<div dir="ltr">There was a time, back in the 90s, when a couple of Finnish distributors bought Japanese films to distribution (Kitano, Tsukamoto, Ishii Takashi's Gonin), but nowadays one of these distributors only buys Ghibli, with the exception of buying Kore-eda's Like Father Like Son now. This distributor switched from Japanese to Korean films (Kim Ki-duk) around the first half of the 2000s, and now they do mostly French, Spanish and East European (Romanian) films. East Europe seems to be the new "East Asia" for many distributors now, meaning interesting art house films. <div>
Eija</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2014/1/9 Jonathan M. Hall <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jmhall@pomona.edu" target="_blank">jmhall@pomona.edu</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<div style="direction:ltr;font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma">Stephen,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Your comments on festivals (and their irrelevance for some distributors) are interesting. Thank you. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Concerning film flow, I completely agree with the ethics of your position. Of course, history shows us that there are many cultural imbalances when it comes to film distribution. But what interests me about your post to this thread is the implication that
such an ethics might also be good business practice these days.
<div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div><font>
<div>Jonathan</div>
</font></div>
</div>
<div style="font-size:16px;font-family:Times New Roman">
<hr>
<div style="direction:ltr"><font face="Tahoma" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> kinejapan-bounces+jmhall=<a href="mailto:pomona.edu@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">pomona.edu@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a> [kinejapan-bounces+jmhall=<a href="mailto:pomona.edu@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">pomona.edu@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a>] on behalf of Stephen
Cremin [<a href="mailto:stephen@asianfilm.info" target="_blank">stephen@asianfilm.info</a>]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, January 09, 2014 12:37 AM<div><div class="h5"><br>
<b>To:</b> Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [KineJapan] Kinema Junpo Best Ten 2013<br>
</div></div></font><br>
</div><div><div class="h5">
<div></div>
<div>
<div>Asian buyers do come to TIFFCOM/Tokyo IFF for a subsidised business trip to Japan. But now they're stranded out in Odaiba, far from the festival in Roppongi. There was a bit of business done last year. Nikkatsu, for example, closed deals but chose not
to announce during the market. In all, I count 23 Japanese films opening theatrically in Asia this month. About a third of those are being released in Taiwan alone. If that's representative, and it probably isn't, that would mean 250-300 Japanese films per
year opening in Asia. Distributors are buying films before they go to festivals based on the cast. Only a handful of distributors pay attention to festival programming.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>(On release in Taiwan this month are Kanai Junichi's AGAIN (ゆるせない、逢いたい) Hiroki Ryuichi's CRYING 100 TIMES: EVERY RAINDROP FALLS (１００回泣くこと), Yoshida Yasuhiro's LEAVING ON THE 15TH SPRING (旅立ちの島唄 ～十五の春～), Ishikawa Hiroshi's PETAL DANCE (ペタル ダンス), Furusawa
Takeshi's ROOMMATE (ルームメイト), Sudo Tomonori's THE GARDEN OF SINNERS: RECALLED OUT SUMMER (劇場版 空の境界／未来福音), Yamashita Nobuhiro's TAMAKO IN MORATORIUM (もらとりあむタマ子) and Uchida Kenji's KEY OF LIFE (鍵泥棒のメソッド). Six of the Kinema Junpo Best Ten have been, or are scheduled
to be, released in Taipei.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Looking elsewhere, just one Japanese live action film opens in South Korea this month, Sabu's MISS ZOMBIE, together with five anime. Hong Kong gets Miki Takahiro's GIRL IN THE SUNNY PLACE (陽だまりの彼女), Kumazawa Naoto's JINX!!! (ジンクス！！！) and Mitani Koki's THE
KIYOSU CONFERENCE (清須会議). Thailand gets Ochiai Ken's TIGER MASK (タイガーマスク) and Abe Yuichi'S ULTRAMAN ZERO: THE REVENGE OF BELIAL (ウルトラマンゼロ 超決戦！ベリアル銀河帝国). Indonesia gets Togashi Shin's OSHIN (おしん). No Japanese films are currently scheduled to open this month
in China, India, Malaysia, Philippines or Vietnam.)</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In contrast, I count just eight non-Japanese Asian films opening in Tokyo this month, including co-production GENOME HAZARD. I believe that if a country wants an export market to a region, then it has to import films from those territories also. For example,
