Welcome to the Third Window Films newsletter for April 2018! We’ve got some interesting news for upcoming releases plus a look at other Asian-film related happenings in the UK!
April is SION SONO month!
A month celebrating one of our faves!
WHISPERING STAR / THE SION SONO
APRIL 16th
SION SONO, the director of such Third Window favourites classics as LOVE EXPOSURE, COLD FISH and HIMIZU has his sci-fi arthouse film THE WHISPERING STAR released as a DUAL FORMAT blu-ray/dvd on April 16th together with the FEATURE-LENGTH DOCUMENTARY THE SION SONO on the discs.
Whispering Star was a big festival success and the accompanying documentary tells of the making of the film and Sion Sono’s career, plus is directed by Arata Oshima, the son of legendary director Nagisa Oshima (Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence)
Apart from the documentary extra, the release features a reversible package sleeve!
Check out the trailer to Whispering Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1U8jWYdG2w
and the trailer to The Sion Sono: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBVxovfMXxc
Pre-order it now at Amazon
http://amzn.to/2Dxs2fd
ANTIPORNO
APRIL 30th
April continues the SION SONO madness with ANTIPORNO, his entry in the Nikkatsu ROMAN PORNO REBOOT series, which is out as a DUAL FORMAT dvd/bluray on April 30th!. The artist that is Sion Sono subverts the genre by only casting women and making a film which breaks through the genre with something totally unique and outrageous!
Special Features
Interview with actress Ami Tomite / Making Of
Audio Commentary by film critic Jasper Sharp
Check out the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubByZnN3-1I
Pre-order on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/2zg85pT
ORDER OTHER FILMS FROM THE
THIRD WINDOW SION SONO COLLECTION HERE!
ANIMERAMA: 1001 NIGHTS / CLEOPATRA
Out June 18! Now available to pre-order!
Third Window Films are pleased to announce the WORLD’S FIRST BLURAY release of two rare animations from the “Godfather of Manga” TEZUKA OSAMU: 1001 NIGHTS and CLEOPATRA as a double disc, limited edition set coming JUNE 18th!
In the late 60s, Tezuka Osamu with his production company MUSHI PRO and director EIICHI YAMAMOTO (Belladonna of Sadness) started a very short run series of X-RATED animations called ANIMERAMA. The series only really officially made these two films before Mushi Pro went bankrupt, but they have been totally forgotten in history and we are very happy to bring them back with new 2K remasters.
The release will feature many NEW & EXCLUSIVE extra features including an interview with director Eiichi Yamamoto, audio commentaries on both films by Helen Mccarthy, author of The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, plus 4K scanned trailers and liner notes by film critic Simon Abrams.
*ALSO AVAILABLE ON DVD
Limited to 2000 copies only on Bluray and 1000 on dvd
PRE-ORDER at: https://amzn.to/2EgWZDJ
Plus there’s a ONE-OFF screening of A THOUSAND & ONE NIGHTS on the BIG SCREEN
April 28th at 9pm at The Castle Cinema in London
Part of the East End Film Festival!
Information and tickets here:
http://www.eastendfilmfestival.com/programme-archive/1001-nights/
LOVE & OTHER CULTS
NOW OUT
Third Window Films once again team up with EIJI UCHIDA after LOWLIFE LOVE to produce the black comedy LOVE AND OTHER CULTS, a film about cults, gangs and true love in Japan’s countryside, based on an unbelievable true story!
Love & Other Cults made many Best Of lists of 2017 such as at Eastern Kicks and Asian Film Vault plus was invited to many major film festivals such as Udine, Sitges, Fantasia, Raindance and many more!
ALL REGION DUAL FORMAT dvd/bluray with loads of extras!!
“The most unique film to come out of Japan in a long time” BLUMHOUSE
“A breezy, blackly comic delinquent romance” HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Order now on amazon at: http://amzn.to/2kFmDee
Check out the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWkIWFiVW1w
Arrow Films
Seijun Suzuki set our April 16!
BOUNDARY-BREAKING EARLY CRIME THRILLERS, MOB DRAMAS AND ACTION MOVIES FROM LEGENDARY CULT DIRECTOR SEIJUN SUZUKI
Includes: Eight Hours of Terror (1957), The Sleeping Beast Within (1960), Smashing the 0-Line (1960), Tokyo Knights (1961), The Man with a Shotgun (1961).
