[04/09/24 - 10:01 AM] Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original Documentary "The Contestant" This true story of a Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing, prompts innumerable questions about our culture of oversharing.
[via press release from Hulu]
TRAILER & KEY ART DEBUT: Hulu Original Documentary THE CONTESTANT
The incredible true story will premiere Thursday, May 2, only on Hulu.
SYNOPSIS: This true story of a Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing, prompts innumerable questions about our culture of oversharing.
Before the onslaught of reality television in the West, there was an ominous harbinger in Japan of what was to come in our oversharing-obsessed culture. "The Contestant" traces the experience of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, nicknamed Nasubi, who unwittingly became an extreme case study.
In 1998, Nasubi thought he was attending an audition when a successful Japanese TV producer, Toshio Tsuchiya, enlisted him to take part in a challenge. Tsuchiya led Nasubi into a room, ordered him to strip naked and left him with a stack of magazines. Nasubi's task was to fill out contest coupons in order to win what he needed to survive - food, clothing, appliances, etc. - until he reached the prize goal of one million yen.
Although Nasubi could have left at any time, he stayed for months with a fierce determination to complete his mission. He was cut off from all contact with his family and the world except for occasional interactions with Tsuchiya.
What Nasubi didn't realize was that his experiences were being broadcast to over 15 million people in a TV show called "Denpa Shonen: A Life in Prizes." Without his knowledge or consent, Nasubi became the most famous television personality in Japan.
While parts of Nasubi's infamy have been recounted before on YouTube and "This American Life," director Clair Titley and producer Megumi Inman bring a revelatory depth of insight by interviewing Nasubi, Tsuchiya, and others close to them. The filmmakers explore further twists in Nasubi's life after "Denpa Shonen" to deliver one of the most WTF stories of the year.
CREDITS: "The Contestant" is written and directed by Clair Titley. The film is produced by Megumi Inman, Andee Ryder and Ian Bonhôte for Misfits Entertainment, and Amit Dey for MRC. Fred Armisen narrates, along with Takehiro Hira. The film is edited by Rachel Meyrick and Katie Bryer, with original music by Nainita Desai. The director of photography is Mikul Villaluna Eriksson.
[05/29/24 - 05:01 PM] Video: "The Whirlwind" - Official Teaser - Netflix A whirlwind clash ensues when a deputy prime minister of economy stands against the prime minister who aims to uproot the corrupt powers that be.
[05/29/24 - 09:01 AM] Video: "Owning Manhattan" - Official Trailer - Netflix Real estate mogul Ryan Serhant leads one of the biggest firms in New York and pushes his agents to greatness while tackling the most expensive listings.
[05/29/24 - 09:01 AM] Video: "Origin" - Official Trailer - Hulu Based on the true life and book by Isabel Wilkerson, one women experiences living and learning the hardest truths surrounding racism's painful global history.
[05/29/24 - 07:00 AM] Video: Prime Video Releases Official Trailer and Key Art for "Power of the Dream" The new documentary film is about the empowering and unlikely true story of how a group of professional women's basketball players took on a WNBA team owner and rallied behind now-Senator Raphael Warnock, forever changing the landscape of their sport and the course of U.S. politics.