Psychological Thriller from the Director of KAMIKAZE GIRLS and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO Opens February 18th Source: Third Window Films, The Associates press release Official Movie Site: kokuhaku-shimasu.jp (Japan), thirdwindowfilms.com/confessions (UK) Special Thanks to Adam Torel

Following the critical acclaim of his previous features, KAMIKAZE GIRLS (Shimotsuma Monogatari, 2004) and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO (Kiraware Matsuko no Issho, 2006), genre-busting auteur Tetsuya Nakashima returns with CONFESSIONS (??, Kokuhaku, 2010), a notably darker but equally absorbing and typically idiosyncratic work, this time adapted from the award winning debut novel by Kanae Minato. Written and directed by Nakashima, CONFESSIONS has been selected as Japan’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film category of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (the final list of nominees will announced on 25th January 2011) and received great acclaim following its UK premier screening at the Film4 Frightfest All-Nighter in October, 2010 at London’s Empire Cinema. In December, CONFESSIONS received nominations in 11 categories of the Japanese Academy Awards, including those for Picture of the Year, Director of the Year (Tetsuya Nakashima) and Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Takako Matsu). The winners will be announced on 18th February 2011, coincidentally the same day the film opens at UK cinemas. Reigning in his impulse to create surreal candy-coloured worlds full of chaos and confusion, with CONFESSIONS Nakashima opts instead for an intense drama throbbing with dark emotions and powered by a savage central performance. Takako Matsu (K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK) stars as Yuko Moriguchi, a middle-school teacher whose four-year-old daughter is found dead. Shattered, she finally returns to her classroom only to become convinced that two of her students were responsible for her daughter`s murder. No one believes her, and she may very well be wrong, but she decides, nevertheless, that it`s time to take her revenge. What happens next is all-out psychological warfare waged against her students in an attempt to force them into confessing what she knows in her heart to be true: they are guilty and must be punished.

Brilliantly building the psychological tension from the film’s very start before pulling out all the stops for a devastating and explosive finale, Nakashima has produced what is arguably his most mature and impressive work to date. A superb script, excellent performances from a fine cast and a perfectly pitched soundtrack (that includes tracks by Radiohead, acclaimed Japanese experimental rock band, Boris, and this year’s Mercury Prize winners, The XX) make CONFESSIONS one of the most original and impressive films of the year. CONFESSIONS (cert. tbc) is released by Third Window Films and will open at selected UK cinemas on 18th February 2011. In London full-runs are confirmed at the ICA, Ritzy Picturehouse and Genesis Cinema (with more to be confirmed soon), plus one-off screenings at places such as the Tricycle Theatre and more. Regional cinema confirmations are also coming in soon, so keep on checking the Third Window website for up to date information. CONFESSIONS will also play with COLD FISH (Tsumetai Nettaigyo, 2010) and CONFESSIONS OF A DOG (Pochi no Kokuhaku, 2006) at the Glasgow Film Festival which takes place from Feb 17th-27th. CONFESSIONS OF A DOG will play with director Gen Takahashi in attendance. The UK DVD (Region 2, PAL) and Blu-ray (Region B) release of CONFESSIONS is tentatively set for April 11th, though this is subject to change. Label: Third Window Films Release date: 18th February 2011 Release type: Theatrical Certificate: tbc Running time: 106 Minutes Genre: Thriller, Drama Director: Tetsuya Nakashima Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima, Kanae Minato Cast: Takako Matsu, Masaki Okada, Yoshino Kimura Producer: Genki Kawamura Co-Producer: Yuji Ishida, Yutaka Suzuki, Yoshihiro Kubota Executive Producer: Minami Ichikawa, Yasuhiro Tsukada Co-Executive Producer: Yoshishige Shimatani, Koji Hyakutake, Shinichi Yoshida, Yutaka Suzuki, Hiroshi Morozumi, Takahisa Miyaji, Naoki Kitawaga, Hiroaki Kitano, Toshiyasu Omiya Line Producer: Kenji Kato Editor: Yoshiyuki Koike Assistant Director: Yasutsugu Mizumoto Production Manager: Yamato Saito Production Designer: Towako Kuwashima, Tomomi Nishio Production Company: Toho Co., Ltd., Hakuhodo DY media partners Inc., Faith Wonderworks,Inc., Licri Inc, Futabasha Publishers Ltd., Nippon Shuppan Hanbai, Inc., Sony Music Entertainment, Tsutaya Group, Yahoo Japan Corporation Cinematography: Shoichi Ato, Atsushi Ozawa Music: Toyohiko Kanahashi, Masato Yano Lighting: Susumu Takakura Make-up: Satoshi Yamazaki, Hiromi Shintani Casting: Junjiro Kurosawa