Available for home-viewing for the very first time ever outside of Japan, this collection of bleak crime thrillers, brash mob dramas and exuberant action movies, made across the first five years of Seijun Suzuki’s career within Nikkatsu’s Borderless Action (mukokuseki akushon) line, presents a heady mix that laid the ground for what was to come.
OUT APRIL 16th from ARROW FILMS!
ORDER HERE
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL
NOW OUT!
Arrow Video is proud to present Blade of the Immortal, the thrilling, action-packed 100th feature from the Japanese master of genre films, Takashi Miike (Audition, 13 Assassins).
Based on the Manga series of the same name by Hiroaki Samura, Blade stars Takuya Kimura (Love and Honour) as Manji, a highly skilled samurai, who becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain him his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin (Hana Sugisaki) avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu (Sôta Fukushi). The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine…
NOW OUT from ARROW FILMS!
ORDER HERE
East Winds Film Festival
April 30 – May 4th
East Winds Film Festival, the only major film festival of East Asian cinema outside of London and the first of its kind in the Midlands, returns to the UK City of Culture between 30th April and 4th May for its sixth edition, taking place at Coventry University’s state-of-the-art Square One 3D Cinema.
In true East Winds style, this year’s selected Opening Gala film will keep audiences on the edge of their seat and craving for more. Victor Vu’s action-packed origin story “Loi Bao” will come to life on the silver screen for its World Festival Premiere, taking audiences on the journey of a terminally ill man who undergoes an illegal and experimental medical treatment that gives him superhuman abilities.
East Winds represents a unique opportunity for West Midlands audiences to not only immerse themselves in some of the most hotly anticipated East Asian productions, but also to meet directors, actors and producers in an informal environment.
The full line-up, list of special guests and more will be announced in the coming weeks. For further information, please visit www.eastwindsfilmfest.com
London Korean Film Festival
One-off screening event!
With the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Okja and Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, 2017 proved that South Korean cinema is as fresh and exciting as ever. With this in mind, the London Korean Film Festival series of Teaser Screenings return in 2018 to bring the best new Korean cinema to UK audiences.
The London Korean Film Festival 2018 presents the UK Premiere of fantasy romance Be With You at Picturehouse Central, Wednesday 25 April.
News & Tweets appreciated including @koreanfilmfest #BeWithYou and the ticket link: https://www.picturehouses.com/cinema/Picturehouse_Central/film/lkff-2018-teaser-screening-be-with-you
Trailer: https://youtu.be/_6tJmGxGaK4
Japanese Film Festival Ireland
April 8-21st
The 2018 Festival will again feature a diverse and packed programme of films, which includes work of the most acclaimed filmmakers from contemporary Japanese cinema, and covers a variety of themes, genres and topics.
This year they host screenings at venues in Cork, Galway, Limerick, Tipperary, Dublin, Sligo, Waterford and Dundalk
Check their homepage out for more info!
http://www.jff.ie/
JPU Records
All the latest Japanese music news!
J-POP STAR SUMIRE UESAKA GOES VIRAL WITH
“POP TEAM EPIC” SINGLE
Japan’s electro-pop singer and anime voice actress Sumire Uesaka is currently experiencing viral success with latest single POP TEAM EPIC, released in Europe from JPU Records along with her back catalogue. Streaming it now on Spotify.
The title song of the six-track release – theme to global hit rude, crude and cute anime series also named POP TEAM EPIC – has shot to the top of Spotify’s Japan Viral 50 chart. Meanwhile, the song’s trippy music video has achieved over 1.5 million views on YouTube and sees the star running away from security guards and chop vegetables to the beat of a dubstep-inspired breakdown.
A number of music videos are also available on YouTube, including Parallax View, which sees an AK-47 wielding Uesaka running through a 16-bit world blasting video game nasties along the way and freeing her paper-bag wearing backing band. The video has had over one million views and is another example of Sumire Uesaka’s unique take on pop with a distinct metal flavour.
BAND-MAID PREPARE FOR WORLD DOMINATION WITH NEW ALBUM
Japanese rock sensation BAND-MAID have revealed information on WORLD DOMINATION, the band’s second full length studio album. The CD will be released in the UK, Europe, USA and Canada through JPU Records from 2nd March 2018 and will exclusively include English translations and transliterations.
To celebrate the announcement BAND-MAID revealed the video to album track DOMINATION, available to watch in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmxEuQXTHUU
MORE JPU RECORDS NEWS HERE!
