Regent Releasing picks up the North American rights to "Okuribito"

by Chris MaGee

I've been fielding emails for awhile now asking when Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito" would be available in North America, but of course I was at a loss. It was still running in Japanese theatres at the time; but now Variety Asia Online has got good news for all of you impatient Japanese film fans. Regent Releasing has picked up the North American distribution rights to Takita's award-winning film about an unemployed cellist who returns to his hometown to take a job at a funeral home.

If you recall Regent also picked up the North American rights to another critically-praised Japanese film in September, namely Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata".

Regent has yet to announce any releases dates for a domestic Region 1 DVD or limited theatrical release for either film, but we'll keep our ear to the ground for you.