"Boys for Sale" receives Best Feature Doc in Ecuador!

As the executive producer of the film, I am extremely honoured to announce that "Boys for Sale" (WEBSITE) has received the award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2017 EL LUGAR SIN LIMITES Film Festival in Quito, Ecuador!

「売買ボーイズ」がエクアドルで行われたEL LUGAR SIN LIMITES映画祭の長編ドキュメンタリー部門でグランプリを受賞しました！本当に光栄に思っております。

This is the fourth award the film has had the honour of receiving after the prize for Best Documentary in both the 2017 Durban Gay & Lesbian FF (South Africa) (STORY) and the 2017 Playa del Carmen Queer FF (Mexico) (STORY), as well as the Fox Inclusion Award at the 2017 OUTFEST FF (Los Angeles), a prize sponsored Fox Inclusion, a division of 20th Century Fox (STORY).

お陰様で今回の受賞が４つ目となります。南アフリカにて行われたDurban Gay & Lesbian映画祭とメキシコにて行われたPlaya del Carmen Queer映画祭で ドキュメンタリー部門グランプリ、そしてロスアンゼルスにて行われたOUTFEST映画祭（20世紀フォックス社の一部門であるフォックスインクルージョンによる）Fox Inclusion Awardを受賞しました。これまで応援して下さった皆様に感謝しております。

Official Tweet from EL LUGAR SIN LIMITES HERE

Since the World Premier in the 2017 Nippon Connection FF (Germany) in May (STORY), "Boys for Sale" is so for set to screen in 28 film festivals in 17 countries across the world (info on Screenings page HERE).  On November 26, the documentary screened for the first time in Japan during the Tokyo AIDS Week event, but so many people showed up that the venue filled up and many had to be turned away (STORY).  We are working to secure some form of distribution for the film so that people in Tokyo and beyond can finally see the film. Thank you so much for your continued support!!!

今年の5月に開催されたドイツのニッポン・コネクション映画祭初上映から１７国、２８映画祭で上映される予定です。日本でも１１月２６日にTokyoAIDSWeeks のイベントの一企画として初上映されました。その際沢山の方ご来場下さいましたが、座席の関係で多数の方々が入場出来ませんでした。皆様に見て頂けるように東京やいろんな場所で上映出来るように頑張ります！これからも皆様の応援をよろしくお願いします！

"Boys" in the FULL house

「売買ボーイズ」日本初上映は昨日でした。Tokyo AIDS Week のイベントの一企画として参加できることがとても嬉しいです。詳しくはこちら。

Yesterday's screening of "Boys for Sale" (WEBSITE), the first public showing in Japan, was amazing.  Taking place in Nakano during the Tokyo AIDS Week event (INFO), 30 minutes before the screening, the queue was already out the door of the venue with more than 200 people waiting in line.  The problem was that only 150 people would be allowed in...

Even after the seats were filled, dozens of people were admitted into the venue to watch standing from the sides and back of the room, so we were clearly well over capacity.  Still, more than 60 people unfortunately had to be turned away.  Apologizing to them in the lobby of the venue, I promised that we are working to secure additional screenings in Tokyo, including a theatrical release.  

上映に200名以上の方がご来場下さいましたが、法律の関係により150名までの入場になってしまいました。入れなかった皆さん、本当にすみません！また東京やいろんな所で上映出来るように頑張ります！応援して下さりありがとうございます！これからもよろしくお願いします！

 

Following the screening, I was honoured to take part in the panel as the executive producer of the film in a discussion led by Community Center akta's Iwahashi-san (WEBSITE), who also appears in the documentary, along with protagonist Ko, a former urisen (male sex worker).

From Twitter user @HINARINAchan (LINK)

From Twitter user @HINARINAchan (LINK)

After the panel discussion, it was wonderful to greet some of the guests who had attended the screening, including a couple of friends with whom I went graduate school in the UK 14 years ago (!) and who surprised me by coming.  

There were also several groups of sex workers from other parts of Asia who were in Tokyo to attend the Tokyo AIDS Week events.  Two guests from Korea approached me to say how much the film had meant to them and asked if they could screen it at a film festival they are organizing to help raise awareness of issues affecting sex workers.  Making connections like this and knowing that the films we make can be used for awareness and education provides such a sense of purpose and serves as motivation to keep making films that may not be commercially successful but for which we receive the humbling knowledge they have the potential to touch people around the world.

Thank you all so very much for your support and encouragement.

"Boys" in the news

Ahead of the first public screening in Japan of "Boys for Sale" (WEBSITE) this coming Sunday (26th), two articles were published about the documentary today.

The first was a FULL PAGE feature about the film and the world it documents in The Japan Times.  Read the online version of the article HERE:

The Tokyo Reporter also published an article about "Boys for Sale" today with an in-depth look at the documentary.  Read the article HERE.

「売買ボーイズ」日本初上映は11月26日です。

The screening in Tokyo will take place on Sunday, November 26 at 15:30 during the Tokyo AIDS Week event.  The film will screen with English subtitles, while the post-screening discussion will be in Japanese.  Full event details (in Japanese) can be found HERE.

"Boys for Sale" awarded in Mexico!

On behalf of the entire "Boys for Sale" team and as the Executive Producer of the film, it is my great honour to announce the film has received the award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2017 Queer International Film Festival Playa del Carmen (VIDEO) in Mexico.  This is the third award "Boys for Sale" has been honoured to receive, including at Los Angeles' Outfest (STORY) and South Africa's DGLFF (STORY).

Close to midnight, we received a text from the festival letting us know about the award and asking us to provide a statement for the ceremony that would be held in a few hours.  We quickly wrote one out and sent it to Carlos Fuentes (our translator in Spain who made the Spanish subtitles for the film) to translate.  

Prior to the opening, the festival had requested that we send them a video greeting to use for promotion of our screening.  As our team is spread out over Japan (with some even based or traveling in other countries), we had members send us in short videos of themselves that we edited together.  This was a lot of fun to make and can be viewed HERE.

Screenings of "Boys for Sale" are continuing throughout the world this week, including Slovenia, Ecuador, Spain and Romania (INFO), and we are especially excited for our first public screening in Japan on the 26th (INFO).  More information about upcoming screenings, including our Austrian and Australian Premiers, can be found on the screening page of the film (HERE).

Thank you all so very much for your continued support and encouragement!

"Boys for Sale" in Japan

「売買ボーイズ」日本初上映は11月26日です。Tokyo AIDS Week のイベントの一企画として参加できることがとても嬉しいです。詳しくはこちら。

"Boys for Sale" (WEBSITE), which premiered in Germany earlier this year (STORY) and which received awards in LA (STORY) and South Africa (STORY) will FINALLY screen in Japan!  During the annual Tokyo AIDS Week event, "Boys for Sale" will screen followed by a panel discussion with Ko, one of the participants in the documentary, Iwahashi Kouta, head of akta (a community group devoted to HIV/ AIDS awareness and education), and me in my role as executive producer of the film.  The screening will take place in Tokyo on November 26.  Event details HERE.

On behalf of Itako, the director of the film and Adrian "Uchujin" Storey, the DOP/ producer, we are so grateful for this opportunity to screen for an audience in Japan at an event which is free, open to the public and dedicated to a topic so important that it was one of the original inspirations for us to make the film.

"Boys" are going South, East and Down Under

This week, "Boys for Sale" will be screening in Mexico (in Tijuana AND Playa del Carmen), Ecuador and Romania!  Details are on the website for the film (HERE).

And this week, the Australian premier of "Boys for Sale", which will take place in February 2018, was also announced (screening information HERE).