Dear Friends,
We are pleased to inform you that Toho International Co., Ltd. will be attending the upcoming Marche du Film 2004 to present a wide variety of Japanese films including the following new titles:
1) "CRYING OUT LOVE, IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD" An emotional love story based on a Japanese best seller novel that has sold more than 2 million copies and has become a national phenomenon.The disappearance of his fiancee, Ritsuko, puzzles Sakutaro. He travels to Shikoku in search of her, to a town where he experienced his first love, Aki, a high school classmate. The young lovers enjoyed the springtime of their lives, but, Aki learns that she suffered from leukemia and her days were numbered…
Screening at Cannes: 9:30 am on May 16 (Sun.) at Riviera 6
Japanese official website: http://aiosakebu.yahoo.co.jp/
2) "GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS" A monster action film. As the combat among Godzilla, Mothra and Mechagodzilla begin, new giant monsters are heading for Tokyo. Is it man's friend or foe? What will become of Tokyo? The final battle of monsters sets the stage for an unimaginable catastrophe...
Japanese official website: http://www.godzilla.co.jp/index.html
Besides this newest film, we have also 25 Godzilla sequels. Please ask us more details!
3) "MILK WHITE" A smash hit love story of a man losing his sight. Takayuki is a grade school teacher in Tokyo. One day, he learns that he will lose his sight sooner or later. He resigns from school and returns to his hometown of Nagasaki where his mother and sister live. When Yoko, his girlfriend, follows him to Nagasaki, he must deal with his feelings for her and his worries about the future.
Japanese official website: http://www.gege.jp/
4) "RED MOON" A passionate love story of a woman who loved many men to survive war. Based on Rei Nakanishi's bestseller "The Red Moon", the film depicts what happened to the novelist's mother during the war in Manchuria. Japan sent thousands of colonists Manchuria, some of whom, like Namiko(heroine)'s husband, made a fortune there, but Japan's defeat toppled their success. While the Soviet invasion plunged the colonists into misery, Namiko survived days of hardship in postwar Harbin thanks to her strong will.
Japanese official website: http://www.akaitsuki.jp/
5) "LIKE ASURA" A well-made family drama that was an official entry at the Montreal Film Festival 2003 and a multiple award winner at the Japanese film awards including the Japanese Academy Awards. Four sisters have respective problems. Tsunako, a widow, is intimate with a restaurant owner who is married. Makiko incidentally discovers her husband's secret rendezvous with his secretary. Takiko hires a private detective to tail her father, but unexpectedly he woos her. Sakiko is crazy about a young boxer, who, after she marries him, gets fatally wounded in the ring. The sisters are worried about each other, sometimes hostile to each other and, deep in their hearts, jealous of each other. New from Yoshimitsu Morita ("The Family Game","Los Paradise", etc.).
6) "ROBOCON" A touching initiation story of youths. Satomi is an apathetic student at a technical college. One day at the advice of the class teacher, she joins Robot Club #2. At the school, there are two Robot Clubs: elitist Robot Club #1 and fallout Robot Club #2, which has only two active members and little activities. Both of the clubs attend a local robocon(robot contest) where similar clubs compete each other with their robots. Robot Club #2 loses, but the contest's judges choose the club as one of the few representatives for the area at the national contest because of their robot's unique features. Robot Club #2, which is otherwise a team of losers, is elated and for the first time in their lives find what they really want to do: to win this heaven-sent opportunity to prove them. Their true robocon starts now...
7) "SPY SORGE" A spy suspense film and also the last film by the famed master director, Masahiro Shinoda of "Silence", "Double Suicide" and "Gonza, the Spearman". The Soviet Union under Stalin was perplexed at the beginning of World War II. How could they protect their vast country from the Nazi invasion in the west and Japanese military advancement in the east? Without help, they could never repel the invaders. Then came a secret message from a Russian spy in Japan; "Japan has no intention to invade the Soviet Union." On the heels of it, Stalin sent his Far-East Army to defend Stalingrad against the Nazis, thus turning the course of the war. That single piece of information led the Soviets to victory. Richard Sorge, the spy who stole top secrets from the Japanese and German governments for the Soviet Union, when arrested by the Japanese police, said, "There are no longer any secrets in Japan for me to steal." His skill in gathering information were exceptional. Handsome and virile, he had a forceful personality. He had all the qualities of a talented spy and an ace journalist. He was also a charming playboy.
8) "KILLERS" Japan's five top movie directors have gathered to make an action-packed omnibus movie "Killers". Mamoru Oshii who made "Ghost in the Shell", Kazuhiro Kiuchi of "Partners in Crime" fame, Toshimichi Ohkawa who directed the "Crime Hunter" series, and two promising young directors, Shuji Kawata and Takanori Tsujimoto whose talents are highly acclaimed by the former three. Each episode is a thrilling pageant of action and gunplay...
Furthremore, our company is also handling numerous Japanese classic titles, such as films by Akira Kurosawa, Mikio Naruse, or Samurai films, Janaese animations etc....
Contact at Cannes
Attendees: Masaharu Ina (Director) Yukio Kotaki (Sales Manager)
Booth: Riviera D-6 Phone: 04-9299-3239 (Booth) 06-7415-4580 (Masaharu Ina's mobile phone) 06-7415-4581 (Yukio Kotaki's mobile phone)
Please contact myself to set up a meeting during the market.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Yukio Kotaki Sales Manager TOHO INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. 1-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-0006, Japan Tel: +81 3 3213 6821, Fax: +81 3 3213 6825 e-mail: y_kotaki@toho.co.jp