FILMINATION

FILMINATION (Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Hiroaki Kanamaru; hereinafter "FILMINATION"), a distribution platform of Japanese films for global VOD companies, has started to distribute three Japanese films set in Okinawa, including Tsukasa Kishimoto's “OKINAWAN BLUE” to FilmDoo, a VOD service offering films from 125 countries around the world.

FilmDoo is a VOD service based in London UK, that offers free documentaries, indie films, and short films from 125 countries around the world (rental is charged). Users can search for films by country and language, and the service receives 500,000 hits per month from 194 countries.

Three films are currently available on FilmDoo: “OKINAWAN BLUE” by Tsukasa Kishimoto, “KATABUI IN THE HEART OF OKINAWA” by Daniel Lopez, and “KARAKARA” by Claude Gagnon, and are featured on a special page dedicated to films set in Okinawa.

“OKINAWAN BLUE” is a feature-length adaptation of the short film “Kokoro, Odoru”, which won the Japan Award of Excellence at SSFF & ASIA 2015 and the Golden Zipangu Award at LA Film Fest. The film won the Jury Prize, the highest award at the 20th Japanese Film Festival Hamburg in 2019.

“OKINAWAN BLUE” ©2018Fanfare Japan Co., Ltd.

In "BEING NATURAL", director Tadashi Nagayama, winner of the Grand Prix at the 2017 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival for his film " Journey of the Tortoise ", depicts the turmoil that ensues when a family from Tokyo, yearning to live in the countryside, visit a 50-year-old bachelor who lives in a house in the country inherited from his uncle.

In addition to “OKINAWAN BLUE”, “KATABUI IN THE HEART OF OKINAWA”, a documentary by the Spanish-Swiss filmmaker and photographer Daniel Lopez that captures the past and present of Okinawa, and "KARAKARA", a road movie about a former university professor and a runaway housewife who travels through Okinawa will present the attraction of Okinawa and Japanese films to the world.

FILMINATION will continue to contribute to the development of the Japanese film industry by discovering attractive and appealing Japanese films and supporting their overseas expansion.

About Films to be distributed on FilmDoo

”OKINAWAN BLUE” directed by Tsukasa Kishimoto（available from May 27）

A feature-length adaptation of the short film “Kokoro, Odoru”, which won the Japan Award of Excellence at SSFF & ASIA 2015 and the Golden Zipangu Award at LA Film Fest. Set against the beautiful natural backdrop of the Kerama Islands in Okinawa, the omnibus film tells the story of three clumsy but loving families and won the Jury Prize, the highest award at the 20th Hamburg Japanese Film Festival in 2019.

“KATABUI IN THE HEART OF OKINAWA” directed by Daniel Lopez（available from May 27）

This documentary shows the past and present of Okinawa, as captured by Spanish-Swiss filmmaker and photographer Daniel Lopez. Attracted to Okinawa during his travels around the world, Lopez moved to the island in 2003. He explores Okinawa's identity from various angles, including music, karate, Ryukyu dance and town development, and finds the answer to the question "Why am I attracted to Okinawa? The title of the film, "Katabui", means squall in Okinawan dialect.

“Karakara” directed by Claude Gagnon（available from May 27）

A road movie about a former university professor searching for a second life and a runaway housewife who travels to Okinawa. Junko is played by Yuki Kudo, and Pierre is played by Gabriel Arcand, a famous Canadian actor. The film won the Best International Film Award and the Audience Award at the 2012 Montreal World Film Festival.