Miike's "Yatterman" to close this year's Udine Far East Film Festival

by Chris MaGee

I may have to eat crow about Takashi Miike's "Yatterman". The promo images and multiple trailers for the live-action adaptation of the 70s anime series left me very underwhelmed, in fact they brought to mind The Wachowski Brother's cinematic car crash "Speed racer", but lo and behold "Yatterman" has been in the top five at the Japanese box office since it opened on March 7th and it shows no sign of slowing down. I say I may have to eat crow, though, because I've yet to see the film for myself... a problem that attendees of this year's Udine Far East Film Festival won't have.

The word from Sabrina Baracetti, festival director for Udine, is that Miike's "Yatterman" will close the 11th offering of the Northern Italian film fest on Saturday May 2nd. With all the success the film has enjoyed thus far it seems like a solid choice for a closing film, even to doubters like myself. I mean how can you argue with over ¥6.9 billion? You can't.

Check out more details on "Yatterman" screening at the 11th Annual Udine Far East Film Festival which runs from April 24th to May 2nd here.