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The official website for the live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! has announced that the film's cumulative total domestic gross surpassed a milestone of five billion yen on January 16. According to Animate Times , the film has earned 5,002,624,050 yen (32 million Usd) from 3,731,753 ticket sales in 35 days since its release in Japan. After debuting Japanese theaters on December 13, 2024, the film stayed on No.1 in the box office ranking for four consecutive weekends. Now it has become the fourth top-grossing Japanese film of 2024. To commemorate this phenomenal hit, messages from the two lead actors, Mei Nagano (Red Blood Cell) and Takeru Sato (White Blood Cell ), and director Hideki Takeuchi have been posted on the website. Message from Mei Nagano: I am very happy that the movie “Cells at Work!” has reached so many people and is loved by them! Thank you very much! It has become a major representative work for me.

The live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! opened across Japan on December 13. The movie directed by Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film series) earned 844 million yen (5.48 million Usd) on 611,000 admissions between Friday and Sunday, making a first-place debut in the weekend box office ranking, according to the film's official website . The opening box office performance ranks third among live-action Japanese films released in 2024, behind Kingdom: Return of the Great General in July ( 1.629 billion yen ) and Last Mile in August ( 978 million yen ). Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill , the most successful live-action Japanese film released last December, ultimately earned 4.5 billion yen from its total domestic run. The movie also ranked third in Filmarks' first-day satisfaction ranking with an average rating of 3.88/5.0 based on 2,213 reviews. Following the TV anime series and a short anime film produced by Toei Animation, a live-action film adaptation of...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! today announced nine additional cast members, which include: Helper T Cell played by Shota Sometani Hepatocytel played by Kyoko Fukada Junior Red Blood Cell played by Rihito Itagaki Senior Red Blood Cell played by Ryo Kato Shin Takeda played by Seishiro Kato Pneumonia Coccus played by Ainosuke Kataoka Streptococcus Pyogenes played by Shinya Niiro Staphylococcus Aureus played by Maju Ozawa ???? played by Fukase Among them, Fukase 's role is the only one not yet revealed. The character is introduced only as “the strongest enemy for the cells." This will be the second film appearance for Fukase, vocalist of the Japanese rock band Sekai No Owari , as an actor. He made his acting debut with the role of a serial killer in the 2021 suspense film Character , where he won the 45th Japan Academy...

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! released a new poster visual today. The visual features the film's four main cast members: Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell, Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell, Sadao Abe as Shigeru Urushizaki and Mana Ashida as Niko Urushizaki. There are at least 13 main cast members yet to be announced and will be added to the poster in the future. Related : Cells at Work! Live-Action Film Releases New Teaser Trailer Introducing Human Characters Additionally, a limited number of first-edition MoviTicke advance tickets will be available at theaters nationwide starting July 12. A card printed with the "World's Smallest Micro Poster," which is 1mm in height and is scheduled to be submitted to Guinness World Records, will be included as a bonus. Starting the same day, "The World's Smallest Poster" will be displayed in some theaters.

The official website for the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's manga series Cells at Work! has released a second teaser trailer introducing two human characters. For the first time in the series, it is revealed that the human world will be depicted. Sadao Abe plays Shigeru Urushizaki, a father who leads an inadequate life, and Mana Ashida plays Niko Urushizaki, his daughter who is a high school girl in excellent health. Additionally, it was revealed that the story of the movie will also be based on the spin-off manga series Cells at Work! Code Black in addition to the original Cells at Work! manga series. As reported , Mei Nagano plays Red Blood Cell and Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell. Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film) serves as director on a screenplay by Yuichi Tokunaga ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War live-action film). The movie is scheduled to release...

The previously announced live-action film adaptation of Akane Shimizu's Cells at Work! manga revealed its first teaser trailer today, presenting Mei Nagano as Red Blood Cell and Takeru Sato as White Blood Cell, along with a December 2024 theatrical release in Japan for the Hideki Takeuchi ( Thermae Romae live-action film)-directed feature. Yuichi Tokunaga ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War live-action film) pens the script. Related: Opinion: How Cells at Work! Taught Me to Embrace Self-Care Akane Shimizu's Cells at Work! manga was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine from January 2015 to January 2021 and released in six volumes. The TV anime adaptation aired for two seasons between 2018 and 2021. Crunchyroll streams both seasons and describes the series: This is a story about you. A tale about the inside of your body… According to a new study, the human body consists of approximately 37 trillion cells. These cells are hard at work every day within...

