ADV Acquires “Le Chevalier D'Eon” For North America, UK & Australia
ADV FILMS PACTS WITH SHOCHIKU FOR MULTIPLE ACQUISITIONS
ADV Acquires “Le Chevalier D'Eon” For North America, UK & Australia
Also North American Theatrical, Video & TV Rights to Shochiku's
“Ghost Train” and “Synesthesia”
Houston, TX – November 2, 2006 – ADV Films, the number one producer/distributor of Japanese animation outside of Japan, announced today that it has closed a deal with Shochiku, Japan's leading entertainment conglomerate, to acquire the hit animated TV series Le Chevalier D'Eon, as well as the acclaimed feature films Ghost Train and Synesthesia.
Under terms of the deal, ADV has acquired North American theatrical, video and TV rights to Ghost Train and Synesthesia as well as video, TV and VOD rights to Le Chevalier D'Eon for North America, UK, Australia and English speaking African territories. The North American release plans have not been announced yet, but these titles are planned to be released before summer 2007.
“ADV is honored to be partnering with Shochiku to bring their excellent shows to North America,” said John Ledford, President and CEO of ADV Films. “Le Chevalier is going to be a huge 2007 anime series for our market, and we look forward to licensing more Shochiku product as the new relationship burgeons.”
Masaki Koga, the head of Shochiku's International Business Division, commented, “We are very proud of the titles and hope that their success in the U.S. and other territories mirrors their success in Japan. ADV Films is one of the premier specialty distributors in North America and the ideal distributor for these properties. We hope to establish a long standing distribution partnership that begins with this initial deal.”
Shochiku's high profile gothic mystery series Le Chevalier D'Eon is directed by acclaimed director Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Get Backers, Rurouni Kenshin) from an original story by Tow Ubukata (Fafner), who is also credited as story supervisor.
The story is about D'Eon de Beaumont, a handsome intellect who actually lived in the 18th century. D'Eon was known as a diplomat who traveled around various countries under the French king's command. But his most peculiar trait was that he managed to pass himself off as a woman. The core of the story is based on the mysterious hero and the historical facts.
Truth has been erased in the darkness of history - A great epic that far exceeds imagination is finally revealed in all its intricate detail.
Shochiku's electrifying and forbidden live-action film, Ghost Train, based on the urban legend of the haunted train, has been an enormous success in Asia.
Ghost Train takes audiences to a nightmare dimension where evil lurks in everyday life. The heroine is an 18-year-old high school girl, Nana, looking after her younger sister Noriko, while their mother is at a hospital. Nana's world turns into a nightmare when Noriko suddenly disappears. The only clue she has left was the commuters pass that she had picked up on the train before disappearing, and the dark shadow that follows Noriko in the surveillance camera.
Synesthesia is a suspense thriller directed by Toru Matsuoka, starring Yōsuke Eguchi (Another Heaven), Masanobu Andō (Battle Royal, Monday) and Aoi Miyazaki (Eureka).
[synesthesia / synaesthesia] (sin'is-the'zhea) n. -- A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. When two lonely souls who possess the same puzzle of mind meet each other, it leads to events of unsolved mystery and serial murder.
About Shochiku
Founded in 1895, Shochiku functions as a highly-tuned vertically integrated entertainment entity, encompassing feature film and television production, theatrical distribution of Japanese & foreign motion pictures, worldwide sales, exhibition, DVD and home video distribution and the Kabuki Theater.
Shochiku operates one of the most successful motion picture divisions in Japan. The company has produced a number of critically and financially successful films, including the 2004 Academy Award™ nominee for best foreign language film “The Twilight Samurai,” directed by Yōji Yamada, the first Japanese Academy Award nomination for a live-action film in 22 years. (http://www.shochikufilms.com)
About ADV Films:
In the 14 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside of Japan and has the largest English-language anime library in the world. With best-selling titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic!, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. Always on the forefront, ADV is introducing North America to bold new anime franchises such as Gantz, Elfen Lied, Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker and D.N.Angel. ADV Films' library also includes popular live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Company's Farscape, the nationally syndicated Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and the Saturn Award-nominated Mutant X. In 2005 ADV Films was voted “Best Anime Company” in the SPJA awards, presented at Anime Expo, North America's largest anime convention. The readers of Anime News Network designated ADV Films “Overall Favorite Anime Company” in both 2004 and 2005.
Parent company, A.D. Vision, Inc., encompasses a multitude of complementary media divisions, spanning publishing, television, licensing and merchandising and continues to expand into new areas. Its Anime Network™ “America's #1 Anime Channel” reaches more than 40 million households and is the nation's top video-on-demand (VOD) offering as well as a 24/7 linear cable channel. The company has two publishing arms: Newtype USA, the premier anime and manga monthly magazine, and ADV Manga™, dedicated to publishing graphic novels. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com.
