San Diego Comic-Con is Over! But, IDW Publishing Has Traveled Back in Time with This Year’s Biggest Announcement: Back To The Future
All-New Comic Series Arrives This October 21st (That Date Sound Familiar?)
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads…”
Great Scott! As the smoke begins to clear on another magnificent San Diego Comic-Con International, IDW Publishing is OFFICIALLY announcing the next great property to come to comics is none other than Back to the Future! Two days ago, the crowd at IDW’s panel sat stunned as Biff himself arrived, grasping a freshly printed copy of the 2016 trade paperback collection and proclaiming it to be the best-selling book of the year. After traveling to the end of the Con, IDW can now confirm it’s true!
IDW is proud to reveal that with the original movie’s creator/screenwriter Bob Gale on board, the untold adventures are headed Back to (and from) the Future!
“We’ve subtitled this ‘Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines’ because for years, fans have asked questions about things that happened before the events of the trilogy, in between the events of the trilogy, or in our alternate realities,” said Gale. “In this series, we’ll finally answer some of those questions, with our focus squarely on the characters everyone loves.”
Joining Gale in these tales through alternate timelines are two familiar IDW writers: John Barber (Transformers) and Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters), who together break down the issue into two separate stories that build upon the iconic characters and time periods from the films. The artistic team will also be split between Brent Schoonover (Batman ’66) and Burnham’s long-time collaborator, Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters). Each subsequent issue will feature rotating artistic teams, who will add more fun stories to this rich universe.
“I can honestly say the enthusiasm surrounding BTTF’s inclusion into our vast library of licensed comics is absolutely palpable here at the IDW offices and amongst the talented creators we’ve recruited to help us bring Bob Gale’s new visions to four-color life—enough excitement to energize a flux-capacitor or two, that’s for sure!” said IDW editor Tom Waltz.
In the first tale of the debut issue, we head back to 1982 and witness the very first meeting between Marty McFly and Doc Brown, before their incredible adventures together began. Then in the second chapter, we head back even farther to 1943 and see how Doc Brown got himself mixed up in the infamous Manhattan Project! This first issue will feature three standard covers, by Schoening, Schoonover, and Amy Mebberson (My Little Pony). Additionally, Back to the Future #1 will join in on the fun of Artist’s Edition Month in October with an original art styled cover by Schoening!
Mark your calendars and set your watches for October when this 4-part series races into comic shops!
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Saturday, July 11, 2015
"The Tithe" Comic Book is Collected in August 2015
THE TITHE answers fans’ prayers with collected trade paperback
"Wait, this comic is about a group that robs from mega-churches and gives the money to charity? That's cool as hell! This comic is really great!" —Robert Kirkman
"The Tithe's aim is true—targeting the hypocrisy born of naivete.
As such it will piss off a lot of people. My only regret is that I didn't write it. Well, done, Mr. Hawkins!" —Jim Valentino
Writer Matt Hawkins (THINK TANK, TALES OF HONOR) and artist Rahsan Ekedal’s (THINK TANK) team up for all-new thriller suspense series in THE TITHE, VOL. 1, hitting stores this September. It collects issues #1-4 of the breakout hit Top Cow series.
THE TITHE, VOL. 1 is a heist story unlike any before. Mega-churches are being robbed for millions of dollars by a crusader hacker group known as Samaritan who is giving the money to causes they deem more worthy. This modern day “Robin Hood” is being pursued by two FBI agents who actually admire their quarry but want to stop the theft before it escalates.
THE TITHE, VOL. 1 (ISBN: 978-1-63215-324-1) hits comic book stores on August 26, 2015 and bookstores on September 8, 2015, and will be available for $14.99. It can be ordered by retailers from Diamond Book Distributors with Diamond Code JUN150588.
