Asmik Ace History
1980s
- 1981
CORPORATE
Herald Ace, Inc. was established
- 1983
CONTENTS
Ace Pictures： Participated in production of “Antarctica “, which recorded the largest box office in Japan at that time.
- 1984
CONTENTS
Ace Pictures：Produced “MacArthur’s Children” starring Masako Natsume, which won the Best Film Award at the 27th Blue Ribbon Award.
- 1985
CORPORATE
Asmik, Corp. was jointly established by a group of companies including Sumitomo Corporation.
CONTENTS
Ace Pictures：Produced “Ran” directed by Akira Kurosawa, which won the 58th Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
- 1989
CONTENTS
Ace Pictures：Distributed Italian film “Cinema Paradiso,” which stayed in the theaters for 40 weeks, made one of the longest run in Japanese film industry history.
1990s
- 1995
CORPORATE
Joined KADOKAWA SHOTEN as a subsidiary, and the company name was changed to Ace Pictures, Inc.
- 1996
CONTENTS
Asmik：Distributed foreign films “The Usual Suspects” and “Dead Man Walking,” which won two awards and one award respectively at the 68th Academy Awards.
Ace Pictures：participated in production of “Swallowtail”, which was a big hit and a long run in the theaters.
- 1997
CONTENTS
Asmik：Distributed foreign film “Fargo” which won 2 categories at the 69th Academy Awards.
Asmik：Distributed foreign film “Trainspotting” made a long 33-week run in the theaters.
- 1998
CORPORATE
Asmik, INC. and Ace Pictures, Inc. merged. Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc. was established.
- 1999
CONTENTS
Distributed foreign film “Life Is Beautiful” which won 3 categories at 71th Academy Awards.
2000s
- 2000
CONTENTS
Produced “After the Rain” which won 8 categories including the Best Film Award at the 24th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Distributed foreign film “Dancer in the Dark” which won Palme d’Or and the Best Actress award at the 53th Cannes International Film Festival.
- 2004
CONTENTS
Distributed foreign film “The Return” which won the Golden Lion and The Luigi De Laurentiis Awards at the 60th Venice International Film Festival.
- 2009
CONTENTS
Distrubuting foreign film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” which won the 81th Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the 66th Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
2010s
- 2012
CORPORATE
Aqcuired by Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd. and the company name was changed to Asmik Ace, Inc. Integrated the video ondemand business division (including acquisition and programming of content for VOD platforms “J:COM ondemand” and “KDDI videopass”) as well as content acquisition function for our pay TV channels from Jupiter Entertainment, Co., Ltd.
- 2013
CORPORATE
Launched IP-based VOD service called “milplus.”
- 2014
CONTENTS
Produced film “The Great Passage” which won the Best Film Award, the Best Directing Award, the Best Screenplay Award, the Best Actor Award, the Best Sound Mixing Award, the Best Film Editing Award and won six Excellence Awards at the 37th Japan Academy Film Prize. Produced and invested film “Still the Water” which was officially selected for competition at the 67th Cannes Film Festival.
- 2015
CONTENTS
Produced and invested film “Pale Moon” which won the Best Actress Award and eleven Excellent Awards at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize.
- 2016
CONTENTS
Produced and invested film “Japan’s Longest Day” which won the Best Actress Award and nine Excellent Awards at the 39th Japan Academy Film Prize.
- 2017
CONTENTS
Produced film “The 100th Love with You,” which was released in Mainland China, and became the first Japanese live action film in 2017 with a Chinese theatrical release. Also the remake rights were licensed for the China.
- 2018
CONTENTS
“One Cut of the Dead” co-distributed by Asmik Ace
became a social phenomenon and won nine awards including Best Film Editing at the 42nd Japan Academy Film Prize.
- 2019
CORPORATE
Co-developed “StoryMe,” an interactive novel app.
CONTENTS
Asmik Ace’s “Sumikkogurashi:
Good to be in the corner” became an unprecedented box-office hit with its story that “even brings tears to grownups.”
2020s
- 2021
CONTENTS
Asmik Ace’s “Baragaki:
Unbroken Samurai” won Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize.Masato Hara (producer and the first president of Asmik Ace) won the Chairman’s Special Prize at the 45th Japan Academy Film Prize.
Asmik Ace’s TV anime “My Next Life as a Villainess:
All Routes Lead to Doom!” won Best Main Character in the 2021 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.Asmik Ace’s “Sumikkogurashi:
The Little Wizard in the Blue Moonlight,” the second installment of the series, became a box-office hit like its predecessor, drawing over 1 million viewers.
- 2022
CONTENTS
Asmik Ace’s “INU-OH”
was an official selection in the Orizzonti section of the 78th Venice International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 80th Golden Globe Awards and for Best Indie Feature and Best Writing – Feature at the 50th Annie Awards.Asmik Ace’s “xxxHOLiC”
won Newcomer of the Year and Popularity Award/Actor Category at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize.Asmik Ace’s “MISSING”
won Best Director at the 47th Hochi Film Awards, Best Supporting Actress at the 77th Mainichi Film Awards, and four other major domestic film prizes.
