Departures wins coveted Best Foreign Language Oscar

Though we normally aren't ones to toot our own horn (Hey! Get your mind out of the gutter -- we're talking figuratively!) we have to say we're especially happy with last night's Academy Awards. Not only was it the gayest Oscars ever, but Departures, which Regent Releasing, a division of our parent company, Regent Media, will be handling the U.S. distribution for this summer, won the award for Best Foreign Language Film. The Japanese tale about an unemployed classical musician who takes a job in a mortuary beat out other critic and fan favorites Waltz with Bashir (Israel) and The Class (France) to score the coveted award.

Departures recently won several festival awards including the Grand Prix des Ameriques Prize at the 32nd Montreal World Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 28th Hawaii International Film Festival, as well as awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor at the prestigious Golden Rooster Awards in China. Director Yojiro Takita is one of Japan's most accomplished directors, whose works range from such comedic successes as "The Yen Family" and "We Are Not Alone," to the critically acclaimed "When The Last Sword Is Drawn," which won Best Film at the 2004 Japanese Academy Awards.

Check out the trailer below and then see the whole thing when it hits theaters later this year.

Previously > The Gayest Oscars Ever!