Select praise for THE TITHE:
“While the main premise is definitely intriguing, it's with these characters where the series finds both emotional depth and an interesting intellectual debate.” —IGN
“A strong and approachable story with a fresh flavor.” —Comic Book Resources
“Hawkins and Edekel might've just invented a whole new genre of comic-book, 'The Mega-Church Heist'.” —Multiversity Comics
“This is some great writing paired with some excellent art and definitely worth a look.” —Comicosity
“Matt Hawkins is putting together a nice streak of good books lately and this should be added to the list. Rahsan Ekedal did great work on this issue and certainly looks to have a bright future in the business. The Tithe is a book that deserves a read, the good writing and excellent art will keep you coming back.” —All-Comic
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"Wait, this comic is about a group that robs from mega-churches and gives the money to charity? That's cool as hell! This comic is really great!" —Robert Kirkman
"The Tithe's aim is true—targeting the hypocrisy born of naivete.
As such it will piss off a lot of people. My only regret is that I didn't write it. Well, done, Mr. Hawkins!" —Jim Valentino
Writer Matt Hawkins (THINK TANK, TALES OF HONOR) and artist Rahsan Ekedal’s (THINK TANK) team up for all-new thriller suspense series in THE TITHE, VOL. 1, hitting stores this September. It collects issues #1-4 of the breakout hit Top Cow series.
THE TITHE, VOL. 1 is a heist story unlike any before. Mega-churches are being robbed for millions of dollars by a crusader hacker group known as Samaritan who is giving the money to causes they deem more worthy. This modern day “Robin Hood” is being pursued by two FBI agents who actually admire their quarry but want to stop the theft before it escalates.
THE TITHE, VOL. 1 (ISBN: 978-1-63215-324-1) hits comic book stores on August 26, 2015 and bookstores on September 8, 2015, and will be available for $14.99. It can be ordered by retailers from Diamond Book Distributors with Diamond Code JUN150588.
Select praise for THE TITHE:
“While the main premise is definitely intriguing, it's with these characters where the series finds both emotional depth and an interesting intellectual debate.” —IGN
“A strong and approachable story with a fresh flavor.” —Comic Book Resources
“Hawkins and Edekel might've just invented a whole new genre of comic-book, 'The Mega-Church Heist'.” —Multiversity Comics
“This is some great writing paired with some excellent art and definitely worth a look.” —Comicosity
“Matt Hawkins is putting together a nice streak of good books lately and this should be added to the list. Rahsan Ekedal did great work on this issue and certainly looks to have a bright future in the business. The Tithe is a book that deserves a read, the good writing and excellent art will keep you coming back.” —All-Comic
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Friday, July 10, 2015
Fantagraphics Books Announces Joshua Cotter's "Nod Away"
Fantagraphics Spaces Out With Joshua Cotter's Nod Away
Seattle, WA-Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce its acquisition of Joshua Cotter's new sci-fi epic Nod Away, to be released Spring 2016. Nod Away moves back and forth between physical and psychological worlds, utilizing traditional and abstract storytelling styles to explore what consciousness could be, where it's located, and what function or point it serves.
Nod Away is set on a near-future version of Earth. Deep-space transport has been developed to take a small crew to a habitable planet in a nearby system in an attempt to begin colonization/repopulation. The Internet is now telepathic and referred to as the "innernet." When the hub is revealed to be a human child, Melody McCabe is hired to develop the new nexus on the second International Space Station.
Cotter garnered international acclaim in 2008 with his original graphic novel Skyscrapers Of The Midwest, released by AdHouse Books. For the past seven years, comics fans and critics alike have been calling out to Cotter for a new book. Nod Away is shaping up to be the most highly anticipated graphic novels of the year.
"Cotter is pure cartoonist, in the truest sense," explains Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. "He has such an intuitive grip on the language of comics that he makes it look easy, creating these fully realized characters in a fully realized world."
"Fantagraphics has published some of the best comics ever created, and for Nod Away to be in the company of books of such tremendous artistic and cultural significance is both humbling and an honor," says cartoonist Joshua Cotter. "Working on a project of this size and scope will be all the easier knowing that it is in such able hands."
Joshua Cotter lives in rural northwest Missouri with his wife, child, cat, and an astute sense of impending mortality. They keep him making comics.
