Japan Foundation

[parabellum]

Hi Mark,
working for a scandinavian distribution company I might add that most dvd specialists like criterion do not possess theatrical or non-theatrical (institutional, festival etc) rights to the films they distribute on dvd. This because their possible revenues from a theatrical launch would be pretty limited and hence they buy only dvd rights (adding theatrical right would be more expensive.

However some of the Criterion films have been re-released theatrically by Janus films if I'm not mistaken. likewise with some of the yakuza stuff released thru Home Video Entertainment (HVE) in the US which has been distributed theatrically by the American Cinemateque.

Also, the reason for Japanese and other companies to reject digital screenings from dvds would probably be that once you do allow dvd screenings, you have sort of opened the door to a method of public projection that is available to virtually everyone and hence impossible to control and collect revenues from. 

/jakob


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Harris" <mark_r_harris at yahoo.com>
To: <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 1:27 PM
Subject: Japan Foundation


> I recall that there has been discussion on the list
> about how educational institutions can rent 16mm and
> 35mm prints of otherwise unavailable films from the
> Japan Foundation. Do any of you have an e-mail address
> at the Foundation that I could contact to get this
> process started? I work on a volunteer basis with the
> Green Bay Film Society, and we are interested in
> introducing the riches of classic Japanese cinema to
> our viewers.
> 
> Along the same lines, for those Japanese films that
> are available on DVD (mainly through Criterion,
> although I have noticed the availability of some
> titles from Image and Milestone as well), does one
> obtain public projection rights from the DVD company
> itself? We are keenly interested in showing Ozu's Good
> Morning in Spring 2005. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit
> corporation; our screenings take place at a public
> museum and we do not charge admission. We do advertise
> the titles of the films that we are showing.
> 
> Thank you all in advance for your collective wisdom on
> these topics.
> 
> Mark Harris
> 
> =====
> Mark R. Harris
> 107 Canal Street
> Little Chute WI 54140
> 920-470-9855