Tonde Saitama (“Fly Me to The Saitama”), released in 2019 and directed by Hideki Takeuchi, was based on the 1980s unfinished manga series of the same name by Maya Mineo. It was the story of a fictional world where discrimination was applied, based on birthplace and residence, and Saitama (always been looked down by Tokyo residents) was at the bottom of the rank. Playing on the stereotypes and memes that see Saitama prefecture as the “poor cousin of Tokyo”, the film proved very successful with audiences – local and foreigner alike – making it the third top-grossing Japanese live-action film of 2019.It was indeed a hilariously silly film, and the in-jokes and local references were understandable enough to be enjoyed fully by non-Japanese crowd. The success, the laughs and standing ovation it received when presented in Udine Far East Film Festival 2019 where a proof of its transnational allure.

Its sequel “Fly Me To...

Montreal, Quebec | July 18 – August 4, 2024

The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 28th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 18 through August 4, 2024, returning yet again at the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Montreal's Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée.

The festival's full lineup will be announced on July 3, but in the meantime, Fantasia has unveiled a select first wave of premiere titles, along with a first look at its 2024 poster art created by Montreal visual artist Donald Caron.

The highly anticipated Asian films in the line-up include the following:

Confession | Japan | Dir: Nobuhiro Yamashita

North American Premiere

Every winter since Sayuri's tragic disappearance sixteen years ago, Asai and Jiyong climb the mountain where it happened to honor her memory. However, an intense blizzard and a catastrophic injury convince Jiyong he's done for and,...

The program of the 24th Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is complete! From May 28 to June 2, the festival offers the opportunity to delve into Japan's film and cultural scene. The festival presents around 100 short and feature-length films at eight venues, including numerous premieres. Over 60 filmmakers and artists will travel from Japan to Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to present their works to the audience. At the freely accessible grounds of the festival centers Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Produktionshaus Naxos, visitors can enjoy the festival atmosphere with a large Japanese market featuring numerous food and craft stands. Detailed information and tickets for all films and events are available at NipponConnection.com.

This year's film selection promises exciting discoveries. Fans of genre films can enjoy Shinji Araki's acclaimed time-loop thriller Penalty Loop, Kaz I Kiriya's apocalyptic drama From The End Of The World, and Shimako Sato's action-packed fantasy adventure The Yin Yang Master Zero.

Exclusive: Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival has set the first round of titles set for its 2024 edition, running July 18 – Aug 4.

Films set to debut at the festival include Chris Stuckmann’s Shelby Oaks, which will world premiere at the festival with a screening presented by Mike Flanagan.

Produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, and Ashleigh Snead with exec producers including Flanagan and Trevor Macy, the film follows a woman’s desperate search for her long-lost sister, a famous YouTuber who investigated paranormal happenings, who falls into obsession upon realizing that the imaginary demon from their childhood may have been real. After a successful Kickstarter campaign that broke records across the platform, the highly anticipated feature debut feature from YouTube creator Chris Stuckmann is finally here and ready to scare the pants off the world.

Other premieres set for the fest include Witchboard, the latest film from Chuck Russell.

Soon it's that time of year again! Just a few weeks left until the 24th Nippon Connection Film Festival once again envelops Frankfurt am Main (Germany) in bright pink. From May 28 to June 2, 2024, the world's largest festival of Japanese cinema will showcase around 100 short and feature films at eight venues. The country's culture will also be explored through the extensive culture program, reflecting Japan's musical, culinary, and artistic diversity.

The Nippon Connection Film Festival presents works by both established filmmakers and emerging directors. From Takeshi Kitano's action-packed samurai film Kubi to the captivating comedy Fly Me To The Saitama -From Biwa Lake With Love- by Hideki Takeuchi, and Yoshimi Itazu's imaginative animation The Concierge, the film program offers highlights of various genres. Most films will celebrate their German, European, or international premieres at the festival. The festival's focus on Crossing Borders, supported by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, explores...

The actor is known for roles in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘Still Walking’ and ‘After the Storm’ among others.

Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe is to be honoured with the Excellence in Asian Cinema Award at the 16th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong next month.

The actor is known internationally for roles in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Still Walking and After The Storm, and Hideki Takeuchi’s Thermæ Romæ, for which he won his first Japan Academy Film Prize in 2013.

Abe will accept the award at the awards ceremony, which is set to be held in Hong Kong on March 12. The nominations were announced last month.

The 20th edition of the festival will return as a full in-person event in July.

The New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) has unveiled the full line-up for its 20th edition, which will include honorary awards for Japanese horror director Takashi Shimizu, acclaimed Japanese actor Hiroshi Abe and South Korean rising star Kim Hye-yoon.

