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Thermae Romae Wins Prize at Italy's Far East Film Fest
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The 14th Far East Film Festival in Undine, Italy revealed on Monday that the live-action film adaptation of Mari Yamazaki's Thermae Romae manga has won the My Movies Audience Award. The film had won an audience poll on the Mymovies.it cinema website. The festival was held between April 20-28.
The comedy manga and film adaptation center on Lucius — an architect of public bath houses (thermae) in ancient Rome — who time-travels to various modern-day baths in Japan. Through manga and essay passages, Yamazaki explores the two cultures in the world "that have loved baths the most: the Japanese and the Romans!"
Hiroshi Abe (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken: Kenshirō-den, Trick, Godzilla 2000 Millenium) stars in the film as Lucius. The film also stars Aya Ueto. The film opened in Japan on April 28.
Yamazaki's original manga won the Manga Taisho (Cartoon Grand Prize) award in 2010, followed by the Short Work Prize in the 14th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes. It has since sold over 5 million copies and inspired a short television anime. Although Yamazaki was born in Tokyo, she now lives in Chicago.
Yen Press revealed earlier this month that it will publish the Thermae Romae manga in North America.
