"Shanidar no Hana," starring Haru Kuroki for the first time, will be available for rental as TSUTAYA's first private brand Japanese film.

2014.02.17 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. Entertainment Business Division

Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd.'s Entertainment Business Division has begun rental of its first privately branded theatrical release, "The Flowers of Shanidar" (director: Ishii Gakuryu, starring Ayano Go and Kuroki Haru), the first starring film for Kuroki Haru, from February 14th at TSUTAYA stores nationwide and through the online rental service TSUTAYA DISCAS.

"The Flowers of Shanidar" is a love story that mysteriously depicts the fate of a man and a woman's love, with the motif of a mysterious flower that blooms on the breasts of a very small number of women.It is also attracting attention as the first starring role for Kuroki Haru, who won this year's Blue Ribbon Award for Best Newcomer and also won the Best Actress Award at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival for "The Little House."

TSUTAYA has developed its own private brand to make high-quality works available to as many people as possible, alongside the well-known blockbusters. To date, the company has produced foreign films such as "Kick-Ass" and "My Week with Marilyn," as well as Korean and American TV dramas and anime. Recently, they have released live-action TV dramas such as "The Trembling Cow" in Japan, and this will be their first private brand Japanese film to be released in theaters.

We will continue to expand our private brand offerings to allow more people to watch high-quality films, from new releases to older titles.

■Shanidar's Flower
Starring: Go Ayano, Haru Kuroki, Yuiko Kariya, Rio Yamashita, Kanji Furudate, Ayumi Ito
Director: Gakuryu Ishii
Rental begins Friday, February 14th (rentals only available at TSUTAYA)
February 7th (Friday) Sales DVD ¥3,800
Main feature: 105 minutes
Publisher: Phantom Film　　
Rental distributor: Culture Publishers
Cell distributor: TC Entertainment
(C)2012 "Shanidar no Hana" Production Committee

(Reference material)
"Shanidar's Flower" press release
★Go Ayano x Haru Kuroki: A collaboration between talented actors who exude mysterious sexiness!
The film stars Go Ayano, an actor who is currently at the height of his popularity after leaving a strong impression in "Love Exposure," "Crows Zero II," and the "GANTZ" series, and has appeared in the NHK morning drama "Carnation" and the Fuji TV drama "The Best Divorce," as well as Haru Kuroki, who has received high praise from renowned directors such as Yukio Ninagawa and Hideki Noda, and has shown her unique presence in "The Great Passage," the NHK morning drama "Pure and Love," and the second series of Fuji TV's "Legal High."Two of today's most popular actors deliver vibrant performances as the protagonists who are drawn to each other despite being at the mercy of a mysterious flower called the Shanidar flower. Additionally, the film is co-starring with next-generation actresses such as Kariya Yuiko from "Suzuki Sensei," Yamashita Rio from "The Important Thing for Magical Girls," and Ito Ayumi from "Swallowtail," further enhancing the beauty of the film.
★A masterpiece that Ishii Gakuryu has been working on for seven years since his days with "Sougo"!
The director is Taketoshi Ishii, who has continued to produce innovative works under the name Ishii Sogo, including "Reverse Jet Family," "Dream Galaxy," and "Gojo Spirit War Chronicles // GOJOE."His first feature film in 10 years, Is There Anyone Alive? (2011), is a dialogue-driven drama that is different from his previous directing style, and he has now blossomed into a new talent.In this film, he has continued to create stunning visuals while creating a beautiful, mysterious, and bewitching love story.

■STORY
One day, a mysterious phenomenon occurred in which an extremely beautiful flower, never seen before, began to bloom on the chests of a very limited number of women. The components of the flowers harvested when in full bloom were believed to lead to the development of groundbreaking new medicines, and were traded in the hundreds of millions. Otaki is a botanist and Kyoko is a therapist who work at the Shanidar Research Institute. Busy with research every day, their mission was to nurture the flowers that sprouted in the donors' breasts and harvest them in the most beautiful form. Otaki is single-mindedly devoted to his research, while Hibiki has a mysterious charm that draws people in. As the flowers grow, the two gradually fall in love... However, when a series of mysterious incidents occur in which women who donate the flowers die while they are being harvested, Otaki begins to distrust the laboratory. Meanwhile, Kyoko becomes fascinated by the flowers, even though she knows they are dangerous. The gears of fate for the two people who were attracted to each other were slowly beginning to go awry...

End

Materials related to this matter

"Shanidar no Hana," starring Haru Kuroki for the first time, will be available for rental as TSUTAYA's first private brand Japanese film.

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. Entertainment Business Division
Public Relations Officer: Yuta Takahashi TEL: 03-6800-4764