The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco�(JFFSF), the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, has�announced an exciting schedule of screenings and special guest appearances taking place�during the weekend of the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT.

Opening in conjunction with the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT on Saturday, August 8th and running�thru Sunday, August 16th, the 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco will take place at�the NEW PEOPLE Cinema, located inside the NEW PEOPLE entertainment complex in�Japantown at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115 (www.newpeoplecinema.com).�

Tickets�to individual screenings are $13.00 each, unless otherwise noted. Film summaries, trailers,�screening times and advance tickets are available at: www.JFFSF.org.

The 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco proudly presents more than 25 celebrated films,�many premiering in the U.S. for the first time, showcasing a wide range of Japanese cinema,�including live-action, anime, short film, and documentary titles across a range of genres such as�action, science fiction, historical drama, crime drama, coming-of-age, and romantic mystery.�

Special guests for the 2015 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco will include acclaimed�

Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano, who is widely known for roles in movies such as Ichi the�Killer, Zatoichi, Thor, 46 Ronin, and Battleship, as well as one of Japan's top anime directors,�Koji Morimoto, who is a founder of renowned Studio 4? and known for works such as�Animatrix and Genius Party Beyond.

A special Opening Night Event on Friday August 7th at The Castro Theatre kicks off the 2015�J-POP SUMMIT and Japan Film Festival of S.F. with a special 35mm presentation of director�Sogo Ishii's Electric Dragon 80000V, a rollicking comic-book style action film that stars top�Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano.

The evening will be highlighted by a personal appearance by actor Tadanobu Asano, who�

will introduce the film and participate in an audience Q&A, as well as a live DJ set collaboration�by one of Japan's legendary techno DJ and producer, Ken Ishii, along with Japan's top anime�director Koji Morimoto. Advance tickets to the 2015 J-POP SUMMIT/JFFSF Opening Night�Event at the Castro Theatre are available now for $25.00 each from�http://jpop2015.brownpapertickets.com.

JFFSF Opening Night at Castro Theatre

ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V�

Friday, August 7th, 8:00pm

Dragon Eye Morrison (played by Tadanobu Asano) is a reptile investigator who suffers from an�intermittent explosive disorder caused by brain damage he sustained in a childhood accident.�He manages to find a way to survive and control his urges to destroy with his love of reptiles�and an electric guitar. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Buddha (played by Masatoshi Nagase), an�electric repairman turned vigilante who has acquired powerful electro-conductive powers after�sustaining a childhood accident, goes after crime bosses and gangsters that take advantage of�electric signals. Holding an obsessive hatred towards Morrison, Thunderbolt Buddha challenges�him to a final showdown on the rooftops of Tokyo.

JFFSF Screenings During 2015 J-POP SUMMIT Festival:

KAKEKOMI

Saturday, August 8th, 12:00pm

Divorce in the Samurai Age? - During the Edo period, women seeking divorce or fleeing abusive�husbands ran to the Tokei-ji Temple in Kamakura. Nobujiro, a young doctor and author, and his�aunt Genbei, mistress of the official inn of the temple, try to help the various suffering�"kakekomi" women. Based on the novel by Hisashi Inoue, Kakekomi delivers extraordinary story�of recovering women's rights with a witty script.

THE VANCOUVER ASAHI

Saturday, August 8th, 3:00pm

Based on a true story, the film is set in the 1930s in Vancouver, where there was a baseball�team called the Asahi formed by Canadian-born kids of Japanese immigrants growing up in a�small Japantown. Struggling with racism and prejudice headed into the time of World War, the�Asahi members join forces to make a difference through their passion for baseball.

MY MAN

Saturday, August 8th, 6:00pm � Special Guest Appearance by Tadanobu Asano

When loneliness leads to forbidden love, how far will you go? After losing everything in a�

tsunami disaster, 10-year-old Hana is taken in by a young distant relative Jungo. The pair�

begins living together as family while sharing the profound sense of loss. Amidst the deep�

snows of Hokkaido, both desire to fill their empty, love-starved hearts and they set foot into a�forbidden world. When an elder benefactor in their small town Mr. Oshio learns of Jungo and�Hana's illicit relationship, tragedy begins to take over. Don't miss the special personal�

appearance by actor Tadanobu Asano who will introduce this film!

SPACE BROTHERS #0

Sunday, August 9th, 12:00pm

Space Brothers #0 functions as a great introduction to the TV anime series, Space Brothers�(Sentai Filmworks), based on the popular manga by Chuya Koyama. The film harkens back to�the origin of the Namba brothers' dream of traveling to outer space, which was inspired by the�world-renowned astronaut brothers Brian and Eddie Jay, another "Space Brothers" duo that�dreamed of setting foot on the moon well before Namba brothers, Mutta & Hibito.

THE WORLD OF KOJI MORIMOTO

Sunday, August 9th, 1:50pm � Special Guest appearance by Director Koji Morimoto

A collection of three short films by one of Japan's top anime director Koji Morimoto, widely�

known as a founder of renowned Studio 4? and his works such as Animatrix and Genius Party�Beyond. The famed director will appear in person to introduce the films as well as participate in�an audience Q&A.

Magnetic Rose (45min): Magnetic Rose is the first of three episodes of MEMORIES,based on the manga by Katsuhiro Otomo (the creator of Akira). The film follows the�members of the deep space salvage vessel Corona. While performing a salvage�mission, the crew encounters an odd distress signal emanating from the Sargasso�region, ominously nicknamed "The graveyard of space." Soundtrack composed by Yoko�Kanno.

Noiseman Sound Insect (15min): In the space of music, people used to live in the�

music fruit in the trees. One day, Dr. Frankein secretly succeeds in creating the�

creature 'Noiseman' by feeding the music fruit as fuel. Since then, the space was�

dominated by noise, not music. When a pair of kids Tobio and Reina find out this�secret, they challenge Noiseman to bring the music back home again. The film's�soundtrack was written by Japanese composer, arranger, and musician Yoko Kanno.

Genius Party Beyond: Dimension Bomb (20min): Dimension Bomb is one of the five�short animated omnibus "Genius Party Beyond," produced by Studio 4?, which director�Koji Morimoto founded in 1986. One day, a boy named Shin who wears a pupa-like�mask encounters a girl named Koo. The days spent with Koo, who is a free spirit unlike�any other, start to fill up his life with cherished and unforgettable moments. Noted�musical composer and arranger, Yoko Kanno, provides the voiceover of Koo.