This year will mark Nyaff’s fully-fledged return to the big screen, following a virtual 2020 edition and a hybrid event in 2021. More than 60 new and classic titles from Asia, including six world premieres, will be presented as in-person screenings at Film at Lincoln Center (Flc) and the Asia Society,...

A sequel to the 2019 hit comedy “Fly Me to the Saitama” has been announced. Stars Nikaido Fumi and Gackt will return, as will director Takeuchi Hideki.

Details about the production start date and story are sparce, though Takeuchi earlier told “Variety” that he was thinking of setting the sequel in the Kansai region. Release is set for 2022.

The first film, distributed by Toei, made $34 million at the Japanese box office and received 12 Japan Academy Prize nominations. It won three awards, including best script and best director honors.

Based on a 1980s comic series of the same name by Maya Mineo, the story begins in the present as a family from Saitama, a much-mocked prefecture adjacent to Tokyo, listen to a radio drama as they drive to a ceremony marking the daughter’s engagement to another Saitama native.

The drama is set in alterative Japan where the humble Saitama-ese are treated...

Chicago – The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) of Chicago is highlighting their past program line up of award-winning and culturally important films with “Audience Choice Winners Rewind” – an event that allows streaming the films on specific dates throughout the next several weeks. All it takes to access the films for Free is to register at the Apuc website on the day the film is schedule to stream.

The Final Weekend of “Rewind” features are all from Japan. May 30th, 2020, is “I Am a Monk” (click here) regards Susumu, a “civilian” who inherits the mantle of abbot at a Buddhist temple after his grandfather dies, and has a hard time living up to his community’s expectations.

And on May 31st, “Fly Me to Saitama” (click here) is Hideki Takeuchi’s hilarious adaptation of a 1980s manga about an alternative-universe rebellion by the natives of the capital’s much mocked suburb.

‘Fly Me to the Saitama,...

In its now 43rd edition the Nippon Academy-shō Association recognized Asian productions with the Japan Academy Film Prize, an award commonly referred to as the Asian equivalent to the Oscars. The award show, which took place at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo, Japan presented some of the best productions from the Asian movie industry with productions such as Shinsuke Saito’s “Kingdom” receiving four nominations and Hideki Takeuchi’s “Fly me to Saitama” topping the list with 12 nominations.

Here is the list of the winners of last night’s award ceremony:

Picture of the Year: “The Journalist” by Roh Deok

Director of the Year: Hideki Takeuchi (“Fly me to Saitama”)

Animation of the Year: “Weathering with You” by Makoto Shinkai

Screenplay of the Year: Yuichi Tokunaga (“Fly me to Saitama”)

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Tori Matsuzaka (“The Journalist”)

Outstanding Performance by an...

“The Journalist,” Michihito Fujii’s drama about a young female reporter who investigates a scandal that extends to the highest reaches of Japanese politics, won the Best Picture prize at the 43rd Japan Academy Awards ceremony, held in Tokyo Friday.

Due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, no guests were invited and no media were on site to cover the ceremony at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.

Based on Isoko Mochizuki‘s non-fiction book, “The Journalist” was a surprise box office hit last year, breaking an industry taboo against dramatizing real-life political controversy in commercial films.

Shim Eun-Kyung, who played the Korean-Japanese reporter, took the Best Actress prize. Meanwhile, Tori Matsuzaka, who co-starred as a conflicted elite bureaucrat the reporter uses as a source, was named Best Actor.

Japan’s biggest hit in 2019, Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering With You,” scooped Best Animation honors, while the group Radwimps, which...

International premiere of “Flowers of Evil”, Hong Kong “Fagara” as the opening film, and Japanese “Bone Born Bone” at the closure of Five Flavours 13th edition!

This year, as always, the festival will provide an opportunity to discover original voices of young and recognized directors from South Korea, Bhutan, Thailand or Vietnam. We will explore the charms and ills of Japanese peripheries: its harbour cities, outskirts and marginal territories. We will watch films highly appreciated by festival juries. Special consideration will be given to Hong Kong which today is experiencing a serious political crisis: our guest will be Fruit Chan, a star of its independent cinema. However, the Programme has also a place for juicy genre cinema: horror, action, perverse comedies are an ideal remedy for the November weather in Warsaw.

Here is the Programme in its strands:

New Asian Cinema

Like every year the competition section presents challenging, daring films,...

Born 1966 in Chiba, Hideki Takeuchi joined Fuji TV in 1990 and directed his first drama series, “The Ugly Duckling”, 1996. His drama “God, please give me more time” (1998) won the Best Director Prize at the 18th Television Drama Academy Awards. Until today, he has produced 19 television dramas, including the otaku cult series “Densha Otoko” (2005).

