Kirin Lemon Black: Monster Blacks Fights Back" Awarded Best Commercial Film

November 9, 2006

"Kirin Lemon Black: Monster Blacks Fights Back"
Awarded Best Commercial Film at the
11th Holland Animation Film Festival

Production I.G is proud to announce that on November 5, 2006, the 11th
Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) awarded "Kirin Lemon Black:
Monster Blacks Fights Back" (0'30", 2005), directed by Katsuhito Ishii,
Best Commercial Film in the Competition for Applied Animation.

The jury, composed by Stephen Hillenburg (creator of SpongeBob), Taku
Furukawa (Japanese animation auteur) and Andreas Hykade (German
animation director), motivated the award as follows: "For the pure
energy shown in an advanced anime style."

Created for Kirin Beverages' 77th anniversary campaign of the popular
Kirin Lemon sparkling drink, "Kirin Lemon Black: Monster Blacks Fights
Back" is the second chapter of a two-part commercial film series
directed by Katsuhito Ishii ("Kill Bill: Vol. 1" animation part
character designer), who also developed the design for the 14
characters
appearing in the two spots. In the story concept, two teams, Seven
Sevens and Monster Blacks, are competing in an imaginary neo-futuristic
high-speed sport called Sky Shoot. In "Kirin Lemon Black: Monster
Blacks
Fights Back", promoting a new guarana-flavored drink called "Kirin
Lemon
Black," the Seven Sevens are cornered by Monster Blacks' counterattack.
Sequence and animation director Kazuto Nakazawa ("Kill Bill: Vol. 1",
"Samurai Champloo") greatly contributed with his strong personal touch.

STAFF : Product: Kirin Lemon Black / Director & Character Concept:
Katsuhito Ishii (Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Taste of Tea) / Sequence
Director / Animation Director: Kazuto Nakazawa (Kill Bill: Vol. 1) /
Character Design: Satoru Nakamura (Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. series,
KOF: Another Day) / 3D Director: Makoto Endō (Ghost in the Shell:
S.A.C.
- Solid State Society) / Production: Samurai, Nitten Alti Creatives /
Animation Studio: Production I.G / Agencies: Hakuhodo Inc. Client:
Kirin
Beverage Corporation

Profile: Katsuhito Ishii - Born in 1966, Ishii started out as a TV
commercial director, but later he successfully turned to full length
live action films such as The Taste of Tea (2004). He often worked in
the world of animation, his credits including the character design for
Quentin Tarantino(I¡$B%L(Bs Kill Bill: Vol. 1 animation segment (2003).
For
Kirin Beverages(I¡$B%L(B Kirin Lemon 77th anniversary campaign, Ishii
teamed up
again with Kazuto Nakazawa, director of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 animation
part.

About Production I.G
Established by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa in 1987,
Production I.G is one of the world's leading animation studios. With
its
cutting-Edge Works, such as Ghost in the Shell (1995), Jin-Roh (2000),
Blood: The Last Vampire (2000), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (animation segment,
2003) and Innocence (2004), I.G has gained high reputation around the
globe, inspiring Hollywood creators such as James Cameron, Quentin
Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers. From December 2005, Production
I.G
is publicly listed on JASDAQ.
Production I.G Official English website:
http://www.production-ig.com

The Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) is an internationally
recognized animation festival and offers a unique, state-of-the-art
selection of animated films for a diverse public. The intimate
environment guarantees a great opportunity for the interested public,
filmmakers and producers. Its 11th edition was held in Utrecht from
November 1 to 5, 2006.
HAFF official website:
http://haff.awn.com