Japan special 2014 UK office MBI, 101 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1RS Tel: +44 (0) 20 3033 4267 US office Screen International, 8581 Santa Monica Blvd, #707, West Hollywood, CA 90069 E-mail: firstname.lastname@screendaily.com (unless stated) Editorial Editor Wendy Mitchell +44 (0) 20 3033 2816 Contributors Jason Gray, Jean Noh, Sten Saluveer Asia editor Liz Shackleton, lizshackleton@gmail.com US editor Jeremy Kay +1 310 922 5908 jeremykay67@gmail.com News editor Michael Rosser +44 (0) 20 3033 2720 Chief critic and reviews editor Mark Adams +44 7841 527 505 Group head of production and art Mark Mowbray +44 (0) 20 3033 2817 Group art director, MBI Peter Gingell +44 (0) 20 3033 4203 peter.gingell@mb-insight.com Chief reporter Andreas Wiseman +44 (0) 20 3033 2848 Advertising and publishing Commercial director Andrew Dixon +44 (0) 20 3033 2928 Sales manager Scott Benfold +44 (0) 20 3638 5050 Sales manager Nadia Romdhani (maternity leave) UK, South Africa, Middle East Andrew Dixon +44 (0) 20 3033 2928 France, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Scott Benfold +44 (0) 20 3638 5050 Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux, Eastern Europe Gunter Zerbich +44 (0) 20 3033 2930 Italy, Asia, India Ingrid Hammond +39 05 7829 8768 ingridhammond@libero.it VP business development, North America Nigel Daly +1 323 654 2301 / 213 447 5120 nigeldalymail@gmail.com Production manager Jonathon Cooke +44 (0) 20 3033 4296 jonathon.cooke@mb-insight.com Group commercial director, MBI Alison Pitchford +44 (0) 20 3033 2949 alison.pitchford@mb-insight.com Subscription customer service +44 (0) 1604 828 706 help@subscribe.screendaily.com Festival and events manager Mai Le +44 (0) 20 3033 2950 mai.le@mb-insight.com Sales administrator Justyna Zieba +44 (0) 20 3033 2694 justyna.zieba@mb-insight.com Chief executive, MBI Conor Dignam +44 (0) 20 3033 2717 conor.dignam@mb-insight.com
new stories to tell The two Japanese films selected for Cannes 2014 reflect two sides of the Japanese industry: Naomi Kawase returns to Competition with Still The Water, an intimate arthouse drama from the Japanese auteur who is especially loved by French cinephiles; and The Tale Of Princess Kaguya in Directors’ Fortnight offers a big Studio Ghibli animation, always a crowd-pleaser. In Screen’s overview of the Japanese industry, writer Sten Saluveer notes how the majors in Japan enjoy stability but he also points out that 2014 has seen something of a breath of fresh air with independent international co-operations such as Sundance hit thriller Killers and comedy Fuku-chan Of FukuFuku Flats. That international reach is crucial for Japan’s premier film festival, Tokyo International Film Festival
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2 Growth business Japanese film’s international appeal is on the rise, and 2014 could see independent productions trump the local blockbusters
4 drawn to tiff Tokyo International Film Festival will this year present a special showcase of Japanese animations
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6 on the market TIFFCOM continues to attract increasing numbers of buyers and sellers, thanks to its innovative mix of film, TV, music and animation projects
9 creatinG the virtuous circle In his second year as head of Tokyo International Film Festival and multi-content market TIFFCOM, Yasushi Shiina talks about his plans for 2014 and beyond
10 cannes 2014: the hit list
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(TIFF), which will celebrate its 27th edition (October 23-31). Yasushi Shiina, now in his second year as director general, says he wants to “maintain our position as an international film festival that can bring high-quality, world-class films”. Of course, promoting homegrown talents to local audiences and international guests is also important, as TIFF continues its Japanese Cinema Splash section and this year the festival will pay particular attention to local animation. As evidenced by the diversity of Japanese titles being sold at Cannes’ Marché (see page 10), this is an industry building on its traditional strengths while pushing forward on new ideas. The world will be watching. Wendy Mitchell, editor
Previews of the hottest Japanese films premiering at Cannes Film Festival, as well as a selection of buzz titles available in the market
May 2014 Screen International 1 n