Following the success of the drama, the Japanese director made his feature film debut with the cinematic spin-off “Nodame Cantabile” in 2009. Since then, he produced box office hits like “Thermae Romae” (2012) and “Color me True” (2018).

On the occasion of Japannual Film Festival , Hideki Takeuchi came back to the roots of his cinematic oeuvre to talk about his newest feature, “Fly Me to the Saitama“.

Since we are in Vienna, let me take up the opportunity first to ask you about the work that you have done here?

I came to Vienna 10 years ago to shoot “Nodame Cantabile” (2009). For the movie,...

The third edition of the Japannual Film Festival takes place from 1st to 6th of October in Vienna. This year, the festival celebrates the 150th anniversary of Austrian-Japanese diplomatic relations with an excellent selection of films, showing the highlights of the bygone year. Besides the modern cinema, Japannual features two movies of the infamous director Koji Wakamatsu accompanied by the short films of video artist Yuri Muraoka.

The opening film “Blue Hour” (2019), a multi-layered comedy about a sudden family visit, is the first feature by female director Yuko Hakota and was already celebrated at the Nippon Connection Festival for its portrayal of strong female characters.

Strong female characters can also be seen in Kosai Sekine’s “Love at Least” (2018) and Momoko Fukuda’s “My Father, My Bride” (2019). Both directors will be present at the festival and so it the actress Shuri, who gives an intriguing performance of a mentally ill...

With a final wave of programming, the 2019 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival has now released its full lineup, featuring over 130 incredible features from across the globe.

Fantasia International Film Festival

Montreal, Quebec – July 11 to August 1

In addition, the festival is also very proud to announce a record number of repertory titles, its esteemed 2019 jury, a horror film location bus tour through Montreal, and exciting, one-of-a-kind live events with producer Edward R. Pressman, “First Blood” director Ted Kotcheff, and iconic horror host Joe Bob Briggs.

Japanese horror icon ”Sadako” will open fantasia 2019!

Sadako

Twenty years ago, Fantasia celebrated the North American Premiere of Hideo Nakata’s “Ringu” and its sequel, which led to Dreamworks acquiring the franchise and is largely seen as having been the birth of J-Horror in the West. This Summer, the festival is proud to open its 23rd edition with the series’ latest sequel, “Sadako” (North...

Vietnamese star Veronica Ngo to receive Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema.

Kim Yoon-seok’s Another Child from South Korea and Huang Chao-liang’s Han Dan from Taiwan are among seven entries that will vie for the Uncaged Award for best feature film in the 2019 New York Asian Film Festival main competition.

Rounding out the competition entries are: Moon Sungho’s 5 Million Dollar Life (Japan), Katsumi Nojiri’s Lying To Mom (Japan), Kenneth Lim Dagatan’s Ma (Philippines), Yi Ok-seop’s Maggie (South Korea), and Wu Nan’s Push And Shove (China). The festival runs from June...

In addition to the bevy of films screening at this year's Fantaspoa, the festival has some really rad events planned, including an Alice in Wonderland-themed costume party. Also in today's Horror Highlights: production and release details for Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire and a trailer for Acid Pit Stop.

Fantaspoa Announces Final Wave of Films: "Brazil's Fantaspoa, the largest genre film festival in Latin America, is proud to unveil its final wave of films selected for their upcoming fifteenth edition, running from May 16th through June 2nd. This announcement completes the fest's full 2019 line-up, consisting of more than 100 films.

The festival's live events will kick-off with an Alice in Wonderland-themed costume party, followed by a concert featuring, among others, Demian Rugna's band, Pasco 637. As they did last year, the festival will celebrate its closing night party, a masquerade ball, aboard a boat on the Guaiba River,...

Chicago – Right out of the gate, the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc) of Chicago proves they are one of the top cultural connections in the city. Season Eight opens on Tuesday, March 12th with “Fly Me to Saitama,” one of the hottest films in Japan, with three consecutive weeks as a top box office draw. The film is an uproarious comedy satire – adapted from a Manga comic book series – about the prefecture identities of Japan, warring around the notion that Toyko is the center of the Japanese universe. Director Hideki Takeuchi will appear on behalf of the film, for more details and tickets, click here.

“Fly Me to Saitama” refers to the land-locked Japanese prefecture (like our states) of Saitama, where many people come from but no one likes to claim (“I’m from Toyko”). The film works on two levels, as a radio story that a family is listening to...

Chicago – One of the most successful ongoing film festivals is Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc). Facilitated by founder and veteran film programmer Sophia Wong Bocchio, the fest anticipates Season Eight with another amazing line-up of films from Japan, Mongolia, Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Indonesia and South Korea.

