 2012.

Keep checking back for more information

'Underwater Love' Limited Edition DVD now available to pre-order

adam — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:11:31 +0000

On November 21st 'Underwater Love - A Pink Musical' will be released as a very limited 2,000 pressing edition packed with extras and with an exclusive soundtrack CD of Stereo Total.

We expect this release to sell-out quickly so we advise pre-ordering to avoid disappointment.

The release specs are:

Anamorphic Widescreen with 5.1 Surround Sound and optional English subtitles
3 interviews with Christopher Doyle
Interview with director Shinji Imaoka
'Pink Porcupines' - Christopher Doyle's 2nd camera sex shots
'First Look' teaser
Theatrical Trailer
Soundtrack CD - Limited to 2,000 copies

You can pre-order on our Amazon store at: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/thiwinfil-21

'Sawako Decides' / 'Quirky Guys and Gals' release date moved

adam — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:49:17 +0000

Due to the continuing setbacks at Sony after the fire, we have had to move the release date of 'Sawako Decides' and 'Quirky Guys and Gals'.

'Quirky Guys and Gals' will be out on October 10th and 'Sawako Decides' will be out on October 24th.

Sorry for this delay, but it's very much out of our hands for now. We've been given assurances that both titles will be in stores by their correct dates so please don't let this put you off ordering online

Thanks

Third Window Films Newsletter #19

adam — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 12:02:19 +0000

Our latest newsletter is now out with information on the upcoming releases of Sawako Decides and Quirky Guys and Gals, plus info on the Underwater Love UK Premiere and much more!

Check it out at: http://eepurl.com/f_pIH

'Sawako Decides' and 'Quirky Guys and Gals' now available to pre-order

adam — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:47:55 +0000

'Sawako Decides', the award winning film by Yuya Ishii and starring Hikari Mitushima (Villain, Love Exposure) will be coming out on DVD on October 3rd along with 'Quirky Guys and Gals' the 4-film omnibus featuring the latest from directors Yosuke Fujita (Fine, Totally Fine) and Gen Sekiguchi (Survive Style 5).

Both films feature extra features created just for these releases, and both films are unavailable with English subtitles anywhere else in the world, so make sure to check out these 2 great examples of contemporary independent cinema in Japan.

'Sawako Decides' (http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/sawako-decides) features an exclusive interview as well as a special introduction to the film by director/writer Yuya Ishii as well as a theatrical trailer

'Quirky Guys and Gals' (http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/quirky-guys-and-gals) features exclusive interviews as well as special introductions from all four directors as well as trailers of other Third Window releases.

Both are available to pre-order on our Amazon Store at: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/thiwinfil-21 - They are both released on October 3rd, 2011

Underwater Love UK premiere with live performance by Stereo Total

adam — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:24:28 +0000

On Sunday, October 16th, Third Window Films will present the UK premiere of 'Underwater Love' with live performance from German/French synth-pop duo 'Stereo Total' as well as DJs on the night.

'Underwater Love' is a zany Japanese "pink-musical" by world-renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle (Hero, In the Mood for Love, Limits of Control) and legendary pink-film director Shinji Imaoka with all original music (in Japanese!) by Stereo Total.

Full film details (including trailer) can be found at: http://thirdwindowfilms.com/films/underwater-love

Stereo Total's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StereoTotal

Doors open at 6:30pm
Everyone must be seated by 7:30pm
7:30pm - small performance by Stereo Total immediately followed by the film 'Underwater Love' (87 mins) followed by a full performance by Stereo Total

- Full tickets (pre-film Stereo Total mini performance plus 'Underwater Love' film premiere plus full live gig) available for £15 at: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/132083

- Limited number of gig only tickets (9:45pm entry, full Stereo Total performance only) available for £10 at: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/132276