how can Taiwan film-makers expect to understand the market in China when only ten Mainland films are permitted to be imported each year. Similarly, why does Japan "deserve" an export market to Asia when its distributors and festivals (such as Tokyo IFF) are
cutting the number of Asian films that they're importing. Perhaps some of that Cool Japan money should be spent subsidising the releasing costs of other Asian films in Japan.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I think Mark is correct that Japan's "inward-facing business practices" will continue to limit the potential of the film industry. Google the Taiwan release title of Miki Satoshi's IT'S ME IT'S ME (俺俺) and you won't find a single still of leading actor
Kamenashi Kazuya who played 30+ characters in the film. If as a foreign distributor I can't promote Japanese films properly because of the power of the talent agencies, why should I buy them. And don't forget that time that a major festival in Japan blocked
foreign press from the SP: THE MOTION PICTURE (ＳＰ 野望篇) press conference because they couldn't trust the Chinese not to take photographers of the stars... at a press conference.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<div>Stephen Cremin</div>
<div>Taipei/Beijing</div>
</div>
<p style="color:#a0a0a8">On Thursday, 9 January 2014 at 14:44, Jonathan M. Hall wrote:</p>
<blockquote type="cite" style="border-left-style:solid;border-width:1px;margin-left:0px;padding-left:10px">
<span>
<div>
<div>
<div style="direction:ltr;font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma">Some festivals are important for distributors, but the vast majority are not. I think we need to distinguish here. Is there a festival in Japan that regularly draws representatives
of major distributors of Japanese/Asian film? Or do those distributors look to other festivals overseas? Of course, festival-to-festival distribution is itself a vital link, and serves as another channel to audiences and distributors overseas. My comments
are speculative as I am not in the festival industry.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>jmh</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div style="font-size:16px;font-family:Times New Roman">
<hr>
<div style="direction:ltr"><font face="Tahoma" color="#000000"><b>From:</b>
<a href="mailto:kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a> [<a href="mailto:kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a>]
on behalf of Mark Roberts [<a href="mailto:mroberts37@mail-central.com" target="_blank">mroberts37@mail-central.com</a>]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 08, 2014 10:28 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [KineJapan] Kinema Junpo Best Ten 2013<br>
</font><br>
</div>
<div>I second Quentin's observation about the split between the values of festival programmers and more "mainstream" critics.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>After looking at the festival numbers more closely, what really jumped out at me was how much they reflect an almost separate ecosystem. Festivals are markets for distributors, but a surprising number of films don't get sold. Many titles circulate through
festivals but never make it to DVD.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>VOD is of course the big hope, but I predict that Japan is going to lag here because the money and power are very centralized. My suspicion is that the same inward-facing business practices will likely replicate themselves under new market conditions.
Hope I'm wrong.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>M.<br>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Jan 9, 2014, at 3:09 PM, Quentin Turnour wrote:</div>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div><font size="3" face="Arial">Apart from the animes and the Kore-ada, THE GREAT PASSAGE, THE DEVIL'S PATH, BACKWATER and TAMAKO IN MORATORIUM are all titles that have been getting some touring festival life and have been seen in both English subbed theatrical
copies and screeners. (BACKWATER is on the Festivalscope site for example, for those who can access it)</font>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="Arial">The frustration often seems to be the odd film that Japanese critics really go for in the poll, but which don't seem to make it even out in international film festival circulation - perhaps because of the split between titles that
get championed by festival programmers and those that have mainstream Japanese studio release.