NOD AWAY
By Joshua Cotter
$24.99 * 230 Pages * Black & White * 7 ½" x 10"
ISBN: 978-1606999110
http://fantagraphics.com/flog/nodaway/
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"Wolf" Comic Book Arrives July 2015
WOLF leads the pack this July
An all-new fantasy crime-noir series
Bestselling writer Ales Kot (ZERO, MATERIAL) and artist Matt Taylor (ZERO) team up to launch an all-new fantasy crime-noir series with WOLF #1, coming this July.
In an in-depth interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kot detailed his inspiration for the new epic:
"…if I go to where the inspiration really came from… it could be simply the image of Antoine Wolfe, our main protagonist in #1, a hard-boiled ex-army detective who can see too much for his own peace of mind, living in a glorified shack in Echo Park surrounded by boxes of books, empty bottles of booze, prescription pills and some things we can’t quite figure out until the end of issue one. It’s a cliche, but the biggest cliches are often cliches because they are true: it all starts with a character. And Antoine is real. (…) the Los Angeles we explore is decidedly our Los Angeles, but it has a massive amount of citizens we do not see. And Antoine Wolfe does, which means he’s in demand. Of course, there’s also something strange crawling through the hills, ripping people up…a girl who just lost her parents… a hyper-wealthy racist named Gibson Sterling… vampires… werewolves… and a whole lot of uneasy, oozing atmosphere. But not all is doom and gloom, because we’re in a hyper-sunny LA, the kinda place where it might be Christmas and you won’t even notice."
WOLF incorporates the crime noir thrills and character development of True Detective with the mythical stakes of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in this original fantasy, horror saga. Antoine Wolfe is a hard-boiled paranormal detective with a death wish and has to cope with sudden responsibility for an orphaned teenage girl who might be the key to the impending apocalypse, California-style.
The road to hell and back begins in a maximum-sized first issue, with fifty-eight pages of story and no ads. WOLF #1 (Diamond Code: MAY150550) will be available on July 22, 2015. The final order cutoff for retailers is Monday, June 29, 2015.
------------------------
"John Carpenter's Asylum" Wins Silver Medal from "Forward Magazine"
John Carpenter's Asylum Wins Silver Medal at Foreword Magazine's INDIEFAB Awards
(Hollywood CA) - Foreword Reviews announced the winners of its annual INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards for the best indie books of 2014 and John Carpenter's Asylum won silver in the graphic novel category. Representing hundreds of independent and university presses of all sizes, the winners were selected after months of editorial deliberation over more than 1,500 entries in 63 categories. This year’s list of winners includes the Dalai Lama, Lev Grossman, Jeet Heer, Chuck Palahniuk, Zack Whedon, Georges Jeanty, Lee & Low Books, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kent State University Press, Rizzoli, Abingdon Press, Quirk Books, Cleis Press, and Six Sisters Stuff, among others. The winners exemplify the best work coming from today’s indie authors and publishers. The book also was included in Village Voice's best of 2014 graphic novel list.
Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention awards were determined by a panel of librarians and booksellers and announced at a special program during the American Library Association Annual Conference in San Francisco on June 26, 2015.
Sandy King Carpenter will be at San Diego Comic Con.
About John Carpenter's Asylum:
There's a war coming to the City of Angels. In tunnels beneath the city, in the dark alleys among the homeless, demons lurk and Lucifer bides his time. One man knows. One man sees. One man walks those dark streets. Father Daniel Beckett's seen demons and he's spoken to the Devil, but he's never seen an angel and he's never spoken to God. Obsessed and driven as much by betrayal as righteousness and anger as redemption, he walks the smoke-filled encampments of lost souls like Dante's nine rings of the Inferno. He is God's warrior at war with God.
With this step into the comic book world, John Carpenter brings it all to the serial world he's loved since childhood. Supernatural horror with that twist of fate that only flawed mankind can provide.
Want the most up to date information on John Carpenter's Asylum like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JohnCarpentersAsylum. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JCsAsylum
About Storm King Productions:
Storm King Productions is headed up by writer producer powerhouse Sandy King Carpenter. Storm King focuses on artistic storytelling in all forms. Their flagship comic book title John Carpenter's Asylum has become a global fan favorite. Other comic properties including Randy Queen's DarkChylde, are also currently in production.
