Major enters film distribution with Taiwanese marching band film

Major, a long-established Japanese movie ticket pre-sale company, has begun film distribution and promotion for the first time with the Taiwanese youth film 'Marching Boys', co-distributed with Access-A, according to cinematoday.jp.

The film is set in a Taiwanese high school marching band club. A Major staff member who loves Taiwanese films saw it at a cinema in Taiwan while on vacation and reported it to president Akio Nishimaki after returning home.

Access-A handled the rights acquisition through a route different from usual film market negotiations. Freelance publicists knowledgeable about the industry are supporting Major's promotional activities, and the release is structured to support independent mini-theaters, with the number of screening venues increased to more than 20.

Major also began sales activities toward schools nationwide that have brass band or marching band clubs, using letters rather than email. A teacher at a strong marching band school contacted Major after seeing the letter and requested a preview screening.

The film's final seven-minute marching performance features actors actually playing instruments after intensive training. 'Marching Boys' opens nationwide in Japan from October 23.

Background

Major has a history of roughly half a century and ended its film promotion business in 2004, having formerly handled promotion for Studio Ghibli works, Pixar films and major Hollywood titles. In 2016, Access-A distributed the Taiwanese film 'If Only I Could See You Again' (Japanese title), which Nishimaki and his staff admired; the relationship with Access-A has continued for about 10 years since.