July 07, 2009

Canadian lovers of the Japanese cinema provocateur Sion Sono will finally have the chance to see his New York adventure HAZARD on DVD. Written and directed by Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB, NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE, STRANGE CIRCUS, EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS, LOVE EXPOSURE), the film debuted Joe Odagiri (ADRIFT IN TOKYO, RETRIBUTION, SHINOBI), now a Japanese star actor, as well as Jai West (LOVE EXPOSURE, BIG BANG LOVE, JUVENILE A) and Motoki Fukami (CROWS: EPISODE 0).

Shin is a Japanese university student longing to escape his meaningless existence. One day he discovers a book titled "Dangerous Ways to Walk the World" which talks about the hazards of New York City. Shin immediately jets off in search of danger and adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the harsh realities of the city. After being mugged for eveything he's got, Shin is befriended by Lee and Takeda, two Japanese-American punks who school him in the ways of crime. It's not long before Shin joins them and starts taking on all comers; robbing, stealing, and celebrating his new found freedom in New York City.

An anarchic adventure taking place in the pre-Giuliani New-York of 1991, HAZARD was filmed on location with a small budget, often with guerilla-style camerawork. Although filmed in 2002, it was only released domestivally in Japan in 2005 and was programmed in a few festivals, such as the New York Asian Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival, in 2007.

The DVD features Japanese and English dialogue with optional English and French subtitles. A Making-of (in Japanese only) and an Exclusive Video Interview with Sion Sono, produced by Evokative Films, are included as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with an interview with the Director and a foreword by Chris MaGee, founder of the Toronto J-Film Pow-wow blog, specialised in Japanese films. In accordance with the innovative vocation of Evokative, the DVD packaging is an environmentally-friendly and elegant digipack made of 100% recycled materials and wrapped in a 100% biodegradable cellophane.

It is to be noted that Sion Sono’s latest opus, the 4-hours-long LOVE EXPOSURE, will have its Canadian Premiere on July 11th and 12th at the Fantasia International Film Festival. This film was celebrated at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, where Sono was awarded the Caligari Film Award and the Fipresci Prize. This week the film also won the Grand Jury Prize at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Posted in DVD Releases