Shochiku adds four titles to EFM

Written by Mark Schilling
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Story Categories: Berlin Berlinale, Festivals, Film, Japan, market, Olympic Games, People, Shochiku, TOKYO -- Shochiku has added four titles to the slate it is bringing to the European Film Market in Berlin -- all market premieres, in addition to Berlin competish entry "Kabei -- Our Mother," helmed by Yoji Yamada, and Generation Kplus selection "Kung Fu Kid," helmed by Issei Oda. Topping the slate is "Shrill Cries of Summer," a new horror pic from "Tomie" and "Apartment 1303" helmer Ataru Oikawa. Pic is based on a popular vid game that has since morphed into a comic and TV toon series. Currently in post, "Shrill Cries of Summer" is penciled in for a summer 2008 release. Next up is "Children of the Dark," a drama helmed by Junji Sakamoto ("Face," "Out of this World") about a Japanese journo and young NGO worker who try to save kids enslaved by a child prostitution and organ sales ring in Thailand. The pic stars Yosuke Eguchi ("Silk,") Aoi Miyazaki ("Nana") and Satoshi Tsumabuki ("Dororo") and is skedded for a summer bow. Shochiku is also bringing "Panda Days" (working title), a docu about pandas at a breeding center in China and in Wakayama, Japan, including the first-ever shot of a baby panda in its mother's arms. Still being filmed, the pic is set for released in late summer, to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Rounding off the slate is "Untitled Kitaro project," the sequel to "Kitaro," a hit kiddy pic based on Shigeru Mizuki's comic about a boy goblin and other otherworldly creatures called yokai, drawn from Japanese folklore. Eiji Wentz again stars as the title character, while helmer Katsuhide Motoki and theps Yo Oizumi, Rena Tanaka, Kanpei Hazama and Shigeru Muroi are also returning from the original pic. "Kitaro" scored $25 million following its spring 2007 release in Japan and Shochiku has high hopes the sequel, skedded for a summer bow, will do as well or better. Instead of only under-12s, the pic is also targeting older auds with a sub[plot about the "forbidden love" between a human man (Masato Hagiwara) and a yokai woman (Shinobu Terajima.) © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Bookmark with.. Comments (0) Write comment This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment. There is a problem with the comment system, or you do not have javascript enabled.