Confirmed for March 15th 2006 Home Video release

The $250,000,000 International theatrical hit, will be released day and date with the Buena Vista US ensuring parallel importing is kept to a minimum. Achieving a healthy theatrical result of $1,000,000 in Australia, Madman are proud to announce the release of Hayao Miyazaki's finest work to date.

Featuring an star studded voice cast of Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall and Jean Simmons, Howl's Moving Castle will be supported by a $200,000 marketing and PR campaign.

To support this event release, Madman will also offer for a limited time only, a special price promotion on the Studio Ghibli back catalogue including classics such as the Oscar winning Spirited Away, fan favourite Princess Mononoke, the fun-filled Kiki's Delivery Service and the touching and tragic, Grave of the Fireflies.

To drive consumer demand and assist with building this instore event, Madman will put all Studio Ghibli titles on moratorium from December 26th 2005 to March 1st 2006.

Titles include:

The Cat Returns
Grave of the Fireflies
Kiki's Delivery Service
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Pom Poko
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away

Should you wish to order for Xmas, contact your AV Channel sales representative ASAP.

Studio Ghibli has now officially announced its next film, following the success of Howl's Moving Castle and Academy Award Winner Spirited Away.

To be directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki, the new film will be called "Gedo Senki - Tales from Earthsea" (Record of the Gedo War - Tales from Earthsea).

The new Studio Ghibli film is being adapted from Ursula K. Leguin's book, "Earthsea Cycle", set in a stunning fantasy world often compared to Tolkien's Middle Earth or Lewis's Narnia.

Most exciting, is Studio Ghibli intends to release the new film in Japan in July 2006. For first images go to the Studio Ghibli website (Japanese only)

For information on Madman's Studio Ghibli releases:

Look Both Ways Crowns Triumphant Fortnightwith AFIs Top Accolade, Best Film!

In one of the most competitive years in recent memory, Look Both Ways, Sarah Watts mixture of live action and animation has been awarded Best Film at the 2005 AFI Awards, beating quality features Little Fish and The Proposition for the coveted title of the years top piece of Australian cinema.

Look Both Ways was also awarded Best Original Screenplay (Sarah Watt) and Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Hayes).

Look Both Ways is set over a scorchingly hot weekend, when people dealing with unexpected events find their lives intersecting. Nick (William McInnes - Seachange) visits a doctor for a routine medical and is given a devastating diagnosis but has to wait until Monday for specialist advice.

Meryl (Justine Clark- The Surgeon) , returning from a funeral, has until Monday to finish her project or lose her job. The convergence of their paths creates an intriguing picture; intimate, universal and uplifting.

Saturday evenings award ceremony capped off a fortnight where the film became one of the most honoured Australian films of 2005.

Earlier in the week, Look Both Ways won three IF Awards , including Best Director and Best Script, and on Nov 16 was awarded Best Film and Best Director at the Film Critics Circle Awards in Melbourne.

The film has taken over $2,500,000 at The Australian box office since opening and is now expected to play through summer up to its rental DVD release on Feb 1 2006.

DVD distributors Madman have programmed a wide array of marketing activity to prime this critically lauded Australian film for high rental turns, including posters, counter tricards, instore trailering and national print advertising.

www.lookbothways.com.au contains weblogs (or blogs) from the stars of the film over the last few months of the films release, and contains several different trailers for download.

Do not Miss Look Both Ways...
One of 2005s Most Honoured Films!

AFI Awards
Best Film
Best Direction
Best Original Screenplay

IF Awards
Best Director
Best Editing
Best Screenplay

Film Critics Circle of Australia
Best Film
Best Director

Madman/AV will release a single disc rental version on Feb 1 2006 with a double disc being released June 1 2006.

Rental Disc to feature
- Commentary with Sarah Watt, William McInnes, Justine Clarke and Barbara Masel
- 5.1 surround audio 3 x Australian and 1 x International Trailers

For Further Marketing Information on Look Both Ways

Please contact Jonathan Alley / jonathan@madman.com.au or 0421 573 848.

Or contact your AV Channel rep on 03 9419 5444

MELBOURNE, Wednesday, November 23, 2005 - Madman Entertainment is delighted to announce a release date of March 15th, 2006 for three of the most anticipated films in the Studio Ghibli Collection

Howl's Moving Castle

Hayao Miyazaki's (Spirited Away) latest feature film. Howl's Moving Castle has captured audiences all across the world. With a very successful cinema release topping the independent box office charts in Australia. Howl's Moving Castle tells the story of a teenage girl whose life is thrown into turmoil when she meets a mysterious wizard and is later turned into a 90-year-old woman by a conniving witch!

