News
X Japan's 'We Are X' Documentary's Trailer Reveals Fall Release
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The official YouTube account for YOSHIKI, the leader of rock band X Japan, began streaming a trailer on Friday for the band's We Are X documentary film. The trailer reveals the film's fall release.
The film screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas on Friday, and will also screen on March 16 and 18. YOSHIKI will perform at the event after the March 18 screening. The film is a finalist in the festival's "Excellence in Title Design" category.
Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Stones In Exile) directed the film, and John Battsek (Searching For Sugarman, The Imposter) served as the producer. Mako Kamitsuna (The World Made Straight, Blackhat) and John Maringouin (Big River Man, Running Stumbled) edited the documentary.
The documentary chronicles the band's 35-year career, and it premiered on January 23 at the Sundance Film Festival in the festival's World Cinema Documentary Competition. The film won Sundance Film Festival Awards' Special Jury Award for Best Editing.
The band announced last month that it is on a temporary hiatus after guitarist Pata was hospitalized in January. X Japan announced in a press release on Friday that its sixth as-yet untitled album, which was originally slated to ship this month, will now arrive in late 2016. The album will be the band's first album release in 20 years.
X Japan toured North America in 2010. They signed a three-year contract with EMI Music North America in 2011, and released their first North American single "Jade" that same year. The band's single "Scarlet Love Song" was used as the theme song for the anime film Buddha: The Great Departure. The band's music was also used as the ending theme for the X anime film and X - X2 double X original video anime.
YOSHIKI and Toshi formed X Japan in 1982 as X. Over the next 13 years, X Japan released five studio albums, six live albums, 10 best hit albums, and 20 DVD releases. The band disbanded in 1997 but reunited in 2007. Original lead guitarist Hide and bassist Taiji Sawada passed away in 1998 and 2011, respectively. The band has sold more than 30 million albums (with singles and videos combined), and has sold out Japan's 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history