The format for the Spring 2019 Apuc is going through a change … instead of spreading films out to once a week, there will be multiple films each week, equalling a shorter calendar season. Many of the weeks will focus on one country, and as always there will be opportunities to meet the filmmakers and participate in post screening discussions (Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com is on board to host Q&As March 27th and 28th). And besides the Chicago screenings taking place at AMC River East 21, the Heritage Museum of Asian Art, the Alliance Francaise de Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet studio...

Hideki Takeuchi seems to be making a career out of people jumping into the real world from another “dimension”, and after the two “Thermae Romae” and the Roman in contemporary Japan, he directs a story of a movie character coming to life in Japan in the 60’s. Let us take things from the beginning, though.

Tonight, at the Movies is part of the 2019 Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme

Kenji is a struggling assistant director during the 60’s, when the industry in Japan experienced a significant decline due to popularity of TV, who tries to make it happen but is, in essence, just an errand boy. Furthermore, he is a workaholic, whose long-hours occasionally lead him into making blunders, just like when he spills paint all over the costume of the company’s star, Ryonosuke Shundo. In his quite hard life, the only source of true enjoyment comes from a theatre...

“People Still Call It Love” Passion, Affection and Destruction in Japanese Cinema

UK – 2 February to 28 March 2019

Belfast – Bristol – Chester – Colchester – Derby – Dundee – Edinburgh – Exeter – Halifax – Inverness – Kendal – Leicester – Lewes – London – Manchester – Newcastle upon Tyne – Nottingham – Sheffield – Stirling

Love, in all its semblances and dimensions, is a state so universally experienced by humankind that it has provided a perpetual source of inspiration in the long history of global cinema. Japanese cinema is no different. Love and the associated feelings of passion, affection, and destruction, in equal measure have all been channelled into a pivotal driving force behind the rise of many Japanese filmmakers, crystallising in timeless works which form part of the nation’s artistic repertoire.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2019 features thoughtfully selected works, all focusing on this theme in one way or another. As the conventional binaries defining what it means to love continually give way to new understandings of this sweeping emotion,...

"A movie is fleeting — only a few stick in people's minds," proclaims a cinema owner in Hideki Takeuchi's Tonight, at the Movies. It's not hard to guess the Japanese helmer's unforgettables. This fantastical-comical romantic drama about an on-screen princess's relationship with a young man in the real world draws on staples like Enchanted, Roman Holiday and My Sassy Girl. In the context of Japanese cinema, however, it’s the heir to The Magic Hour, Koki Mitani's 2008 period comedy that pays homage to the joys and perils of old-school filmmaking.

Boasting a classically overwrought romance, a black-and-white film-within-a-film, wry references...

The full Fantasia 2013 lineup has now been revealed, and we have here the third and final wave of titles to share. Prepare to drool!

From the Press Release:

The Fantasia International Film Festival is proud to announce the rest of our 120-feature lineup that comprises our 2013 event, along with a string of additional details that mark our 17th edition as a standout. Fantasia will engulf the city of Montreal from July 18-August 6, 2013. Be sure to visit the Fantasia Film Festival website for detailed essays on every title announced here, as well as all films previously disclosed over the last weeks.

Before we get started on titles... Meet Our 2013 Juries

Main Competition For The Cheval Noir Award For Best Film

Jury President: Laura Kern (Critic, Curator, managing editor, Film Comment)

Jean-Pierre Bergeron (Actor, Director, Screenwriter)

Samuel Jamier (Co-Director of the New York Asian Film Festival, Programmer at Japan Society)

Jarod Neece (Senior Programmer and Operations Manager,...

The Fantasia Film Festival is taking place from July 18th to August 6th in Montreal and will feature over 100 films from around the world. We gave you a look at the initial lineup last month and now have an additional list of Fantasia 2013 films that will be screening, including Curse of Chucky, You’re Next, and Frankenstein’s Army:

Horror Is Child’S Play – Don Mancini’S Curse Of Chucky (World Premiere)

A rarity among genre franchises, the Child’S Play series (begun in 1988) has retained the sure-handed guidance of original screenwriter/creator Don Mancini throughout killer doll Chucky’s decades’-long reign of horror. Mancini, who will be hosting our “scar-studded” world premiere, graduated to the director’s chair with 2004’s Seed Of Chucky, after having co-written or written every entry in the series. His longevity with the project is, of course, matched by the fiendish voiceover work by...

Above: Ernie Gehr's Auto-Collider Xv.

The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.

Galas

A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)

Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)

The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)

Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)

Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)

English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)

Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)

Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)

Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)

Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)

Looper (Rian Johnson,...

