Breakthrough Entertainment has finalized an agreement with Happinet Corporation and Synergy Entertainment for a theatrical release in Japan on May 6th, 2017 of their premium title L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, ahead of the film's DVD and VOD release in the country. "It is a tremendous opportunity to bring our Anne to an audience who displays an unwavering support for this beloved Canadian character. Partnering with these important Japanese distributors will surely further build on the theatrical success that the film has seen," says Nat Abraham, Partner and President of Distribution at Breakthrough Entertainment.
Japan represents the latest market to acquire the film after airing successfully with prominent broadcasters YTV (Canada), PBS (United States), ITV (UK), and ARD (Germany), as well as theatrical releases in Australia and New Zealand. Most recently PBS has also ordered the next two installments, The Good Stars and Fire & Dew, after the successful primetime broadcast of the original film during 2016 American Thanksgiving.
"Although Anne Shirley is beloved and celebrated worldwide, Japan has always held her dearly in many aspects of their culture. The support that the Japanese people have shown the Anne of Green Gables stories makes this a very significant theatrical release for the film," says Kate MacDonald Butler, granddaughter of L.M. Montgomery and Executive Producer.
Japan has a rich history with the iconic Canadian literary figure being embedded in the country's pop-culture. Since the introduction of the famed literary tale to Japan in 1939, the nation has shown a deep connection with the story of an unwanted orphan struggling to find her place in the world.
Written by Susan Coyne and directed by John Kent Harrison, L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables stars critically acclaimed actor Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert, along with Ella Ballentine as Anne Shirley and celebrated Canadian actress Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert. The film was produced by Breakthrough Entertainment, in association with Corus Entertainment's YTV.
Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel, Anne of Green Gables the trilogy tells the story of Anne Shirley, a precocious little girl taken from an orphanage and placed in the care of the uptight Marilla Cuthbert and her brother Matthew. The conservative Marilla has a profound effect on the adventurous Anne and creates a journey of learning and personal engagement that has resonated with generations since L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. The book remains an iconic work of Canadian literature and has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.
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