HOWL'S will be available in two editions. A 2-Disc Limited Edition (25,000 copies only,) featuring exclusive packaging and exclusive extras for $34.95 SRP, as well as a single disc edition for $24.95 SRP

My Neigbor Totoro

Totoro, one of the most widely recognised characters in anime and a highly anticipated title in the Studio Ghibli Collection is finally here! Two young girls, Mei and Satsuki, move into a new home that is close to the hospital that their sick mother is in. In their yard is an extremely large tree which is home to mysterious creatures called Totoro. Soon after, news from the hospital comes up that their mother can't come home as promised, so Mei runs away from home to visit her mom. Satsuki then needs to turn to Totoro for help in finding her sister. $29.95 SRP

Whisper of the Heart

Whisper of the Heart, directed by Yoshifumi Kondou and produced by Hayao Miyazaki, is based on the manga of the same name by Hiragi Aoi. Join junior-high school student Shizuku, on a journey through her imagination and daily life as she makes decisions that will ultimately decide her future. A coming of age story, as told by the inimitable STUDIO GHIBLI. $29.95 SRP

More details regarding the extra features and final packaging will be made available closer to the release date.

For more information about these films and all of the films in the Studio Ghibli Collection visit the official Australian website www.madman.com.au/studioghibli

Other Magical Studio Ghibli Films

NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND
LAPUTA CASTLE IN THE SKY
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES
KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE
PORCO ROSSO
POM POKO
PRINCESS MONONOKE
MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS
SPIRITED AWAY
THE CAT RETURNS

Madman Entertainment is delighted to announce a release date of March 15th, 2006 for three of the most anticipated films in the Studio Ghibli Collection

Howl's Moving Castle
Hayao Miyazaki's (Spirited Away) latest feature film. Howl's Moving Castle has captured audiences all across the world. With a very successful cinema release topping the independent box office charts in Australia. Howl's Moving Castle tells the story of a teenage girl whose life is thrown into turmoil when she meets a mysterious wizard and is later turned into a 90-year-old woman by a conniving witch!

HOWL'S will be available in two editions. A 2-Disc Limited Edition (25,000 copies only,) featuring exclusive packaging and exclusive extras for $34.95 SRP, as well as a single disc edition for $24.95 SRP

My Neighbor Totoro
Totoro is one of the most widely recognised characters in anime, and a highly anticipated title in the Studio Ghibli Collection is finally here! Two young girls, Mei and Satsuki, move into a new home that is close to the hospital that their sick mother is in. In their yard is an extremely large tree which is home to mysterious creatures called Totoro. Soon after, news from the hospital comes up that their mother can't come home as promised, so Mei runs away from home to visit her mom. Satsuki then needs to turn to Totoro for help in finding her sister. $29.95 SRP

Whisper of the Heart
Directed by Yoshifumi Kondou and produced by Hayao Miyazaki, Whisper of the Heart is based on the manga of the same name by Hiragi Aoi. The movie is a coming of age story about Shizuku, a junior-high school student The movie takes you on a journey through her imagination and daily life as she makes decisions that will ultimately decide her future. $29.95 SRP

More details regarding the extra features and final packaging will be made available closer to the release date.

For more information about these films and all of the films in the Studio Ghibli Collection visit the official Australian website at http://www.madman.com.au/studioghibli/

MELBOURNE, Tuesday, 22 November 2005 - Set in a futuristic world that has just witnessed the end of a massive war, scores of villages are terrorized by Nobuseri bandits. But the Nobuseri are no normal bandits. They were once Samurai, who during the war integrated their living cells with machines to become dangerous weapons now appearing more machine than man. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and their reign of terror is increasing its hold on the countryside.

But one group of villagers has had enough, deciding to hire samurai to protect their village. Kirara is a young priestess who travels to the city seeking out protection. One by one, she encounters brave samurai that the war has left behind. These men of skill and valour are each unique and not without their quirks. But can they come together as one to defend the helpless village?

SAMURAI 7 is based on the legendary Akira Kurosawa classic epic feature film, SEVEN SAMURAI, and is officially approved by Akira Kurosawa's estate. This is volume one of seven of SAMURAI 7 on DVD. With its futuristic but rustic atmosphere, well-developed characters and incredible CG animation and high production values from Studio Gonzo (HELLSING, PEACEMAKER, FULL METAL PANIC!, LAST EXILE), SAMURAI 7 is poised to be an instant classic!