I now have to accept the fact there will be several films showing at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival that I simply won't be able to see. I have gone to Cannes three straight years and this will be my third year in Toronto and of the six festivals I've never seen a line-up packed with so many highly anticipated films and today the fest added even more. Sending out the complete line-up today the fest has added three films to their Galas selection and 18 Special Presentations along with several Contemporary World Cinema selections, the latter of which includes James Ponsoldt's Smashed which is said to feature a performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead that may be up for Oscar consideration. The announcement confirmed Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master will be part of the Special Presentations selection as will Brian De Palma's Passion, a remake of Love Crime...

Toronto – On July 24th, Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, unveiled some of the films that will headline the 37th Toronto International Film Festival.

According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.

Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”

Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:

Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)

Rian Johnson, USA

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels

Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...

Toronto – On July 24th, Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, unveiled some of the films that will headline the 37th Toronto International Film Festival.

According to Bailey, Tiff 2012 will include the “most diverse Gala programme to date with films from Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, USA and Canada”.

Handling describes this year’s festival as looking “particularly strong” with a wide variety of work from “established and emerging filmmakers.”

Toronto audiences will be first in line to see many “exciting and prestigious films” with further announcements slated in the coming weeks. Until then, here is a sample of what you can expect to see:

Looper (Opening Night film, World Premiere)

Rian Johnson, USA

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels

Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), Looper is a futuristic action thriller set in a...

Jayne Mansfield.s Car

Piers Handling, CEO and Director of Tiff, and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, made the first announcement of films to premiere at the 37th Toronto International Film Festival. Films announced include titles in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes. The announced films include 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations, including 38 world premieres.

Toronto audiences will be the first to see the world premieres of films from directors Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski,...

Terrence Malick. Mateo Garrone. Rian Johnson. Noah Baumbach. Joss Whedon. Neil Jordan. Francois Ozon. Joe Wright. Thomas Vinterbeg. Derek Cianfrance. All of these filmmakers, plus loads more, will be among those presenting new feature films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 6th to 16th. Of the 61 films announced this morning, Rian Johnson’s sci-fi actioner Looper will open the fest (a clear upgrade from Score! A Hockey Musical, to be sure), while the others are divvied up between Gala and Special Presentation screenings. Of note: rumors of Terrence Malick’s swift return to the big screen have turned out to be well-founded (barring some last-minute delay); his To the Wonder has been confirmed, along with a raft of well-received Cannes exports like Pablo Lorrain’s No and Mateo Garrone’s Reality. The most insane part of today’s already-stellar announcement is that there’s loads more to come,...

The films screened at this year's Toronto film festival – as the programme release is staggered, this will be updated as more information comes in

The 37th Toronto Film Festival runs September 6 - 16 2012. This article will be updated as official announcements detailing the full line-up are released.

Opening night film

Looper, Dir: Rian Johnson

World premieres

Argo, Dir: Ben Affleck

Byzantium, Dir: Neil Jordan

Capital, Dir: Costa-Gavras

Cloud Atlas, Dir: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski

The Deep (Djúpið), Dir: Baltasar Kormákur

Dreams for Sale, Dir: Nishikawa Miwa

End Of Watch, Dir: David Ayer

English Vinglish, Dir: Gauri Shinde

Foxfire, Dir: Laurent Cantet

Frances Ha, Dir: Noah Baumbach

Free Angela & All Political Prisoners, Dir: Shola Lynch

Ginger and Rosa, Dir: Sally Potter

Great Expectations, Dir: Mike Newell

Hannah Arendt, Dir: Margarethe von Trotta

Hyde Park on Hudson, Dir: Roger Michell

Imogene, Dir: Robert Pulcini

The Impossible, Dir: J.A. Bayona

In the House,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: Rian Johnson’s time-travel thriller “Looper” will open the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, it was reported on Tuesday in Variety.

Johnson made splashes at Tiff with his previous films – the high-school-set film noir “Brick” and the quirky con caper “The Brothers Bloom.” But “Looper” finds him working with major Hollywood talents Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the story of an assassin (Gordon-Levitt) who eliminates criminals sent back through time to our present day. Troubles arise when Jgl’s next target is himself (Bruce Willis), from a not-so-distant future.

The first wave of Tiff programming reads like a laundry list of can’t-wait-to-see features for the upcoming awards season. Ben Affleck’s back with the political drama “Argo.” We’ll get our first look at “Cloud Atlas,” from Tom Tykwer and the Wachowskis. David O. Russell, Derek Cianfrance, Mike Newell, David Ayer,...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: Earlier, we brought you a snapshot glance at the first wave of programming announced for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Shortly after, the fest released a thorough breakdown of the Galas and Special Presentations for this year’s event, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 6.

