ACF332: Focus Features Announces Opening Day Schedule for "Thirst"

More news about the upcoming theatrical release of Thirst / Bakjwi:

Focus Features has officially announced the opening day schedule for the highly anticipated vampire thriller, Thirst, directed by award-winning auteur, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). Thirst will open in NY, LA, and San Francisco on July 31st. See below for further theater details.

OPENING DAY SCHEDULE: Friday, July 31st, 2009
New York

Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street, near 2nd Avenue)

Los Angeles
Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Boulevard, at Crescent Heights)

San Francisco
Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street)

Synopsis:
A priest becomes a vampire…another man’s wife is coveted…a deadly seduction triggers murder. Already a boxoffice smash in Korea, Thirst was honored with the Prix du Jury [Jury Prize] at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival.

Continuing his explorations of human existence in extreme circumstances, director Park spins a tale that he conceived and then developed over several years with co-screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung.

Sang-hyun (played by top Korean star Song Kang-ho, of The Host) is a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes the priest, and a blood transfusion is urgently ordered up for him. The blood he receives is infected, so Sang-hyun lives – but now exists as a vampire.

Struggling with his newfound carnal desire for blood, Sang-hyun’s faith is further strained when a childhood friend’s wife, Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), comes to him asking for his help in escaping her life. Sang-hyun soon plunges into a world of sensual pleasures, finding himself on intimate terms with the Seven Deadly Sins.

The THIRST official site is http://www.thirstmovie.com/.

THIRST Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thirst/116919515201?ref=ts

Focus Twitter Page:
http://twitter.com/focusmovies

RED BAND TRAILER:
http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/14349986/thirst/videos/thirst_trl_1_051709.html

ACF 331: VIZ new Sci-Fi imprint HAIKASORU to release its first two titles

NEW VIZ MEDIA SCIENCE FICTION IMPRINT HAIKASORU
RELEASES DEBUT TITLES ALL YOU NEED IS KILL AND
THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media) has announced the debut later this month of the first two titles from its new Haikasoru imprint. ALL YOU NEED IS KILL and THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME will both be released nationwide on July 21st. Here's the low-down for you sci-fi fans:

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL was called, “science fiction for the adrenaline junkie,” by bestselling author John Scalzi (author of Old Man’s War) “while THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME presents a time travel adventure through ancient Japan, the Second World War, and the 26th Century.” These two novels represent flagship titles for Haikasoru, the first imprint in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction and fantasy in translation.

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Cover illustration by Yoshitoshi Abe
Price: $13.99 U.S. / CAN $16.00

When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he finally sees something different, something out of place—a female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji’s escape or his final death?

The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa
Cover illustration by Bukichi Nadeara
Price: $13.99 U.S. / CAN $16.00

Sixty-two years after human life on earth was annihilated by rampaging aliens, the enigmatic cyborg Messenger O is sent back in time with the mission to unite the humanity of past eras—during World War II and in ancient Japan, even back at the dawn of humanity—in order to defeat the alien invasion before it begins. But amidst a future shredded by war, love also waits for O. Will O save humanity only to doom himself? THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME was nominated for the prestigious Seiun Award, the leading award for Japanese science fiction, the winners of which are selected each year by members of the Japanese National Science Fiction Convention.

“SF, manga and anime fans will definitely enjoy these debut titles from Haikasoru,” says Masumi Washington, Editor-in-Chief of Haikasoru at VIZ Media. “These novels present science fiction that is engaging, imaginative and exotic and we’re very excited to offer a whole new genre of Japanese literature to readers in the U.S.”

Haikasoru is scheduled to publish twelve books a year and launches in the summer of 2009 with four titles: THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME by Issui Ogawa, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, ZOO by Otsuichi, and USURPER OF THE SUN by Housuke Nojiri.

For more information on Haikasoru please visit the dedicated website at http://www.haikasoru.com/

ACF 330: Children of the Sea

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES DAISUKE IGARASHI’S SURREAL
AQUATIC MANGA CHILDREN OF THE SEA

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media) has announced the upcoming release of Daisuke Igarashi’s surreal and riveting manga series, CHILDREN OF THE SEA. The North America release date is July 21st, 2009. The manga is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an estimated MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $17.50 CAN.

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka's dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish.

