Fortissimo Films has boarded pan-Asian co-production Dance Subaru! as sales agent outside of Asia, and will be introducing the film at this year's Cannes film festival.

Several Asian powerhouses are joining forces on the film (see related articles below), including Japan's Avex Entertainment, Korea's SM Entertainment, Singapore's MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Hong Kong uber-producer Bill Kong. Warner Bros Pictures Japan is also co-producing the film.

Based on a popular Japanese manga by Masahito Soda, Dance Subaru! stars 20-year-old Okinawa-born actress Meisa Kuroki as a determined ballerina who stays true to her dreams despite all obstacles. Her mentor will be played by Momoi Kaori (Love And Honour, Memoirs Of A Geisha) and Japan's Sano Miku and Korea's Ara also star.

Hong Kong's Lee Chi-Ngai (Sleepless Town) is directing the film with Yohei Taneda (Kill Bill) as art director, Kazuko Kurosawa (Silk) as costume designer and choreographer Yukio Ueshima arranging the dance sequences. Avex CEO Masato Matsuura and co-CEO Ryuhei Chiba are producing with Kong.

The film has just wrapped and is in post-production, with an early 2009 release planned for Japan by Warner Bros. It will simultaneously be released by Edko Films in Hong Kong, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures in Singapore and SM Entertainment in Korea. Avex will handle the soundtrack worldwide.

Fortissimo co-chairmen Wouter Barendrecht and Michael J. Werner negotiated the deal with Kong. 'We were drawn to Dance, Subaru! when we saw footage of these beautiful dance performances set against the world of ballet, and contemporary Japanese street music. It was an irresistible combination,' said Werner.

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