Metreon—A Sony Entertainment Center Presents the First Annual Metreon Festival of Anime

Business Wire, Oct 8, 2001

Entertainment Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Oct. 8, 2001

Bandai Entertainment, ADV Films and Viz Communications, Inc. Join Metreon in Celebrating Japanese Anime & Manga Culture with First Major

Festival of its Kind in Bay Area

Sony's Popular AIBO(R) Entertainment Robot will Unveil

its New Model

Metreon(R)--A Sony Entertainment Center in San Francisco, announced that Metreon will host the first annual Metreon Festival of Anime the weekend of October 27-28 inside Metreon's Action Theatre attraction. Anime, or Japanese animation, is one of the hottest new entertainment options among teens and young adults around the globe. The Metreon Festival of Anime will take place in conjunction with the Big Apple Anime Fest scheduled for the same weekend in New York City.

"Anime is a film art that is experiencing extraordinary popularity right now in the Bay Area," explained Eva Miranda, senior vice president and general manager of Metreon. "Metreon is San Francisco's best venue to hold this exciting celebration, and we invite everyone - longtime anime fans or those not yet familiar with this Japanese art form - to come to our festival and experience a full weekend in celebration of anime."

The Metreon Festival of Anime is a unique opportunity for anime fans to gather in an energetic, social atmosphere. Throughout Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28, hundreds of festival attendees will have the opportunity to view screenings, participate in interactive workshops and join lively panel discussions. They will also be able to purchase the latest anime & manga (comics) products at Action Theatre on Metreon's second floor and enjoy exclusive Big Apple Anime Fest programming simultaneously with fans in New York City.

Metreon is partnering with Sony's Animax channel, as well as anime authorities Bandai Entertainment, ADV Films and Viz Communications, Inc. to provide exciting, top-notch anime entertainment for the Festival. Throughout the two-day event, fans will have a chance to watch Sony Pictures' "The Making of Metropolis", Bandai Entertainment's "Love Hina" and the U.S. premiere of "G-Saviour", and ADV Film's "Princess Nine: First Inning" and "Robotech: The Masters - A New Threat." The Festival will also feature an Anime Lounge hosted by ADV Films presenting all the latest music from Sony Music Imports and a Festival Party presented by Viz, featuring karaoke, local DJs and a Cosplay costume contest.

The Metreon Festival of Anime costs $25 through October 19 and $30 tickets will be available at the door. Price of admission includes 25 hours of anime screenings, the Festival Party presented by Viz, free gaming at Metreon's Airtight Garage (600 points), Cosplay costume contest, and insider panel discussions on timely anime issues with representatives from Bandai Entertainment, Viz, and San Jose-based No Name Anime, the premier anime club in the Bay Area. Also featured are how-to-draw manga workshops by Copic, an Anime Lounge hosted by ADV Films, and special offers and prizes. At the Festival, Sony's entertainment robot AIBO(R) will unveil its new cousins "LATTE" and "MACARON" and all festival attendees will be automatically entered to win a robot of their very own.

Metreon(R) is a business unit of Sony Corporation of America. Since opening in San Francisco on June 16, 1999, Metreon has received more than 13 million visitors. The 350,000 square foot center features a 15-screen cineplex - San Francisco's largest motion picture theatre complex, regularly rated among the top attended theatres in the country. Metreon is also home to North America's largest IMAX Theatre, nine Bay Area-based restaurants, several unique shopping destinations that include Sony Style, PlayStation(R), microsoft(R)SF, Discovery Channel Store: Destination San Francisco, and specialty retail shops and kiosks. For more information about Metreon, please call (415) 369-6000 or visit its Web site at http://www.metreon.com.

About Bandai Entertainment

Bandai Entertainment Inc. is the premier distributor of Japanese animation on home video in North America - Distributing critically acclaimed features such as "Mobile Suit Gundam", "Escaflowne(R)", "Cowboy Bebop", and "The Big O". Bandai Entertainment's most recent release, "Mobile Suit Gundam" is one of the highest rated shows on Cartoon Network's Toonami block. Bandai Entertainment Inc. is a subsidiary of Bandai America Inc., toy manufacturer for the FOX hit television series, "Power Rangers" and "Digimon". Please visit www.bandai-ent.com for more information.

About ADV Films

ADV Films, the premiere label of A.D.Vision, Inc. formed in 1992, is North America's No.1 distributor of top-of-the-line Japanese animation ("anime"), with titles such as "Sailor Moon", "Samurai X" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion." ADV Films, along with distributing top-quality, computer-animated titles such as "ReBoot(R)" and "Shadowraiders(TM)", and science fiction hits like "Farscape(TM)", also produces American and Japanese live-action programming for theatrical and broadcast release. Check out ADV Films on the web at www.advfilms.com.