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X Japan Documentary Opens in U.S. in October
posted on by Karen Ressler
The band X Japan's documentary film We Are X will open in theaters in the United States in October. Band leader YOSHIKI and film director Stephen Kijak will appear for a screening and Q&A session at Los Angeles' NuArt Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 21. Kijak will also appear for screenings and Q&A sessions at NuArt Theatre on October 22 and October 23.
Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Stones In Exile) directed the film, and John Battsek (Searching For Sugarman, The Imposter) served as the producer. Mako Kamitsuna (The World Made Straight, Blackhat) and John Maringouin (Big River Man, Running Stumbled) edited the documentary.
The documentary chronicles the band's 35-year career, and it premiered on January 23 at the Sundance Film Festival in the festival's World Cinema Documentary Competition. The film won Sundance Film Festival Awards' Special Jury Award for Best Editing. The film also screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas in March.
The band announced in February that it is on a temporary hiatus after guitarist Pata was hospitalized in January. X Japan's first album release in 20 years is slated for late 2016.
X Japan toured North America in 2010. They signed a three-year contract with EMI Music North America in 2011, and released their first North American single "Jade" that same year. The band's single "Scarlet Love Song" was used as the theme song for the anime film Buddha: The Great Departure. The band's music was also used as the ending theme for the X anime film and X - X2 double X original video anime.
YOSHIKI and Toshi formed X Japan in 1982 as X. Over the next 13 years, X Japan released five studio albums, six live albums, 10 best hit albums, and 20 DVD releases. The band disbanded in 1997 but reunited in 2007. Original lead guitarist Hide and bassist Taiji Sawada passed away in 1998 and 2011, respectively. The band has sold more than 30 million albums (with singles and videos combined), and has sold out Japan's 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome 18 times.