So far, 17 Galas and 45 Special Presentations have been announced, including 38 world premieres. Andrew Adamson, Ben Affleck, David Ayer, Maiken Baird, Noah Baumbach, J.A. Bayona, Stuart Blumberg, Josh Boone, Laurent Cantet, Sergio Castellitto, Stephen Chbosky, Lu Chuan, Derek Cianfrance, Nenad Cicin-Sain, Costa-Gavras, Ziad Doueiri, Liz Garbus, Dustin Hoffman, Rian Johnson, Neil Jordan, Baltasar Kormákur, Shola Lynch, Deepa Mehta, Roger Michell, Nishikawa Miwa, Ruba Nadda, Mike Newell, François Ozon, Sally Potter, Robert Pulcini & Shari Springer Berman, Eran Riklis, David O. Russell, Gauri Shinde, Ben Timlett & Bill Jones & Jeff Simpson, Tom Tykwer & Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski, Margarethe von Trotta, Joss Whedon and...

This years line-up for the Toronto Internation Film festival has been announced and yet again the festival is full of heavy-hitters, none moreso than Rian Johnson’s Looper starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. A total of 61 Gala’s & Special Presentations have been confirmed to screen at the festival and we have the full organised list courtesy of Movie Knight.

Opening Night Film

Rian Johnson’s Looper

Gala’s

Ben Affleck’s Argo Billy Bob Thorton’s Jayne Mansfield’s Car Liz Garbus’ Love Marilyn Shola Lynch’s Free Angela and All Political Prisoners David O. Russell’s Silver Lining Playbook Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines Deepa Mehta’s Midnight Children Roger Mitchell’s Hyde Park on Hudson Mike Newell’s Great Expectations Rubba Nadda’s Inescapable Sergio Castelitto’s Twice Born Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist Robert Redford...

Has the summer movie season gotten you down? Did some of those hopeful-looking blockbusters disappoint you? Well, we have some good news for you. Today we learned the date of the start of fall movie season: September 6, the opening of the Toronto International Film Festival.

This year, the Tiff line-up is heavily skewed toward world premieres, instead of relying on repeats from Cannes and Sundance. Among the high-profile bows scheduled for the fest are Terrence Malick's "To The Wonder," the Wachowskis' "Cloud Atlas," and Rian Johnson's "Looper," which will open Tiff.

Read more about the line-up and check out the full list after the jump!

There's a lot to digest here, and every time we take another look at the list, we catch another surprise. There's "The Place Beyond The Pines," Derek Cianfrance's follow-up to "Blue Valentine" with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower...

Organizers for September’s Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) announced a slate of movies guaranteed to please cinephiles. The festival will open with Rian Johnson’s time-twisty thriller Looper, and will also include the world premiere of the mysterious Wachowski/Tykwer collabo-adaptation of Cloud Atlas, Ben Affleck’s true-life thriller Argo, David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, and Joss Whedon’s shot-in-a-fortnight adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The festival will also feature the next movie by auteur Terrence Malick, the Ben Affleck/Rachel McAdams headlined To The Wonder. (That makes two Terrence Malick movies in two consecutive years — a new record!

The line-up for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival has been officially announced across the Atlantic this morning – local time, and it is simply amazing.

Opening the festival will be Rian Johnson’s hotly-anticipated Looper, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and joining it are a slew of fantastic films, many of which making their world / North American premieres, with highlights including Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, Ben Affleck’s Argo, Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines, Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski brothers’ Cloud Atlas, Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha, David Ayer’s End of Watch, Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, Stuart Blumberg’s Thanks for Sharing, and Terrence Malick’s To the Wonder.

That suggests that Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives with Ryan Gosling is almost certainly going to be debuting at Venice, as expected.

Variety are the ones to officially confirm the line-up, which...

The fact this is only the start of the films announced for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival is staggering. I don't even think someone's wishlist could have matched what we're looking at and there is still more to be announced. But we'll worry about what's to come soon enough, let's have a look at what will be arriving. First taking a look at the World Premieres we see the opening night film, Rian Johnson's time travel feature Looper starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt followed by the highly anticipated Wachowski sibling feature Cloud Atlas; Ben Affleck will bring Argo to the fest just as he did The Town; David O. Russell's The Silver Linings Playbook will have its premiere; Blue Valentine helmer Derek Cianfrance will premiere The Place Beyond the Pines starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes; Mike Newell's Great Expectations will also...

