LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NHK WORLD-JAPAN, the English-language international service of Japan’s sole public broadcaster, NHK, today announced it will host a special screening of A Stranger in Shanghai, a new film that depicts Shanghai as a city in the midst of major turmoil during the Chinese revolution of nearly 100 years ago. The world premiere screening – part of the Japan Cuts Hollywood Film Festival – will take place on Saturday, November 2, at 5:00pm PDT at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. A question-and-answer session with the film’s Director Taku Kato and Executive Producer Natsuko Katsuta will follow the screening, which is open to the public. This drama was produced in 8K and will be broadcast in 4K and 8K in Japan.
A Stranger in Shanghai will then broadcast internationally as a two-part drama on NHK WORLD-JAPAN (including the Los Angeles market) on Friday, December 27 (Part 1) and Saturday, December 28 (Part 2), both at 3:10pm and 9:10pm PST, with two additional airings on each date (see local television listings for additional air times). NHK WORLD-JAPAN is presented in the Los Angeles market through a partnership with public broadcaster KCET.
Kato, an award-winning and longtime NHK director/producer, directed A Stranger in Shanghai, which recounts the true story of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, a highly regarded Japanese writer and intellectual who travelled to Shanghai as a newspaper correspondent. While there he witnessed the suffering of its citizens, who were under foreign concessions of western European countries and Japan. As he covered the revolution in Shanghai, Akutagawa forged relationships with the working men, and women in the brothels, living in Shanghai.
"I am honored to help bring this very personal and intimate view of Shanghai in the 1920s, as viewed through the eyes of one of Japan’s most beloved and respected writers, to NHK WORLD-JAPAN,” said Kato. “Nowadays, not a day passes without China making news. It can be said that one hundred years ago was the beginning of modern China. Shanghai, one of the most captivating, cosmopolitan cities of the time, was in the midst of major turmoil. How did the magic city of Shanghai look through Akutagawa’s eyes? I hope you will enjoy his journey filmed in beautiful high definition.”
The cast of A Stranger in Shanghai includes Ryuhei Matsuda in the role of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Takashi Okabe as Shiro Murata, and Kim Scar as Li Renjie. Matsuda is the son of Yusaku Matsuda, who starred in Ridley Scott’s “Black Rain” (1989).
Akutagawa, a prolific writer whose name has become synonymous with Japanese literature, is known for his masterpiece Rashomon, which was later made into a classic film by one of Japan’s most important and influential film directors, Akira Kurosawa. A Stranger in Shanghai, which is largely based on Akutagawa’s Shanghai Yuki (a report on the journey of Shanghai), delicately weaves the realities of China during that period with the writer’s literary universe.
Carried throughout the U.S. since 2009, the growth of NHK WORLD-JAPAN has been particularly strong in major U.S. markets. In addition to Los Angeles, the 24/7 broadcast station reaches viewers through affiliates in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Orlando, Charlotte, Baltimore and Salt Lake City.
About NHK WORLD-JAPAN: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan’s sole public broadcaster, operating the nation’s largest domestic and international television network. In Japan, NHK broadcasts six TV channels including 4K and 8K along with three radio stations. NHK also transmits two international television channels, NHK WORLD-JAPAN (English, HD, 24/7) and NHK WORLD PREMIUM (Japanese, HD, 24/7), as well as international radio services in eighteen languages. NHK WORLD-JAPAN reaches over 380 million households in 160 countries and regions via local satellite and cable TV providers. Online live streaming and VOD (video-on-demand) services through the free mobile app and the website, give viewers access to NHK WORLD-JAPAN anywhere and anytime. You can also connect through Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Presenting an extensive range of Asia-centered programming, NHK WORLD-JAPAN is your window to Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. For more details, visit nhk.jp/world.
About Japan International Broadcasting, Inc.: Japan International Broadcasting Inc. (JIB), a subsidiary of NHK, is responsible for the worldwide distribution of the HD English language news/lifestyle channel “NHK WORLD-JAPAN,” as well as the HD Japanese language channel “NHK WORLD PREMIUM.” Currently, the two channels are broadcast around the world on three international plus domestic satellites in their respective markets and reach households, hotels and others via DTH, cable, IPTV, and terrestrial broadcast.