About Foreword:
Foreword Magazine, Inc is media company featuring a FOLIO: award winning quarterly print magazine, Foreword Reviews, and a website devoted to independently published books. In the magazine, they feature reviews of the best 170 new titles from independent publishers, university presses, and noteworthy self-published authors. Their website features daily updates: reviews along with in-depth coverage and analysis of independent publishing from a team of more than 100 reviewers, journalists, and bloggers. The print magazine is available at most Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million newsstands or by subscription.
You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. They are headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, USA.
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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for July 4th to 11th, 2015 - Update #11
Support Leroy on Patreon.
NEWS:
From Variety: Avengers and Inside Out help push Disney over $3 billion in global box office gross.
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From BoxOfficeMojo: It looks like "Jurassic World" will still be #1 at the box office for the July 4th 2015 weekend box office.
COMIC BOOKS - Films and Books:
From THR: Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will unite in a comic book.
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From CBR: Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson are announced as artist for "Batman: The Dark Knight III: The Master Race."
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From CBR: Wesley Snipes says that he has met with more about playing "Blade" again.
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From Variety: Marisa Tomei will reportedly be the new Aunt May in the Spider-Man reboot.
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From ThePlaylist: "X-Men: Apocalypse" is the real first X-Men film, says Bryan Singer.
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From EW: More on the upcoming new X-Men film.
TRAILERS:
From YouTube: New trailer for "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip."
OBITS:
From TheGuardian: The actor, Omar Sharif, died at the age of 83 in Egypt on Friday, July 10, 2015. Sharif is known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago.
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From THR: Movie producer Jerry Weintraub died today, Monday, July 6, 2015, at the age of 77. He produced the original Ocean's 11 and The Karate Kid films and the remakes and sequels. He received an Emmy Award for producing the TV bio-film, Behind the Candelabra, one of three he won.
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From Deadline: Michael Douglas's mother, Diana Douglas, died on Saturday, July 4th, 2015. She was Kirk Douglas' first wife. She was 92.
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From TheWrap: The actress Amanda Peterson was recently found dead in her Colorado home. She was best known for her role in 80's classic, Can't Buy Me Love.
NEWS:
From Variety: Avengers and Inside Out help push Disney over $3 billion in global box office gross.
---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo: It looks like "Jurassic World" will still be #1 at the box office for the July 4th 2015 weekend box office.
COMIC BOOKS - Films and Books:
From THR: Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will unite in a comic book.
---------------
From CBR: Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson are announced as artist for "Batman: The Dark Knight III: The Master Race."
---------------
From CBR: Wesley Snipes says that he has met with more about playing "Blade" again.
---------------
From Variety: Marisa Tomei will reportedly be the new Aunt May in the Spider-Man reboot.
---------------
From ThePlaylist: "X-Men: Apocalypse" is the real first X-Men film, says Bryan Singer.
---------------
From EW: More on the upcoming new X-Men film.
TRAILERS:
From YouTube: New trailer for "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip."
OBITS:
From TheGuardian: The actor, Omar Sharif, died at the age of 83 in Egypt on Friday, July 10, 2015. Sharif is known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago.
---------------
From THR: Movie producer Jerry Weintraub died today, Monday, July 6, 2015, at the age of 77. He produced the original Ocean's 11 and The Karate Kid films and the remakes and sequels. He received an Emmy Award for producing the TV bio-film, Behind the Candelabra, one of three he won.
---------------
From Deadline: Michael Douglas's mother, Diana Douglas, died on Saturday, July 4th, 2015. She was Kirk Douglas' first wife. She was 92.
---------------
From TheWrap: The actress Amanda Peterson was recently found dead in her Colorado home. She was best known for her role in 80's classic, Can't Buy Me Love.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
16 Films Added to 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Fran Lineup
2015 JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO EXPANDS PROGRAM SLATE AND ADDS 16 MORE ACCLAIMED MOVIES
3rd Annual Japanese Film Festival For S.F. Bay Area Presents Biggest Program To-Date With Additional New Action, Sci-Fi Anime, Documentary, Historical Drama, Crime Drama, Short Film, And Romantic Mystery Films Scheduled To Premiere At NEW PEOPLE Cinema
San Francisco, CA – The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF), the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, has just announced 16 additional films that will screen as part of this year’s program.
