By Liza Foreman GRAND PLANS FOR OKINAWA: AMERICAN BASES TO BECOMEPOSSIBLE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY VILLAGES?   OKINAWA They say that laughter is the best medicine and thepeople of Okinawa should know. The southern outpost of Japan is famous for the longevityof its inhabitants, many of whom flocked to the 4th OkinawaInternational Movie Festival (March 24 – March 31, 2012), where the core themeswere laughter and peace. The peace section is for good reason. Here o...

  By Liza Foreman   OKINAWA,  JAPAN They say that laughter is the best medicine and the residents of Okinawa should know. On Friday,the inhabitants of this tropical prefecture in the south of Japan, which has been dubbed the longevity island thanks to having the highest known number ofcentenarians worldwide, welcomed around 50 of the country’s leading comedians to launch the 4th edition of the Okinawa International Movie Festival (March 24 - 31: 2012), whi...

7 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 512: june 8, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly    Contact the Editor to Advertise with us  This weekly newsletter reaches 111 000 film professionals. ...

7 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 511: May 31, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly  Contact the Editor to Advertise with us  This weekly newsletter reaches 90 952 film professionals. S...

Hitoshi Matsumoto on the set of Scabbard Samurai Hitoshi Matsumoto on the set of Scabbard Samurai The film, starring newcomer Takaaki Nomi and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill: Vol. 1), is produced by Yoshimoto Kogyo, Kyoraku Sangyo and Phantom Film, and goes on theatrical release in Japan next June 11. Highlighting the occasion of the premiere, Festival del film Locarno will pay tribute to Hitoshi Matsumoto with screenings of the director’s two other features to date, Big Man Jap...