For character bios, trailer, gallery and heaps of information about SAMURAI 7 check out the new website at http://www.samurai7.com.au/ !

RELEASE INFORMATION

Release Date: Wednesday 23 November 2005
Website: http://www.samurai7.com.au/

DVD EXTRAS

• 32 page booklet
• Anime previews

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

"SAMURAI 7 exudes high production values and is a worthy retelling of Kurosawa's original story... it's like steampunk meets space opera meets medieval Japan." -ANIME NEWS NETWORK

"Like the masterpiece it reinterprets, SAMURAI 7 is a wildly entertaining, instant classic." -ANIME INSIDER

MORE SAMURAI ACTION

Seven Samurai
Samurai Gun
Otogi Zoshi
Samurai X
Rurouni Kenshin

MELBOURNE, Tuesday, 25 November 2005 - Fabulous secret powers were revealed to Adam, the Prince of Eternia, on the day he held aloft his magic sword and said, "By the Power of Grayskull! I Have The Power!" With the aid of his "fearless" friend Cringer, now transformed into the mighty Battle Cat, Adam became He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe!

Only three others share his secret; his friends the Sorceress, Man-At-Arms and Orko. Together they defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor. They are He-Man and the Masters of the Universe!

This is the first of four volumes of the whole series of HE-MAN on DVD. This 6 DVD collector's boxset contains 33 digitally remastered episodes - that's 825 minutes of HE-MAN action!

For downloads and more information about HE-MAN check out minisite at http://www.madman.com.au/he-man/ !

RELEASE INFORMATION

Release Date: Wednesday 23 November 2005
Website: http://www.madman.com.au/he-man/

DVD EXTRAS

• Two documentary features
• Two new original collectible art cards
• Character bios
• Storyboards
• Scripts

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

"A landmark in TV animation." -PC GAMES ADDICT

"This show holds up much, much better than you probably remember it." -PC GAMER

"It's definitely a collector's dream." -HYPER

OTHER CLASSIC RETRO ANIME SERIES

Astro Boy 1980s
Astro Boy 1960s
Kimba the White Lion
Transformers
Robotech Remastered
Battle of the Planets

MELBOURNE, Tuesday, 22 November 2005 - The original boy-robot with 100,000 horsepower strength and courage! Endowed with super strength, rocket-powered flight, a selfless heart and a kind demeanour, Astro Boy fights a never-ending crusade against the forces of evil.

Witness Japan's first ever animated series, Osamu Tezuka's original 1960's ASTRO BOY. The series that launched the anime phenomenon!

This collector's set includes 52 episodes of the original black and white 1960s series, restored to pristine detail, and also features never-before-seen footage and brand new exciting extras. 10 DVDs of episodes and an exclusive 11th disc PACKED with extras, all housed in a deluxe silver collector's Astro Boy tin!

For news, trailers and more information about ASTRO BOY check out http://www.astroboy.com.au !

RELEASE INFORMATION

Release Date: Wednesday 23 November 2005
Website: http://www.astroboy.com.au

DVD EXTRAS

• Part 1 of an Australian exclusive interview with producer Fred Ladd
• Original Japanese Episode #1
• Original Character Art Gallery
• Merchandise Gallery

And a collector's booklet featuring:

• History of Astro Boy
• Osamu Tezuka Biography

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

"Dr. Osamu Tezuka was one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th century." -THE BULLETIN

"Osamu Tezuka was on to a winner when he dreamed up the concept of the boy robot... [ASTRO BOY] remains relevant and poignant." -INTHEMIX.COM.AU

"...the father of all anime titles." -REM

OTHER CLASSIC RETRO ANIME SERIES

Astro Boy 1980s
Kimba the White Lion
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Production I.G (BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, KILL BILL VOL 1 anime sequence,) has announced Mamoru Oshii's (GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE,) next animated project will be based on his serial novel "Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters".

The movie is due out in Spring 2006.

Please be aware that the AV Channel now has a new B.S.B number.

As of the 14th November 2005 any payments made to the AV Channel should be made into the following account:

Bank: National Australia Bank
Branch: Box Hill
Account Name: The AV Channel
B.S.B: 083 153
Account: 495 859 684

Please amend your records accordingly.

Thank you for your continued support.

The AV Channel Accounts Team