Presenting a diverse array of current and acclaimed Japanese cinema, this year’s slate features a number of notable Japanese films across a variety of genres such as action, anime sci-fi, documentary, short film, historical drama, crime drama, coming-of-age, and romantic mystery. The just-announced films augment an extensive roster of titles already announced to run during the weekend of the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT, taking place at Fort Mason on Saturday and Sunday August 8th and 9th. A complete listing of film summaries, trailers, screening times and advance tickets are available at: www.JFFSF.org.
The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco opens in conjunction with the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT on Friday, August 7th, 2015 at the Castro Theatre, and runs thru Sunday, August 16th, 2015 at NEW PEOPLE Cinema located inside the NEW PEOPLE entertainment complex in Japantown at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (www.newpeoplecinema.com). Tickets to individual screenings are $13.00 each, unless otherwise noted.
The latest announced films will run at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema beginning the week of Monday August 10th, 2015 with screenings continuing until Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS
Monday, August 10th, 7:00pm
Granted near-unrestricted access to the notoriously isolated Studio Ghibli, director Mami Sunada follows the three men who are the lifeblood of Ghibli – the eminent director Hayao Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and the elusive and influential “other director,” Isao Takahata – over the course of a year as the studio rushes to complete two films, Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Takahata’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
HARAJUKU DENIER
Monday, August 10th, 9:20pm
This film unfolds in Harajuku, the melting pot of Tokyo and the epicenter of many popular sub-cultures. The lives of many young and dream-filled eccentrics, teenyboppers, narcissists, tourists, and workers from various countries – cutting-edge filmmaker Shuta Tanaka humorously captures the amalgamation of cultures found in today’s Harajuku in an ensemble cast comedy.
LITTLE FOREST – SUMMER & AUTUMN
Tuesday, August 11th, 7:00pm
Here comes the farm-to-table film for foodies! Little Forest, Summer ＆ Autumn is a beautiful adaptation of the popular comic by Daisuke Igarashi about a young woman’s self-discovery through farming, cooking, and eating to live through the changing seasons. Ichiko moves back from the city to the tiny village in Northeastern Japan where she grew up and starts living a sustainable lifestyle that she learned from her mother.
THE WIND RISES
Tuesday, August 11th, 9:15pm
Hayao Miyazaki pays tribute to engineer Jiro Horikoshi and author Tatsuo Hori in his creation of the fictional character Jiro – the center of the epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world. Inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni – Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes and grows to become one of the world’s most accomplished airplane designers.
UZUMASA LIMELIGHT
Wednesday, August 12th, 7:00pm
A nostalgic portrait of kirare-yaku - an actor whose forte is being "cut to death" with a sword in samurai films, Uzumasa Limelight goes behind the scenes of the distinctive film genre. A professional extra named Kamiyama (played by real-life kirare-yaku Seizo Fukumoto) has devoted 50 years of his life as a kirare-yaku. When the studio decides to discontinue its productions, he finds himself at a loss. Will the art of dying by the sword live on?
WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
Wednesday, August 12th, 9:00pm
The newest feature from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli is a sweeping story of friendship, mystery and discovery that delivers breathtaking animation that only Ghibli can bring to life. When shy and artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and a mysterious young girl named Marnie. The two girls instantly form a unique connection that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.
THE CASE OF HANA AND ALICE
Thursday, August 13th, 7:00pm
Directed by multi-faceted filmmaker Shunji Iwai, The Case of Hana & Alice follows Tetsuko Arisugawa (a.k.a. Alice), a transfer student at Ishinomori Middle School. She hears a strange rumor about a murder case in school. Meanwhile, Alice’s classmate Hana is said to know something about the case… Was Judas really murdered? Hana and Alice embark on an adventure to solve the mystery of the “smallest murder in the world.”
HAVE A SONG ON YOUR LIPS
Thursday, August 13th, 9:00pm
This touching school drama unfolds around Yuri Kashiwagi, a former piano prodigy, who returns to her hometown to work as a temporary music teacher and supervise the chorus members at the local middle school. While practicing for the regional contest, chorus members get an assignment from Yuri to write a letter to themselves in 15 years. Facing their personal issues, Yuri and her students begin to find their own voices.