</font><br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="Arial">This is re Arron's comments; I suspect the one film I won't get to see on this year's list is PEKOROSU NO HAHA NI AI NI IKU, - whilst an indie film such as ANATOMY OF A PAPERCLIP will probably make it to many a film festival near
you, because a number of influential western programmers have got behind it (Just as last year the hard to see film was the #2 THE DRUDGERY TRAIN and the #1 - Yang Yong-hi's brilliant OUR HOMELAND - was only finally seen on the back of a JAL airline seat).</font>
<br>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">Best wishes</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">Quentin Turnour, Manager, Arc Canberra Cinema Programs,</font>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">National Film and Sound Archive of Australia,</font>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif"><a href="mailto:quentin.turnour@nfsa.gov.au" target="_blank">quentin.turnour@nfsa.gov.au</a></font>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">Fax: <a href="tel:%2B61%202%206249%208159" value="+61262498159" target="_blank">+61 2 6249 8159</a></font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">Ph <a href="tel:%2B61%202%206248%202054" value="+61262482054" target="_blank">+61 2 6248 2054</a></font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">Mob: + 61 4 428 368908</font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">[Please note that I am often absent Mondays]</font>
<br>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">All mail and freight shipments to:</font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">att: Cinema Programming (Quentin Turnour),</font>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">Loading Dock, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia,</font>
<br>
<font face="sans-serif">McCoy Cct, Acton, Canberra,</font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA.</font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif">Freight shipment inquiries to Cynthia Piromalli:
</font><br>
<font face="sans-serif"><a href="mailto:cynthia.piromalli@nfsa.gov.au" target="_blank">cynthia.piromalli@nfsa.gov.au</a>
</font><br>
<font face="sans-serif">ph +61 2 628 2289</font> <br>
<font face="sans-serif"> </font> <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<font size="1" color="#5f5f5f" face="sans-serif">From: </font><font size="1" face="sans-serif">Mark Roberts <<a href="mailto:mroberts37@mail-central.com" target="_blank">mroberts37@mail-central.com</a>></font>
<br>
<font size="1" color="#5f5f5f" face="sans-serif">To: </font><font size="1" face="sans-serif">Japanese Cinema Discussion Forum <<a href="mailto:kinejapan@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">kinejapan@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a>>,
</font><br>
<font size="1" color="#5f5f5f" face="sans-serif">Date: </font><font size="1" face="sans-serif">09/01/2014 04:50 PM</font>
<br>
<font size="1" color="#5f5f5f" face="sans-serif">Subject: </font><font size="1" face="sans-serif">Re: [KineJapan] Kinema Junpo Best Ten 2013</font>
<br>
<font size="1" color="#5f5f5f" face="sans-serif">Sent by: </font><font size="1" face="sans-serif"><a href="mailto:kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu" target="_blank">kinejapan-bounces@lists.service.ohio-state.edu</a></font>
<br>
<hr noshade>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">Hi Jonathan,</font> <br>
<br>
<font size="3">The 5% number is based upon me having checked the 90 new Japanese films screened at TIFF from 2007 to 2012, as well as all of the Japanese films screened at FILMeX since its inception, putting all of these titles into a database, and then checking
them on IMDB and Amazon for distribution and availability. I am not trying to count fan-subbed versions of films because I assume they are all illegal.</font>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">My report on TIFF has more details about patterns of international distribution:
</font><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2013/11/tiff-2013-a-change-of-course.html" target="_blank"><font size="3" color="blue"><u>http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/entries.en/2013/11/tiff-2013-a-change-of-course.html</u></font></a>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">For FILMeX, the details are in my report for forthcoming Directory of World Cinema: Japan 3 from Intellect Books.</font>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">Of course, IMDB and Amazon are not perfect data sources. If anybody has suggestions about more comprehensive online sources, I'm all ears.</font>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">Best,</font> <br>
<br>
<font size="3">Mark</font> <br>
<br>
<br>
<font size="3">On Jan 9, 2014, at 2:14 PM, Jonathan M. Hall wrote:</font> <br>
<br>
<font face="Tahoma">Mark, </font><br>
<font face="Tahoma">Regrettably, this doesn't surprise me. Is your 5% figure one you're estimating? Or is there some research or official figure you're referring to?</font>
<br>
<font face="Tahoma">Jonathan</font> <br>
<br>
<font size="3" face="Times New Roman">For reference, only about 5% of the new Japanese films screening in festivals here appear to be making it onto DVD, BR, or VOD outside of Japan.</font>
<br>
<br>
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