Japantown San Francisco: superaction

JAPANTOWN, SAN FRANCISCO: The Gateway to Japanese Culture, Cuisine, and Shopping

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUPER ACTION MYSTERY FILM

K-20: THE FIEND WITH TWENTY FACES PREMIERES AT

VIZ CINEMA IN OCTOBER

Director Shimako Sato Combines A Top Cast With Stunning Visual Effects To Depict A Story Of A Ninja-Like Thief Who Lives In A Very Different Version Of Feudal Japan Where World War II Never Happened

San Francisco, CA, September 21, 2009 – NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment destination bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, kicks off October’s movie theme, “You Are My Hero,” with a special premiere of K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces at the VIZ Cinema on October 2^nd. The action film is presented in Japanese with English subtitles and will run through October 15^th. Details and show times are available at www.vizcinema.com.

VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime and is located inside NEW PEOPLE, in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown. The spacious 143-seat subterranean theatre features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX^®-certified sound system

Director Shimako Sato combined a strong cast and cutting edge special effects to bring K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces to life. The film is set in the fictional city of Teito in the late 1940s, in world where World War II never happened and the nobility system established in the 1800 during the Meiji Era still exists. An extreme divide exists between the upper and lower classes, with 90 percent of the country’s wealth controlled by the upper class. The capital of Teito is in crisis with the emergence of a menacing phantom thief known as "The Fiend (Kaijin) with Twenty Faces" or simply "K-20." The film is based on The Story of Nijyumenso, a novel written by Soh Kitamura, and features the mesmerizing rock song, Shock of the Lightning, by the British band OASIS.

Heikichi Endo (played by Japanese leading man Takeshi Kaneshiro) is a circus acrobat who is deceived by K-20 and framed to take the fall for the phantom thief. Using his incredible physical dexterity, Heikichi wages war against K-20 in order to clear his name and fights alongside K-20's next wealthy target, Duchess Yoko Hashiba (Takako Matsu) and her fiancée, the brilliant detective Kogoro Akechi (Toru Nakamura).

Lead actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is internationally renowned and made his screen debut in the film Executioners (1993) followed by the critically acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai film Chungking Express (1994). More recently he starred in films including House of Flying Daggers (2004) and The Battle of Red Cliff (2008). VIZ Pictures has licensed K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces for domestic release and will debut the DVD in 2010.

NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21^st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at: www.NewPeopleWorld.com.