OUR FAMILY
Friday, August 14th, 7:00pm
From Yuya Ishii, the award-winning director of The Great Passage, comes this honest adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel about a family that pulls together to fight a terminal illness will resonate close to the heart. Reiko’s daydreams and forgetfulness were not concerning to her broken family until a trip to the doctor reveals that she has brain cancer. With Reiko given only one week left to live, how will this dysfunctional family keep from falling apart?
KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL
Friday, August 14th, 9:20pm
Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, one of Japan's leading directors in the erotic fantasy genre known as pinku (pink films), Kabukicho Love Hotel is an erotically charged drama that traces the intersecting stories of a group of employees and visitors at a notorious "Love Hotel” (a type of short-stay hotel in Japan used primarily for sexual activities) in Tokyo's red-light district- from a sexless young couple with broken dreams to a middle-aged couple on the run.
100 YEN LOVE
Saturday, August 15th, 12:00pm
32-year-old slacker Ichiko lives with her parents until a fight with her disapproving sister escalates, prompting her to move out and start working at a local 100-yen shop. One day she meets boxer Yuji, whom she has seen passing by on his way home and becomes attracted to him. After her life takes more unexpected and unwanted turns, she takes up boxing herself and attempts to change her ways.
TOKYO SHORT SHORTS 2015: A New Generation of 5 Short Films
Saturday, August 15th, 2:30pm
Co-presented by Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia. By popular demand, JFFSF teams up again with the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia to present the exclusive SF premiere of five outstanding short films directed by several up-and-coming filmmakers from Japan! Enjoy a colorful mix of comedy and drama that reflect life in Japan with a delicate and witty touch.
THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ
Saturday, August 15th, 4:30pm & Sunday August 16th, 12:00pm – Director Erik Shirai will attend both screenings followed by Q&A sessions
The Birth of Saké is a cinematic documentary that reveals the story of passionate saké-makers and what it takes to make world-class saké at Yoshida Brewery, a 144-year-old family-owned small brewery in Northern Japan. Director Erik Shirai and producer Masako Tsumura were granted unprecedented full access to film at the brewery and capture the intense and relatively unknown process (even within in Japan), of traditional saké making.
THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA
Saturday, August 15th, 7:00pm
This Academy Award nominated film is legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s (Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko) rendition of Japan’s most famous folktale, that has been decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter, a tiny baby girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.
INITIATION LOVE
Sunday August 16th, 2:30pm
Co-starring ex-AKB star Atsuko Maeda and Shota Matsuda, this romantic mystery is based on the bestselling novel by Kurumi Inui. In the late 1980s, a college student in Shizuoka Prefecture named Suzuki begins a romance with a dental hygienist named Mayu. However, when Suzuki moves to Tokyo for his job and the two are forced into a long-distance relationship, their relationship starts to fall apart as Suzuki begins spending time with another woman named Miyako.
0.5MM
Sunday August 16th, 5:00pm
Co-presented by the Legacy Film Festival on Aging. Director Momoko Ando takes on the big subjects of Japan’s historical, social and emotional psyche with her second feature epic. Based on the director’s own novel and starring her sister Sakura Ando in the leading role of Sawa, an oddly determined caregiver for the elderly, the film is a lengthy yet magnetic road movie that brilliantly captures Sawa’s unexpected encounters and unique relationships with the elderly.
NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and entertaining events. www.newpeoplecinema.com
About JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
Launched in 2013, Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is the first and only fully dedicated Japanese film event for the SF Bay Area. This year’s edition will feature a colorful mix of narratives, anime and documentary film premieres and exclusive screenings with special guest appearance at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema in SF’s Japantown from August 8th (Sat) through August 16th (Sun), 2015. More details and ticket information is available at www.jffsf.org.
3rd Annual Japanese Film Festival For S.F. Bay Area Presents Biggest Program To-Date With Additional New Action, Sci-Fi Anime, Documentary, Historical Drama, Crime Drama, Short Film, And Romantic Mystery Films Scheduled To Premiere At NEW PEOPLE Cinema
San Francisco, CA – The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF), the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, has just announced 16 additional films that will screen as part of this year’s program.
