PRESENTS
NIPPON EIGA SERIES PART 23

US PREMIERE OF

MY DARLING IS A FOREIGNER

Director: Kazuaki Ue
Casts: Mao Inoue, Jonathan Sherr

Japan | 2010 | 100 min. | 35mm film | Japanese with English Subtitles

Date: Thursday, June 10
(1) Doors 3:30PM, Film 4:00PM
(2) Doors 6:15PM, Film 7:00PM
Venue: Big Cinemas Manhattan (Former ImaginAsian)
239 E 59th St, NYC
Entry: www.newyork-tokyo.com/wp/darling
Entries by Monday, June 7
Not on first come first served basis. We’ll send confirmation on June 8.

COPA NYC has partnered with The Second Annual Kicking & Screening Film Festival to bring some interesting soccer films! Kicking & Screening’s 2nd edition boasts five feature films and six shorts from all over the globe, featuring 3 U.S. premieres. The festival will also be complemented by nightly panel discussions based on the film topics. Special guests will include Simon Kuper (Soccernomics) and Ethan Zohn (Survivor, Grassroot Soccer), among others. More info here.

Our good friends Digital Media Wire in association with Variety and Nordic Game are hosting a pre-E3 transmedia event, The International Game and Film Lounge. The event will be held on June 14th (Mon) in LA and  brings together an eclectic mix of leading companies, talents and celebrities from films and games from the United States, Europe and Asia. Speakers include Kyu Lee (Gamevil), Ned Sherman (DMW), Sten Selander (Nordic Game), etc. We are giving 15% off registration to our readers. Resister using promo code “NYTO” here!

New York – Tokyo is pleased to announce the U.S. theatrical premiere of BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO, which opens Wednesday, May 12 at Film Forum. What is it about the Japanese and bugs? Inside a Tokyo pet shop, a little boy delights in selecting his new pet, a rainbow beetle (cost: $57). Japanese aesthetics – whether textiles, architecture, gardening, graphics, brush painting or haiku – all reflect a highly refined appreciation for both the diminutive and the transient. BEETLE QUEEN explores the world of Japanese insect-lovers, from the sublime (families who visit the countryside to hear choruses of crickets or experience the yellow-green flashes of light emitted by thousands of fireflies) to the ridiculous (cartoon beetles that infest the zeitgeist). With unabashed humor and tremendous originality, first-time filmmaker Jessica Oreck – a lifelong insect lover and animal keeper at the American Museum of Natural History – looks at the religious, literary, and philosophical underpinnings of a nation’s entomological obsession. Warning: You may look more kindly upon your roaches after viewing.

Filmmaker Jessica Oreck will be appearing at the theater with live exotic insects on Wednesday, 5/12 and Friday, 5/14 at the 6:30 and 8:20 shows. She will also be at Film Forum with Hugh Raffles, author of “Insectopedia” on Sunday, 5/16 at the 4:40 show.

For those interested in checking out the fascinating world of Japanese insects, we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets! Enter for your chance after the jump!

© 2010 Starz Media, LLC

We have received a great Blu-ray Disc collection – animated feature films “Ghost in the Shell 2.0″, “Blood: The Last Vampire”,  and “Dante’s Inferno” from Starz Media. We’d like to share these ultimate high definition experiences with our readers. “Ghost in the Shell 2.0″ is especially a must for all those who are inspired by Mamoru Oshii’s legendary “Ghost in the Shell”. Enter after the jump!

On April 17th (Sat) and 18th (Sun), several rooms at the American Museum of Natural History were jam-packed with anime!

One of the biggest theater attractions was the US premiere screening of “YONA YONA PENGUIN”. The premiere screening was followed by a Q&A video conference session connecting NY and Tokyo. The audience had a rare opportunity to talk with director Rintato on a big screen.