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NHK boosts film output for 2003

Japanese broadcaster NHK is making plans to air an additional 30 films per month across its five channels in newly defined afternoon and primetime movie slots from April 2003.

Hideo Okuda, chief director of NHK's Satellite & Hi-Vision Broadcasting Department, told C21 that though NHK already broadcasts 50 to 60 films a month, from the fiscal year 2003 the broadcaster plans to increase the number to 80 or 90.

NHK airs films across its five channels: General TV (terrestrial), Educational TV (terrestrial), BS-1 (satellite), BS-2 (satellite) and Digital Hi-Vision (HDTV). Entertainment channel BS-2 is the main film channel – some 20% of its content is movies.

From April, new movie slots will include Satellite Movie Theatre, a weekday slot between 20.00 and 22.00, featuring the latest blockbusters; Classics Theatre, airing Monday through Friday between 13.00 and 15.00, featuring classic historical Japanese movies; Classics Theatre between 17.00 and 19.00 with a focus on Westerns; and Midnight Movie Theatre, featuring classic and modern movies from Europe and Asia.

At the weekends, Saturday Movie Theatre and Sunday Movie Theatre will air epic films between 13.00 and 17.00, while Sunday Movies is a primetime Sunday night film slot.

Okuda told C21: {The selection of films is made for different viewer targets depending on the slot. For example, Classics Theatre is targeted at middle-aged to old viewers who are usually at home during the day, while Satellite Movie Theatre is for family viewing and Midnight Movie Theatre for young people staying up late and avid movie fans.{

For this year, Okuda has picked up Star Wars episodes 4-6 from Japanese distributor Movie Television, and a package of cowboy flicks including Shane from Tohokushinsha Film Corporation.

Okuda says Star Wars is suitable for showing in the prime viewing time while the cowboy films will air in the Classics Theatre slot in the late afternoon hours.

He said that with the rapid spread of videos and DVDs to rent and buy, a wide range of viewers have started to take a keener interest in films, resulting in the expansion of NHK's film output.

He explained: {Contrary to our previous concern that the diffusion of such media would affect TV viewer ratings, great film hits of the past continue to register high ratings. It may that the broadcasting of a variety of old movies on TV has worked in favour of the new media by promoting interest in them.{

On the production front, NHK has been supporting filmmakers in Asian countries and is also involved in the international coproduction of films under the auspices of the Asian Film Festival.

NHK coproduced Whispering Sands with Indonesia, Journey of the Grey Men with Iran, The Road with Kazakhstan and France, and The Best of Times with Taiwan. Currently, NHK is coproducing The Rainbow directed by Sadiq Barmak, as part of the efforts to revive the film industry in Afghanistan.

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