Third Window Films is a UK-based distributor of movies from East Asia founded in 2005. They have provided distribution for numerous award-winning films, such as ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

'' (Winner of Marcello Mastroianni Award, FIPRESCI Prize Signis Award and Special Director's Award at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

), '' Himizu'' (Winner of the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the

), ''

Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

'' (Best Actress winner at the Montreal World Film Festival), '' Kotoko'' (Winner of the Best Film Award in the Orrizonti of the

), ''

Memories of Matsuko is a 2006 Japanese musical film written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It is based on a Japanese novel by Muneki Yamada. It has not yet received North American distribution, though in its North American premiere at the 2007 New York Asian Fi ...

'' (Best Actress, Best Editing and Best Music at Japan Academy Award and more. Although receiving cult status in the UK for releasing such films as ''

Love Exposure is a 2008 Japanese comedy-drama film written and directed by Sion Sono. The film gained a considerable amount of notoriety in film festivals around the world for its four-hour runtime and themes including love, family, lust, religion and the cri ...

'', ''

Cold Fish is a 2010 Japanese film directed by Sion Sono. ''Cold Fish'' premiered at the 67th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2010, and received the best screenplay award in the Fantastic Features section at Fantastic Fest 2010. The film ...

'', '' Fish Story'', '' Tetsuo: The Iron Man'' and others, many of Third Window Films' titles are blockbusters that feature household names in their native countries. For instance, ''

Guns & Talks ''Guns & Talks'' is a 2001 South Korean film written and directed by Jang Jin. Starring Shin Hyun-joon, Won Bin, Shin Ha-kyun, Jung Jae-young and Jung Jin-young, the black comedy is about a group of four assassins-for-hire, with a dogged prose ...

'' features Korean idol

Won Bin Kim Do-jin (born on November 10, 1977), professionally known as Won Bin, is a South Korean actor. He first gained wide popularity in 2000 after starring in the KBS's television series '' Autumn in My Heart''. One of the most selective actors in ...

star of ''

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ...

'', '' For Love's Sake'' by

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

played Out of Competition at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

, ''

Vulgaria ''Vulgaria'' () is a 2012 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Pang Ho-cheung. The film won Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress at the 32nd Hong Kong Film Award. Plot Struggling movie producer To Wai-cheung is hardly able to make al ...

'' was the highest grossing Hong Kong film of 2012 and '' Confessions'' held the number one spot in Japan for a whole month despite strong competition from ''

Sex and the City 2 ''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City'', based on the 1998–2004 television series. Sarah Jessica Parker, ...

'' and ''

Iron Man 2 ''Iron Man 2'' is a 2010 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the sequel to '' Iron Man'' (2008) and the third film in the Marvel ...

'' and was Japan's official nomination for the 2010 Academy Awards. In 2011, Third Window Films opened a branch office in Japan, Third Window Films Japan, to handle international co-productions. Their first co-production, '' The Land of Hope'' directed by

Sion Sono Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

, won the NETPAC Award at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

in 2012. In 2013, they created the first international large-scale co-production for a Japanese comedy, with Yosuke Fujita's ''Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats''. The project brought in Tucker Film in Italy, Joint Entertainment in Taiwan, Rapid Eye Movies in Germany and partnered them with Japan's TV Man Union and Phantom Films. Third Window Films setup distribution deals as well for all 5 countries. In 2015, they fully produced the Japanese independent film ''Lowlife Love'' (''Gesu no Ai'') directed by Uchida Eiji. The film is a 100% production of Third Window Films and stars many well-known Japanese actors such as

Denden is a Japanese actor and former comedian.http://japancinema.net/2012/05/29/creative-spotlight-episode-126-denden He has appeared in more than 100 films since 1981. Selected filmography Film Television References External links * { ...

Shugo Oshinari is a Japanese actor. Career Oshinari co-starred in Shunji Iwai's ''All About Lily Chou-Chou'' with Hayato Ichihara. He also appeared in films such as Kenta Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale II: Requiem'' and Takahisa Zeze's ''Heaven's Story''. Filmo ...

Kiyohiko Shibukawa is a Japanese fashion model actor. He debuted as a model under the name Kee, but changed his name to "Kiyohiko Shibukawa" in 2006. He has appeared in more than 60 films since 1998. Selected filmography Film Television Awards See also *Nan ...

Kanji Tsuda is a Japanese actor. Career Tsuda appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's '' Tokyo Sonata''. He co-starred in Sion Sono's ''Guilty of Romance'' with Megumi Kagurazaka. Filmography Film * '' Sonatine'' (1993) * ''119'' (1994) * '' Kids Return'' (1996) ...

Yoshihiko Hosoda is a Japanese actor from Tokyo who has starred the movies ''Detroit Metal City'' (2008) and ''Ooku'' (2010). He was once affiliated to the talent agency Stardust Promotion under his stage name Yoshihiko Hosoda (though his first name is written in ...

and

Houka Kinoshita is a Japanese actor who was formerly represented by the talent agency, Cast Power. He graduated from Osaka Prefectural Nozaki High School and Osaka University of Arts. Biography In 1980, Kinoshita auditioned for the film, ''Gaki Teikoku'', whi ...

. It is scheduled for release in Japan and internationally in 2016.

References

{{reflist * "One of the world's finest DVD distribution labels" - Twitch Film http://twitchfilm.com/2012/12/third-window-films-gives-twitch-an-exclusive-peek-into-an-awesome-2013-tsukamoto-miike-kurosawa-more.html * "Third Window unveils Japan, UK, Italy, Taiwan, Germany co-pro" - Screen International http://www.screendaily.com/news/third-window-unveils-japan-uk-italy-taiwan-germany-co-pro/5062731.article * "Window, Joint partner on second Japanese film" - Film Business Asia http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/window-joint-partner-on-second-japanese-film * "Label Conscious: Japanese Cinema through the Third Window" - VCinema http://www.vcinemashow.com/label-conscious-japanese-cinema-through-the-third-window/ * "Cult Connotations: The reception of Japanese films on DVD in the UK through NEO Magazine" - https://www.academia.edu/1840570/Cult_Connotations_The_reception_of_Japanese_films_on_DVD_in_the_UK_through_NEO_Magazine * "New Sion Sono disaster drama Land Of Hope gets backing from UK's Third Window Films" - http://www.screendaily.com/news/production/new-sion-sono-disaster-drama-land-of-hope-gets-backing-from-uks-third-window-films/5036693.article * "DVD Distribution and Marketing of Japanese Films in the UK: Researching Japanese Film Industries" - https://www.academia.edu/1919816/DVD_Distribution_and_Marketing_of_Japanese_Films_in_the_UK_Researching_Japanese_Film_Industries * "Quirky Guys and Gals: Japanese Cinema through the Third Window" - https://www.academia.edu/3463946/Quirky_Guys_and_Gals_Japanese_Cinema_through_the_Third_Window_Asian_Cinema_Studies_Society_Conference_Hong_Kong_University_2012_ Film distributors of the United Kingdom