THE ACADEMY AWARD® WINNING DEPARTURES prepares for DVD – FEB 2010  

2009 Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Language Film, DEPARTURES is a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan as well an astonishingly beautiful look at a sacred part of Japan’s cultural heritage.
 

Daigo Kobayashi is a professional cellist who faces unemployment when his orchestra is dissolved. Upon answering an advertisement entitled “Departures”, thinking it is for a travel agency, Daigo finds himself in the role of Nokanshi , or encoffineer, a funerary celebrant who prepares bodies for entry into the next life. While his wife and others around him despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of Nokanshi, acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. Daigo experiences a profound and sometimes comical journey as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living.

Amongst DEPARTURES bounty of global accolades, lead actor Masahiro Motoki has recently been awarded Best Performance by an Actor at the 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 

DEPARTURES is the latest in a long line of films available from Madman that have received Academy Awards® including: COUNTERFEITERS, MAN ON WIRE, SPIRITED AWAY, AMORES PERROS, TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE, HARVEY KRUMPET, LA STRADA, RASHOMON and TSOTSI to name but a few.

To celebrate the release of DEPARTURES, and the 2010 Academy Awards® season, Madman is offering Academy Award® winning DVD packs including the above titles for giveaways and promotions. To reserve yours, please contact Madman Publicity on the details below.