“NEGADON: THE MONSTER FROM MARS” ATTACKS NEW YORK CITY IN MAY
May 9th Film Premiere and May 12th Theatrical Release Slated For The ImaginAsian Theater

New York, NY (April 11, 2006) – Leading North American anime publisher Central Park Media announced today that the theatrical premiere of its highly anticipated computer-generated monster movie Negadon: The Monster From Mars will take place May 9, 2006 at The ImaginAsian Theater in New York City (239 East 59th Street).  A special triple feature of Negadon, along with Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek and Cat Soup, two additional award-winning Central Park Media films, has been booked for a limited theatrical run at The ImaginAsian Theater from May 12 to 18.  Show times will be posted at www.theimaginasian.com in the near future.

The Negadon NYC premiere will begin with a reception at The ImaginAsian Theater at 7 p.m. on May 9 and be followed by a formal welcome and screening at 8 p.m.  As seating will be limited, CPM asks that any members of the press wishing to attend the theatrical premiere RSVP by no later than April 30.  For members of the press unable to attend the May 9 engagement, CPM will be holding a special press preview at 11 a.m. on April 24 at The ImaginAsian Theater.  DVD screening copies of the film will be available for members of the press who are unable to attend either of the screenings.

Those members of the press who wish to attend either the theatrical premiere or press screening are asked to RSVP at www.negadonattacks.com/press_nyc.cfm. Screener requests will be accepted at this site as well.

About Negadon: The Monster From Mars:
Directed by Jun Awazu from his original script and rendered in staggeringly realistic computer graphics, Negadon: The Monster From Mars pays homage to a wide variety of 1950s and 60s Japanese monster movies such as Godzilla, Mothra, and other classics which first brought global attention to Japan’s then-emerging post-war feature film industry. Negadon is the world’s first completely computer-generated monster movie.  The film was in production for almost three years and required the invention of special rendering algorithms to reproduce a 1950s style look. Unleashed in Japan in October 2005, Negadon won the Outstanding Production Award at the 2006 Digital Contents Grand Prix and was named a Jury Recommended Work at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival. Central Park Media will be releasing Negadon theatrically this spring and this summer on DVD.  Run time: 26 minutes.

For more information about Negadon, visit www.negadonattacks.com.  Visit www.negadonattacks.com/press for the Negadon electronic press kit which contains downloadable artwork, trailers and information.

About Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek:
The first film from the studio YAMATOWORKS, Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek is a revolutionary computer-generated horror film with the look and feel of traditional, hand drawn animation.  Kakurenbo tells the story of a taboo game of hide & seek between children and monsters and a boy, Hikora, who plays this forbidden game to find his sister.  Kakurenbo won the Outstanding Production Award at the 2005 Tokyo Anime Fair and Best Short Film at the 2005 Fantasia Film Festival.  For more on Kakurenbo, visit www.centralparkmedia.com/kakurenbo. Run time: 25 minutes.

About Cat Soup:
When little kitten Nyaako’s soul is stolen by Death, she and her brother Nyatta embark on a bizarre journey to reclaim it. In the surreal dreamscape of the Other Side, they encounter fantastic characters and remarkable, often disturbing adventures. From a hallucinatory sea voyage to a rambunctious carnival, the two kittens travel far from home and discover just how strange life and death can be.  Cat Soup won the Excellence Award at the 2001 Japan Media Arts Festival and Best Short Film at the 2001 Fantasia Film Festival.  For more on Cat Soup, visit www.centralparkmedia.com/catsoup. Run time: 34 minutes.

About Central Park Media:
Central Park Media is a 16-year-old Manhattan-based independent video and book publisher focused on Japanese and Korean animation and graphic novels.  Central Park Media has been a leading supplier of anime in the United States since 1990, and a major publisher of manga since 1994.  The company currently manufactures and distributes animated video programming under several label names, including US Manga Corps, Be Beautiful, Software Sculptors and Central Park Media, as well as live-action Asian feature films under its Asia Pulp Cinema label. 

With exclusive rights to hundreds of graphic novels, the company has become a leading North American publisher of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa.  Among CPM’s fan-favorite graphic novel titles are Lee Hyun Se’s Nambul (the best-selling manhwa in Korean publishing history), and Kia Asamiya’s Dark Angel.  Under its Be Beautiful imprint, the company also publishes popular yaoi manga such as the best-selling Kizuna: Bonds of Love (the best-selling yaoi title in Japanese publishing history).  Visit www.centralparkmedia.com, www.cpmpress.com and www.bebeautifulmanga.com for more information. For high resolution, downloadable artwork and information, please visit CPM’s electronic press kit at www.centralparkmedia.com/cpmdb/presskit.cfm.

About The ImaginAsian:
The ImaginAsian (www.theimaginasian.com) is New York City’s premier Asian American theater, dedicated to showcasing the exciting world of Asian and Asian American cinema and culture.  From international box-office smash hits to critically acclaimed independent films, the theater hosts the best Asian-themed titles hailing from all over Asia and the U.S., with English subtitles provided for all foreign-language films.  Moreover, The ImaginAsian’s state-of-the-art facilities and Asian café provide a unique home to an exciting series of film festivals and cultural performances