Eleven Arts Announce 'Millennium Actress' Cinema Screenings, 'Penguin Highway' Home Release

The late, great Satoshi Kon completed only four films before his untimely death- and in recent years those films have been surprisingly hard to get hold of. This has been particularly true in the case of his second feature, 2001's Millennium Actress, which was released originally in the US as part of DreamWorks's short-lived Go Fish label, and now long out-of-print.

Enter Eleven Arts Anime Studio, who announced via Twitter that they have acquired the rights to the film and will be bringing it to US cinemas this August in association with Fathom Events. The film is screening in a brand new restoration and will screen on August 13 subtitled and August 19 with a brand new dub. This will actually be the second dub produced for the film, with the earlier commissioned by Manga Entertainment for the original UK  DVD release of the film. Tickets are not yet on sale, but you can register for updates here.

When the legendary Ginei Studios shuts down, filmmaker Genya Tachibana and his assistant are tasked with interviewing its reclusive star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who had retired from the spotlight 30 years prior. As she recounts her career, Genya and his crew are literally pulled into her memories where they witness her chance encounter with a mysterious man on the run from the police. Despite never knowing his name or his face, Chiyoko relentlessly pursues that man in a seamless blend of reality and memory that only Satoshi Kon could deliver. Boasting countless awards, including the Grand Prize in the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival, which it shared with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS is a must-see for anime fans of all ages.

In other news, Eleven Arts have also announced that Penguin Highway will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 6 by Shout Factory.  The release includes interviews with the director and original author and is available to preorder now.

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