FILMINATION

FILMINATION Co., Ltd. (Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Hiroaki Kanamaru; hereinafter “FILMINATION”), a company that provides a platform for Japanese films to be sold to overseas VOD companies, has started to distribute three Japanese films including Mayu Akiyama's “Rent a Friend” to Highball TV, a Canadian-based VOD service.

Highball TV is a Canadian-based VOD service specialising in award-winning films from international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto. It can be viewed worldwide on apps such as AppleTV and Roku and has been approved by the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO).

“Rent a Friend”, which is currently available on Highball TV, is the feature debut of director Mayu Akiyama, whose short film about an intersexual protagonist “Garconne – The woman having both sexes” was a hit. Through the friendship of a man and a woman in a “contractual relationship”, the film asks the question: “Is there friendship between men and women?” The film won the Grand Prix and four other major awards in the 2018 MOOSIC LAB feature film competition, including Best Actor, Actress and Musician, and was also screened in the Japanese Film Splash section of the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival.

©2018 MAYU AKIYAMA / MOOSIC LAB

Other films available on Highball TV include Naho Kamimura's “Wander Life”, Yuka Eda's “GIRLS' ENCOUNTER”.

In the global VOD market, services specializing in “niche genres” such as indie films and films screened at film festivals are emerging, and this new trend is a tailwind for Japanese film companies and filmmakers with abundant film content to expand their business overseas.

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

About Films to be distributed on Highball TV

“Rent a Friend” directed by Mayu Akiyama （available from July 16）

The feature debut of director Mayu Akiyama, whose short film about an intersexual protagonist “Garconne – The woman having both sexes” was a hit. Through the friendship of a man and a woman in a “contractual relationship”, the film asks the question: “Is there friendship between men and women?” The film won the Grand Prix and four other major awards in the 2018 MOOSIC LAB feature film competition, including Best Actor, Actress and Musician, and was also screened in the Japanese Film Splash section of the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival.

“Wander Life” directed by Naho Kamimura （available from August 27）

A coming-of-age drama in which Shuri Nakamura, a member of the Last Idol Family, an idol born from an audition show, plays a lonely junior high school student. The film won the Audience Award and the Best Actress Award at MOOSIC LAB 2018, which brings together up-and-coming directors and artists in collaboration.

“GIRLS' ENCOUNTER” directed by Yuka Eda (available from August 13）

A beautifully filmed coming-of-age drama set in a seaside town, this film is based on an original story by Gomen, an illustrator who has gained overwhelming support from the younger generation on Twitter and Instagram, and was produced as a feature film for MOOSIC LAB, a music and film festival that continues to produce up-and-coming young directors.