ADV Acquires “Le Chevalier D'Eon” For North America, UK & Australia
Also North American Theatrical, Video & TV Rights to Shochiku's
“Ghost Train” and “Synesthesia”
Houston, TX – November 2, 2006 – ADV Films, the number one producer/distributor of Japanese animation outside of Japan, announced today that it has closed a deal with Shochiku, Japan's leading entertainment conglomerate, to acquire the hit animated TV series Le Chevalier D'Eon, as well as the acclaimed feature films Ghost Train and Synesthesia.
Under terms of the deal, ADV has acquired North American theatrical, video and TV rights to Ghost Train and Synesthesia as well as video, TV and VOD rights to Le Chevalier D'Eon for North America, UK, Australia and English speaking African territories. The North American release plans have not been announced yet, but these titles are planned to be released before summer 2007.
“ADV is honored to be partnering with Shochiku to bring their excellent shows to North America,” said John Ledford, President and CEO of ADV Films. “Le Chevalier is going to be a huge 2007 anime series for our market, and we look forward to licensing more Shochiku product as the new relationship burgeons.”
Masaki Koga, the head of Shochiku's International Business Division, commented, “We are very proud of the titles and hope that their success in the U.S. and other territories mirrors their success in Japan. ADV Films is one of the premier specialty distributors in North America and the ideal distributor for these properties. We hope to establish a long standing distribution partnership that begins with this initial deal.”
Shochiku's high profile gothic mystery series Le Chevalier D'Eon is directed by acclaimed director Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Get Backers, Rurouni Kenshin) from an original story by Tow Ubukata (Fafner), who is also credited as story supervisor.
The story is about D'Eon de Beaumont, a handsome intellect who actually lived in the 18th century. D'Eon was known as a diplomat who traveled around various countries under the French king's command. But his most peculiar trait was that he managed to pass himself off as a woman. The core of the story is based on the mysterious hero and the historical facts.
Truth has been erased in the darkness of history - A great epic that far exceeds imagination is finally revealed in all its intricate detail.
Shochiku's electrifying and forbidden live-action film, Ghost Train, based on the urban legend of the haunted train, has been an enormous success in Asia.
Ghost Train takes audiences to a nightmare dimension where evil lurks in everyday life. The heroine is an 18-year-old high school girl, Nana, looking after her younger sister Noriko, while their mother is at a hospital. Nana's world turns into a nightmare when Noriko suddenly disappears. The only clue she has left was the commuters pass that she had picked up on the train before disappearing, and the dark shadow that follows Noriko in the surveillance camera.
Synesthesia is a suspense thriller directed by Toru Matsuoka, starring Yōsuke Eguchi (Another Heaven), Masanobu Andō (Battle Royal, Monday) and Aoi Miyazaki (Eureka).
[synesthesia / synaesthesia] (sin'is-the'zhea) n. -- A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. When two lonely souls who possess the same puzzle of mind meet each other, it leads to events of unsolved mystery and serial murder.
About Shochiku
Founded in 1895, Shochiku functions as a highly-tuned vertically integrated entertainment entity, encompassing feature film and television production, theatrical distribution of Japanese & foreign motion pictures, worldwide sales, exhibition, DVD and home video distribution and the Kabuki Theater.
Shochiku operates one of the most successful motion picture divisions in Japan. The company has produced a number of critically and financially successful films, including the 2004 Academy Award™ nominee for best foreign language film “The Twilight Samurai,” directed by Yōji Yamada, the first Japanese Academy Award nomination for a live-action film in 22 years. (http://www.shochikufilms.com)
About ADV Films:
In the 14 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation (“anime”) outside of Japan and has the largest English-language anime library in the world. With best-selling titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic!, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. Always on the forefront, ADV is introducing North America to bold new anime franchises such as Gantz, Elfen Lied, Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker and D.N.Angel. ADV Films' library also includes popular live-action science fiction programs such as The Jim Henson Company's Farscape, the nationally syndicated Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and the Saturn Award-nominated Mutant X. In 2005 ADV Films was voted “Best Anime Company” in the SPJA awards, presented at Anime Expo, North America's largest anime convention. The readers of Anime News Network designated ADV Films “Overall Favorite Anime Company” in both 2004 and 2005.
Parent company, A.D. Vision, Inc., encompasses a multitude of complementary media divisions, spanning publishing, television, licensing and merchandising and continues to expand into new areas. Its Anime Network™ “America's #1 Anime Channel” reaches more than 40 million households and is the nation's top video-on-demand (VOD) offering as well as a 24/7 linear cable channel. The company has two publishing arms: Newtype USA, the premier anime and manga monthly magazine, and ADV Manga™, dedicated to publishing graphic novels. Headquartered in Houston, the company has offices in Europe and Japan. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com.
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