Born 1976 in Aichi Prefecture In 2001, at the tender age of 23 he wrote, directed and starred in "19." After receiving much praise at various international film festivals, agnes b., a fashion designer known for her love of cinema, lavished attention upon him at the Sarejvo International Film Festival and Kazushi Watanabe was honored with a Best First Feature - Honorable Mention Prize. With the support of agnes b., "19" was afterwards shown in various European and Asian countries. Main screen appearances include Takashi Miike�fs "Visitor Q", Kaizo Hayashi�fs "Tantei 5" (2007) and Oku Shutaro�fs "Cain's Descendant" (2006), which was shown at the 57th Berlale. www.watanabekazushi.com �@

Born 1951 in Tokyo At the young age of 12 traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. Momoi debuted in director Kon Ichikawa's Ai Futatabi (Love Again) beginning a career that has already spanned 35 years and over 60 films. As an actress, she has worked with some of the most notable films directors in Japan, including Akira Kurosawa (Kagemusha, 1980), Tatsumi Kumashiro (Seishun no Satetsu, 1974), Yoji Yamada (The Yellow Handkerchief, 1977 and Love and Honor,2006), Shohei Imamura (Why Not?, 1981), and, most recently, Takashi Miike in the film Sukiyaki Western Django to be released in 2007. She has also performed in The Sun (2005) directed by Alexander Sokurov and appeared in director Rob Marshall's film Memoirs of a Geisha.

Born 1977 in Yamagata Made his CD debut in 1999 as vocalist and guitarist for the punk rock band GOING STEADY. The band split at the height of their popularity in 2003. He then became vocalist and guitarist for GINNAN BOYZ. The band released two albums in 2005, well received by their young fans. As an actor he has brought his unique presence to films such as Tomorowo Taguchi�es "Iden & Tity", Kerarino Sandrovich �es "Gummi-Chocolate-Pine" and Kankuro Kudo�fs "The Shonen Merikensack" (to be released in 2009).

Born 1972 in Tokyo In 1996 he debuted as an actor with his appearance in a TV commercial that was directed by Jun Ichikawa. After appearing in Joe Hisaishi's "Quartet" (2001), Takashi Miike's "Ichi the Killer " (2001), Makoto Shinozaki's "Not Forgotten " (2001), Takeshi's "Dolls" (2001) and Hideyuki Hirayama's "OUT" (2002), he won a Yokohama Film Festival Prize for Best Supporting Actor and a Kinema Junpo Award for Best Supporting Actor for Ryuichi Hiroki's "Vibrator" (2003). Recent movies include Tomorrowo Taguchi's "Iden and Tity" (2003), Tatsushi Omori's "The Whispering of the Gods" (2005), Masayuki Suo's "I Just Didn't Do It" and Katsuhiro Otomo's "Mushishi" (2007).

Born 1951 A member of the Tenkei Theatre group from 1974 to 1988. He made his movie debut in Banmei Takahashi's "Kinbaku ikenie." He attracted much industry attention for his appearance in Takeshi's "Sonatine" in 1993. He won a Japanese Academy Award, a Blue Ribbon Award and a Kinema Junpo Award, etc., for Best Supporting Actor in "HANA-BI" and "DOG RACE" (1998). He has appeared in both large and small roles in over 300 movies. Other appearances of note include Sion Sono's "Exte -Hair Extensions" (2006), Takeshi's "Glory to the Filmmaker!" (2007), and Kaneto Shindo's "Ishiuchi jinjo koto shogakko: Hana wa chiredomo" (2008) etc.

Born 1955 in Nagasaki Prefecture Hideki Noda formed the Yume no Yuminsha theatre group in 1976 whilst he was studying at Tokyo University. He took on the roles of writer, director and lead actor creating theatre history. When the theatre group disbanded in 1992, he took a year out to study in the UK and established NODA MAP in 1993. He created many successful plays. He has also handled adaptations and direction of Kabuki along with actor Kanzaburo Nakamura. He also directed the opera of "Macbeth" at the New National Theatre. Working in collaboration with foreign actors in their home countries, he has created well received pieces including "THE BEE" at London's Soho Theatre. In 2007 the Japanese version and London version of "THE BEE" ran in tandem winning various Japanese theatre awards.

Born 1975 in Tokyo Oku Shutaro has previously directed the full-length feature films - "KAI-ON," "Labor Cop," "Japanese Naked Tribe," "Aka-sen,"�@"Cain's Descendant" (officially selected for the Berlin International Film Festival) and "Death of Domomata." In between his theatrical releases he directed "Tenshochi," a documentary focusing on the rare talents of theatre directors Yukio Ninagawa, Hideki Noda and Mashide Komaki. Oku Shutaro has continued to challenge the possibilities of film expression with his motto - "revolutionizing film in every way possible - through filming, editing and theatrical presentation." He has worked as a visual planner for stage with Toho Musicals, Noda Map, Takurazuka and Otona Keikaku, etc. Major projects include "Elizabeth" and "Mozart!" for Toho Musicals, "A Play for 2001 People" and "THE BEE" for NODA MAP and "NEVER SAY GOODBYE" for Takarazuka. Oku Shutaro is also active in the realm of theatre direction. He has received much praise for his use of visuals with live theatre in the following productions - "TAP MANxPIANO MANxMOVIE MAN," "BOYS ELECTONE CONSPIRACY," "Hibiki Inamoto / Souun Takeda LIVE" and "Yoshida Brothers Live." In December he will direct a theatrical version of Edgar Alan Poe's "Black Cat." It promises to be groundbreaking. �@www.okushutaro.com