su·ki·ya·ki [soo-kee-yah-kee]

n. A popular Japanese dish made with beef and usually containing soy sauce, bean curd, and greens, cooked in a single pot at the table. Simple ingredients cooked together without added broths to create a unique essence that is truly Japanese.

Seville Pictures opens Takashi Miike’s Sukiyaki Western Django in Toronto on Friday, September 19, 2008. Paying homage to the spaghetti western, or “macaroni western” as they are known in Japan, world renowned filmmaker Takashi Miike (Audition) has invented a uniquely stylish Japanese action western which he has named the "Sukiyaki Western."

Set during the Genpei clan wars of the 12th century, and shot entirely in the English language, Sukiyaki Western Django, brings together a talented crew including several previous Miike collaborators, such as award-winning Director of Photography, Toyomichi Kurita (Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune), in addition to an all-star cast including Hideaki Ito (the Umizaru films), Koichi Sato (Crest of Betrayal), Yusuke Iseya (Casshern), Masanobu Ando (Battle Royale), Takaaki Ishibashi (Major League films),Yoshino Kimura (The Samurai I Loved ), Teruyuki Kagawa (Devil’s On The Door Step), and Kaori Momoi (Memoirs Of A Geisha), with a special cameo appearance from filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. What emerges from the sukiyaki pot, in which all of these ingredients simmer together, is Miike’s magnificent view of the world.

In Sukiyaki Western Django, several hundred years after the infamous Battle of Dannoura (1185) in a remote Japanese mountain village, tension runs high as the white clad gang of the Genji (Minamoto clan), led by Yoshitsune, and the red clad gang of the Heike (Taira clan), led by Kiyomori, brutally confront each other over rumors of hidden gold.

When a nameless drifter, burdened with a dark past but possessed of remarkable gun skills, arrives in the village, both the Genji and the Heike speculate as to which side he will join. Power struggles, betrayal, lust and love interweave, drenching the earth with blood, as the historic Taira-Minamoto War resumes in the “macaroni western” wilderness.

Takashi Miike – Director - BIO:

Takashi Miike was born in Osaka on August 24, 1960. He graduated from Yokohama Housou Eiga Senmon Gakuin (now called the Japan Academy of Moving Images). In his early career he worked under such directors as Shohei Imamura and Hideo Onchi. In 1991, he directed his first direct-to-video film Eyecatch Junction. He followed this with many direct-to-video films before making his debut as a theatrical film director in 1995 with Daisan No Gokudo and Shinjuku Triad Society. Renowed for his innovative ideas and edgy directing style, Miike’s popularity boomed with Fudoh (1996), and was further fueled by Bird People of China (1998), ultimately exploding with Dead or Alive (1999). With Audition, that blaze quickly spread overseas and his unique visual style won both the KNF award and FIPRESCI prize at the 29th Rotterdam International Film Festival. He also ranked as the tenth “most promising film directors” chosen by TIME magazine. Since then, Takashi Miike, one of the busiest directors in Japan, directing at a fast pace of a few films per year ranging from “gokudo” films to musicals including The City of Lost Souls (2000), Ichi the Killer (2001), The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), Graveyard Of Honor (2002) and Zebraman (2003). In 2003, Gozu screened at the Cannes International Film Festival, becoming the first ever made-for-video film to be selected as a Director’s Fortnight official selection. In 2004, he directed One Missed Call, which was a major hit at the box office while IZO competed in the official section at the Venice International Film Festival. The Great Yokai War (2005) was another huge commercial success, while A Big Ban Love: Juvenile was screened in the Berlin International Film Festival’s Panorama section. His first English language horror feature, “Masters of Horror - Imprint” was banned in the U.S. for its unexpectedly disturbing scenes. His upcoming film slate is full of exciting projects including: Bishonen and Yattaaman (Spring 2009). In addition to directing, Miike has starred in numerous films including Kenka No Hanamichi (1996) and Agitator, which he also directed, Kyoufu!! Namamushi Yakata No San-shimai (1997 directed by Takeshi Miyasaka) and Last Life In The Universe (2003 directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaluang), The Neighbor No. Thirteen (2005 directed by Yasuo Inoue) and Hostel (2006 directed by Eli Roth). Quentin Tarantino, who executive produced Hostel, makes an appearance in Sukiyaki Western Django, an exchange of friendship between two film geniuses.