With the fall movie season swiftly approaching, it’s not a stretch to say that many of the potential nominees for the Oscars and other end of year awards will finally be seeing a release. This year is no different. Though we have had a couple of films previously released that may be considered as possibilities in the awards race (Moonrise Kingdom, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and my personal favorite, The Grey), there’s a lot more right around the corner. Some of these very films that many have high hopes for will first be seen by those living in Canada. Variety has released some of the upcoming films that will be making their debut at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Or one can simply say just Tiff. Of those films announced, quite a few of them will have genre fans like myself quite giddy.

I’ve marked my personal favorites in red below.

Couple of hours before Tiff is set to announce their 60 plus title announcement (loads of Cannes items), Variety breaks the news that some of our most highly anticipated titles such as Terrence Malick’s “To The Wonder“, Derek Cianfrance “The Place Beyond The Pines” and Ramin Bahrani’s “At Any Price” will be the make-up of both Toronto and Venice. What we hope might trickle thru below are mentions today for the world or international premieres for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, Brian De Palma’s Passion, Manoel De Oliver’s Gebo Et L’Hombre, Olivier Assayas’ Something In The Air, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives, Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin, Bahman Ghobadi’s Rhinos Season, Roman Coppola’s A Glimpse Inside The Mind Of Charles Swan III, Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, Susanne Bier’s Love Is All You Need, Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths,...

2012′s Toronto International Film Festival is set to officially announce its initial line-up later today, but Variety let the cat out of the bag, at least partially; and it’s quite astounding. Most of our most-anticipated films of the year will be premiering at the Canadian festival, notably Terrence Malick‘s To the Wonder, Wachowskis & Tom Tykwer‘s epic-sounding Cloud Atlas, Rian Johnson‘s Looper (which will open the fest), Ben Affleck‘s Argo, Dereck Cianfrance‘s The Place Beyond the Pines and much, more more.

Coming from Sundance, the only mentioned film was Ben Lewis‘ John Hawkes-starring The Sessions, while Cannes premieres include Matteo Garrone‘s Reality, Thomas Vinterberg‘s The Hunt, Pablo Larrain‘s No and Jacques Audiard‘s Rust and Bone. One of the biggest surprises is a new film from Noah Baumbach, starring Greta Gerwing titled Frances Ha. There’s also The Avengers director Joss Whedon...

Not surprisingly, I haven’t read the manga that director Hideki Takeuchi’s upcoming time-traveling adventure “Thermae Romae” is based on, but it sounds like something I would thoroughly enjoy. After all, it combines two seemingly unrelated items — in this case, time travel and bath houses — and smashes them together in a way that sounds both intriguing and mildly confusing. Either way, my curiosity has been piqued. Check out this synopsis: Based on a manga by Mari Yamazaki, the movie stars Hiroshi Abe as an ancient Roman bath house design engineer named Lucious who—while desperately seeking inspiration for a new idea—gains the ability to slip back and forth through time from the public bath in ancient Rome to a bath house in modern day Japan. Through his encounters with the “flat-faced clan” (his unfortunate name for the Japanese people) he encounters, he discovers that they too share a...

The official website for Hideki Takeuchi’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Thermae Romae has been updated with a trailer.

Based on a manga by Mari Yamazaki, the movie stars Hiroshi Abe as an ancient Roman bath house design engineer named Lucious who—while desperately seeking inspiration for a new idea—gains the ability to slip back and forth through time from the public bath in ancient Rome to a bath house in modern day Japan.

Through his encounters with the “flat-faced clan” (his unfortunate name for the Japanese people) he encounters, he discovers that they too share a love of baths and becomes so fascinated with their innovations that he decides to “invent” them in his own time. Meanwhile, he meets a young Japanese manga artist named Mami (Aya Ueto) and ends up taking her on a wild adventure through time.

Thermae Romae will be released by Toho in Japan...

Hiroshi Abe and Aya Ueto have been cast in the live-action adaption of Mari Yamazaki’s award-winning manga Thermae Romae.

The comedy revolves around an ancient Roman bath house architect named Lucius (Abe) who’s hard up for new ideas. In the search for inspiration, he time-travels to various baths in modern-day Japan.

Ueto will co-star as Mami, a cute Japanese woman and aspiring manga artist whom Lucius would refer to as part of the “flat-faced tribe”.

“I want to play the flat-faced tribe representative Mami with all my might so that I won’t lose,” Ueto proclaimed enthusiastically.

Hideki Takeuchi (Nodame Cantabile) is directing and Shogo Muto (Crows Zero) handled the screenplay.

Filming began in Rome on March 14 at a huge open-air set at Cinecittà film studio.

Live-action film adaptations of popular manga typically suffer some criticism, but the creator of the original work seems confident.

“Frankly, to my surprise,...