Daisuke Igarashi is an award-winning manga creator who began his career in 1993. His series Majo received the Excellence Prize at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival and was nominated for the Fauve d’Or Best Comic Book Prize at the 2007 Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême. Little Forest was nominated for the 2006 Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize. His current series Children of the Sea is the winner of the 38th Japan Cartoonist Award and runs in IKKI magazine.

CHILDREN OF THE SEA is the first title to be published under IKKI from VIZ Media, a sub-imprint of the VIZ Signature imprint. In addition to now offering the print version of Volume 1, VIZ Media and IKKI magazine in Japan have collaborated on an online destination (www.sigikki.com) to present free chapters of some of that magazine’s most-loved stories to English readers – beginning with CHILDREN OF THE SEA. The website also features an interview with the creator.

IKKI, a monthly magazine published in Japan has established itself as the home of some of the most innovative, bold, and compelling series in the world of contemporary manga. Since its launch in 2003 IKKI has built a catalog of titles notable for its diversity. From action to comedy to drama, from slice-of-life stories to surrealist fantasies, the one common thing these works share is an uncommon emphasis on creative quality and on pushing the boundaries of the norm.

“We are very excited to team with IKKI magazine to launch this new imprint with the debut of CHILDREN OF THE SEA,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media. “The story presents realistic, emotionally honest characters and also has a strong ecological message of preserving the wildlife in the planet’s oceans. Readers won’t want miss to how Ruka and her two new waterborne friends discover the reason behind the worldwide disappearance of fish. With this new imprint and related web site, we look forward to introducing many more critically acclaimed manga titles to readers across North America.”

For more information on IKKI please visit www.sigikki.com.

ACF 329: From NYAFF 2009 to JAPAN CUTS - The Transition Begins

©2008 Bandai Visual, TV Asahi, Tokyo Theatres, WOWOW / Office Kitano

Achilles and the Tortoise / Akiresu to kame

featuring Takeshi Kitano (right)

will screen twice at JAPAN CUTS

The New York Asian Film Festival has entered its second and final week. Many, many, many shows have been sold-out. Totally wonderful for all concerned.

Today marks the start of the JAPAN CUTS film series at Japan Society. Most of the film shown in this series thru July 5th are co-presented with the NYAFF. After this last co-presentation - Be Sure To Share - on Sunday, July 5th. JAPAN CUTS will continue on its own through July 12th, 2009.

For info about the remaining films being shown at the New York Asian FIlm Festival, which is presented by the terrific and dedicated members of Subway Cinema, click here.

For JAPAN CUTS info, click here. The JAPAN CUTS screenings take place at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, between 1st and 2nd avenues, NY, NY 10017

ACF 328: Thirst

Recently Focus Features put out some info about their highly anticipated release THIRST, directed by award-winning auteur, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). Recently awarded the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival, THIRST is slated to be released in select theaters July 31^st. I'm really looking forward to seeing this film, hopefully at a pre-release press screening so can review it in advance of the theatrical release. In the meanwhile, here's what the Focus folk have to say:

A priest becomes a vampire…another man’s wife is coveted…a deadly seduction triggers murder. Thirst is the new film from director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance). Already a boxoffice smash in Korea, Thirst was honored with the Prix du Jury [Jury Prize] at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival.

Continuing his explorations of human existence in extreme circumstances, the director spins a tale that he conceived and then developed over several years with co-screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung.

Sang-hyun (played by top Korean star Song Kang-ho, of The Host) is a priest who cherishes life; so much so, that he selflessly volunteers for a secret vaccine development project meant to eradicate a deadly virus. But the virus takes the priest, and a blood transfusion is urgently ordered up for him. The blood he receives is infected, so Sang-hyun lives – but now exists as a vampire. Struggling with his newfound carnal desire for blood, Sang-hyun’s faith is further strained when a childhood friend’s wife, Tae-ju (Kim Ok-vin), comes to him asking for his help in escaping her life. Sang-hyun soon plunges into a world of sensual pleasures, finding himself on intimate terms with the Seven Deadly Sins.

The THIRST official site is http://www.thirstmovie.com/.

For more information and assets, become a fan of the THIRST Facebook Page here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thirst/116919515201?ref=ts

And follow the Focus Twitter Page here:

http://twitter.com/focusmovies