Presenting a diverse array of current and acclaimed Japanese cinema, this year’s slate features a number of notable Japanese films across a variety of genres such as action, anime sci-fi, documentary, short film, historical drama, crime drama, coming-of-age, and romantic mystery. The just-announced films augment an extensive roster of titles already announced to run during the weekend of the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT, taking place at Fort Mason on Saturday and Sunday August 8th and 9th. A complete listing of film summaries, trailers, screening times and advance tickets are available at: www.JFFSF.org.
The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco opens in conjunction with the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT on Friday, August 7th, 2015 at the Castro Theatre, and runs thru Sunday, August 16th, 2015 at NEW PEOPLE Cinema located inside the NEW PEOPLE entertainment complex in Japantown at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (www.newpeoplecinema.com). Tickets to individual screenings are $13.00 each, unless otherwise noted.
The latest announced films will run at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema beginning the week of Monday August 10th, 2015 with screenings continuing until Sunday, August 16th, 2015.
THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS
Monday, August 10th, 7:00pm
Granted near-unrestricted access to the notoriously isolated Studio Ghibli, director Mami Sunada follows the three men who are the lifeblood of Ghibli – the eminent director Hayao Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki, and the elusive and influential “other director,” Isao Takahata – over the course of a year as the studio rushes to complete two films, Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Takahata’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
HARAJUKU DENIER
Monday, August 10th, 9:20pm
This film unfolds in Harajuku, the melting pot of Tokyo and the epicenter of many popular sub-cultures. The lives of many young and dream-filled eccentrics, teenyboppers, narcissists, tourists, and workers from various countries – cutting-edge filmmaker Shuta Tanaka humorously captures the amalgamation of cultures found in today’s Harajuku in an ensemble cast comedy.
LITTLE FOREST – SUMMER & AUTUMN
Tuesday, August 11th, 7:00pm
Here comes the farm-to-table film for foodies! Little Forest, Summer ＆ Autumn is a beautiful adaptation of the popular comic by Daisuke Igarashi about a young woman’s self-discovery through farming, cooking, and eating to live through the changing seasons. Ichiko moves back from the city to the tiny village in Northeastern Japan where she grew up and starts living a sustainable lifestyle that she learned from her mother.
THE WIND RISES
Tuesday, August 11th, 9:15pm
Hayao Miyazaki pays tribute to engineer Jiro Horikoshi and author Tatsuo Hori in his creation of the fictional character Jiro – the center of the epic tale of love, perseverance, and the challenges of living and making choices in a turbulent world. Inspired by the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni – Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes and grows to become one of the world’s most accomplished airplane designers.
UZUMASA LIMELIGHT
Wednesday, August 12th, 7:00pm
A nostalgic portrait of kirare-yaku - an actor whose forte is being "cut to death" with a sword in samurai films, Uzumasa Limelight goes behind the scenes of the distinctive film genre. A professional extra named Kamiyama (played by real-life kirare-yaku Seizo Fukumoto) has devoted 50 years of his life as a kirare-yaku. When the studio decides to discontinue its productions, he finds himself at a loss. Will the art of dying by the sword live on?
WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
Wednesday, August 12th, 9:00pm
The newest feature from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli is a sweeping story of friendship, mystery and discovery that delivers breathtaking animation that only Ghibli can bring to life. When shy and artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and a mysterious young girl named Marnie. The two girls instantly form a unique connection that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality.
THE CASE OF HANA AND ALICE
Thursday, August 13th, 7:00pm
Directed by multi-faceted filmmaker Shunji Iwai, The Case of Hana & Alice follows Tetsuko Arisugawa (a.k.a. Alice), a transfer student at Ishinomori Middle School. She hears a strange rumor about a murder case in school. Meanwhile, Alice’s classmate Hana is said to know something about the case… Was Judas really murdered? Hana and Alice embark on an adventure to solve the mystery of the “smallest murder in the world.”
