Third Windows Films To Release Japanese Academy Nominated VICTIM in UK

When it comes to Japanese Cinema in UK & Ireland Third Windows Films can spot a fantastic movie a mile away (they do spot great movies from other parts of Asia too!) and fans, critics usually sit up and take notice.After the 5 star Confessions  the anticipation of another release to me is up there on par with a Studio Ghibli release and on August 19th the latest movie to join the Third Windows family of movies will be released cinematically before it heads to DVD/Blu-Ray.

VILLIAN(Akunin)is Lee Sang-il’s adaptation of Shuichi Yoshida’s award-winning novel Villain was one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2010. A critical hit at festivals both at home and abroad, Villain swept the board at the Japan Academy Awards, receiving fifteen nominations in thirteen categories. The movie stars Eri Fukatsu (The Magic Hour, Bayside Shakedown)Satoshi Tsumabuki (Tokyo!, Villon’s Wife, Pandemic)Hikari Mitsushima (Love Exposure, Death Note, Sawako Decides)and Masaki Okada (Confessions).

Please read the movies official press release then check out the movies trailer too!

Villain

(CERT 15)

A film by Lee Sang-il (Hula Girls)

NOMINATED for 15 Japanese Academy Awards

 WINNER of 5 Japanese Academy Awards including:

 Best Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor and Music Score

WINNER ‘Best Actress – Eri Fukatsu’ – Montreal Film Festival

WINNER ‘Best Actor – Satoshi Tsumabuki’ – 53rd Blue Ribbon Awards

WINNER ‘Best Japanese Film of 2010’ – Kinema Junpo

With over twenty companies bidding for the film adaptation rights, and many of Japan’s top directors vying for the project, Lee Sang-il’s adaptation of Shuichi Yoshida’s award-winning novel Villain was one of the most hotly anticipated films of 2010. A critical hit at festivals both at home and abroad, Villain swept the board at the Japan Academy Awards, receiving fifteen nominations in thirteen categories, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Score, and winning awards in all four acting categories. Villain was also selected by the famous Kinema Junpo critics’ organization as best Japanese film of the year.

Directed by Lee Sang-il, whose inspirational and hugely popular Hula Girls (2006) won Best Picture at the Japanese Academy Awards, Villain boasts a stellar cast headed by Tsumabuki Satoshi (“The Magic Hour”) and Fukatsu Eri (who won the Best Actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival for her stunning performance), with support from Mitsushima Hikari, (“Love Exposure”), Kiki Kirin (“Still Walking”), Emoto Akira (“April Bride”), and Okada Masaki (“Confessions”). The music is composed by world-renowned Joe Hisaishi, who has scored many films by Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano. Villain will open in cinemas in the UK on August 19th through Third Window Films.

Yuichi (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a construction worker who has lived his entire life in a dreary fishing village. With no girlfriend or friends, he spends his days working and looking after his grandparents, with no enjoyment in life other than his car. Meanwhile, Mitsuyo (Eri Fukatsu) also lives a monotonous life pacing between the men’s clothing store where she works and the apartment where she lives with her sister. When the two lonely souls meet using an online dating site, they immediately fall in love with each other. But there’s a secret Yuichi had been keeping from Mitsuyo: Yuichi is the one suspected of killing the woman whose body was found at Mitsue Pass only a few days before...

As Yuichi and his new lover try to elude the police, the events that led up to the murder and its aftermath are revealed. We learn the stories of the victim, the murderer, and their families - stories of loneliness, love hotels, violence and desperation, exposing the inner lives of men and woman who are not everything they appear to be.

A heart rendering story with electrifying performances from the two leads, Villain works both as a powerful character study and as a gripping thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout.

Certificate: 15; Running time: 140 mins; In Japanese with English subtitles; Colour/35mm and Digital