The First Slam Dunk will have its East Coast premiere at Japan Cuts, a festival of Japanese cinema in New York on July 26. The movie, which has been the highest-grossing film at the Japanese box office so far this year, will be distributed by GKIDS in N. America later this summer in both its original Japanese language with English subtitles and an all-new English dubbed version.
Synopsis: Shohoku’s “speedster” and point guard, Ryota Miyagi, always plays with brains and lightning speed, running circles around his opponents while feigning composure. Born and raised in Okinawa, Ryota had a brother who was three years older. Following in the footsteps of his older brother, who was a famous local player from a young age, Ryota also became addicted to basketball. In his second year of high school, Ryota plays with the Shohoku High School basketball team along with Sakuragi, Rukawa, Akagi, and Mitsui as they take the stage at the Inter-High School National Championship. And now, they are on the brink of challenging the reigning champions, Sannoh Kogyo High School.
The First Slam Dunk opened domestically in Japan on December 3, 2022. Written and created by Takehiko Inoue, the Slam Dunk manga was serialized from 1990-1996. The high school basketball story is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 170 million copies sold globally, and has been adapted to various media and video games, including a hit anime series that ran from 1993-1996.
The animated sports feature, which was produced by Toei Animation and Dandelion Animation Studio, marks the first new feature-length film from the popular franchise in over 28 years, as well as original manga creator Inoue’s directorial debut. The film went on to be awarded this year’s Japan Academy Prize for Best Animation of the Year – marking the first nomination and win for Inoue.
Organized by the Japan Society, Japan Cuts is taking place as in-person event (July 26–August 6) for the first time in three years. Screenings take place at the Japan Society Center on East 47th Street with English subtitles. For more info, visit japansociety.org/film/japancuts.
Watch the trailer below:
Source: Deadline.com