HAVE A SONG ON YOUR LIPS
Thursday, August 13th, 9:00pm
This touching school drama unfolds around Yuri Kashiwagi, a former piano prodigy, who returns to her hometown to work as a temporary music teacher and supervise the chorus members at the local middle school. While practicing for the regional contest, chorus members get an assignment from Yuri to write a letter to themselves in 15 years. Facing their personal issues, Yuri and her students begin to find their own voices.
OUR FAMILY
Friday, August 14th, 7:00pm
From Yuya Ishii, the award-winning director of The Great Passage, comes this honest adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel about a family that pulls together to fight a terminal illness will resonate close to the heart. Reiko’s daydreams and forgetfulness were not concerning to her broken family until a trip to the doctor reveals that she has brain cancer. With Reiko given only one week left to live, how will this dysfunctional family keep from falling apart?
KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL
Friday, August 14th, 9:20pm
Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, one of Japan's leading directors in the erotic fantasy genre known as pinku (pink films), Kabukicho Love Hotel is an erotically charged drama that traces the intersecting stories of a group of employees and visitors at a notorious "Love Hotel” (a type of short-stay hotel in Japan used primarily for sexual activities) in Tokyo's red-light district- from a sexless young couple with broken dreams to a middle-aged couple on the run.
100 YEN LOVE
Saturday, August 15th, 12:00pm
32-year-old slacker Ichiko lives with her parents until a fight with her disapproving sister escalates, prompting her to move out and start working at a local 100-yen shop. One day she meets boxer Yuji, whom she has seen passing by on his way home and becomes attracted to him. After her life takes more unexpected and unwanted turns, she takes up boxing herself and attempts to change her ways.
TOKYO SHORT SHORTS 2015: A New Generation of 5 Short Films
Saturday, August 15th, 2:30pm
Co-presented by Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia. By popular demand, JFFSF teams up again with the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia to present the exclusive SF premiere of five outstanding short films directed by several up-and-coming filmmakers from Japan! Enjoy a colorful mix of comedy and drama that reflect life in Japan with a delicate and witty touch.
THE BIRTH OF SAKÉ
Saturday, August 15th, 4:30pm & Sunday August 16th, 12:00pm – Director Erik Shirai will attend both screenings followed by Q&A sessions
The Birth of Saké is a cinematic documentary that reveals the story of passionate saké-makers and what it takes to make world-class saké at Yoshida Brewery, a 144-year-old family-owned small brewery in Northern Japan. Director Erik Shirai and producer Masako Tsumura were granted unprecedented full access to film at the brewery and capture the intense and relatively unknown process (even within in Japan), of traditional saké making.
THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA
Saturday, August 15th, 7:00pm
This Academy Award nominated film is legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata’s (Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko) rendition of Japan’s most famous folktale, that has been decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter, a tiny baby girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.
INITIATION LOVE
Sunday August 16th, 2:30pm
Co-starring ex-AKB star Atsuko Maeda and Shota Matsuda, this romantic mystery is based on the bestselling novel by Kurumi Inui. In the late 1980s, a college student in Shizuoka Prefecture named Suzuki begins a romance with a dental hygienist named Mayu. However, when Suzuki moves to Tokyo for his job and the two are forced into a long-distance relationship, their relationship starts to fall apart as Suzuki begins spending time with another woman named Miyako.
0.5MM
Sunday August 16th, 5:00pm
Co-presented by the Legacy Film Festival on Aging. Director Momoko Ando takes on the big subjects of Japan’s historical, social and emotional psyche with her second feature epic. Based on the director’s own novel and starring her sister Sakura Ando in the leading role of Sawa, an oddly determined caregiver for the elderly, the film is a lengthy yet magnetic road movie that brilliantly captures Sawa’s unexpected encounters and unique relationships with the elderly.
NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and entertaining events. www.newpeoplecinema.com
About JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
Launched in 2013, Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is the first and only fully dedicated Japanese film event for the SF Bay Area. This year’s edition will feature a colorful mix of narratives, anime and documentary film premieres and exclusive screenings with special guest appearance at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema in SF’s Japantown from August 8th (Sat) through August 16th (Sun), 2015. More details and ticket information is available at www.jffsf.org.
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