ADV FILMS SETS RELEASE DATE FOR NOIR: DEATH WARRANT

FOURTH VOLUME OF SMASH-HIT ANIME SERIES TO BE AVAILABLE JUNE 24, 2003

HOUSTON, March 20, 2003—ADV Films today announced a release date of June 24, 2003 for NOIR: Death Warrant, the fourth DVD volume of the widely acclaimed, huge-selling anime thriller.

The series, which premiered in Japan in 2001, was directed by Koichi Mashimo (Dirty Pair, Dominion). Viewers praise NOIR’s spectacular animation, the use of music, its exotic settings (largely in western Europe) and an enduringly complex storyline, based on a relationship between a duo of female assassins who cannot trust one another, but who need each other to survive. Critics have favorably compared NOIR to such genre-defining live-action suspense films as The Professional and La Femme Nikita.

The story:
In a world where no one is what they seem, faith and trust become the key objectives and ultimate goal. Driven by the machinations of the mysterious Chloe, Altena and an all new crime family, Kirika and Mireille must fight for their lives both at home and abroad as the action explodes across the globe. Yet even as the mystery surrounding the origins of Noir slowly begins to give up its clues, the two assassins find themselves being driven apart, both by conflicting emotions and by conflicting goals. The survival of Noir is at stake in the fourth tension-filled volume of NOIR.

NOIR: Death Warrant (SRP $29.98) is a DVD-only release including four complete episodes. The DVD offers both English- and Japanese-language versions, with English subtitles. Extras include an interview with Kotono Mitsuishi, production sketches, clean opening and closing animation, original Japanese promo spots and ADV previews.

About ADV Films:
In 1992, ADV Films (ADV) began to forge the international market for Japanese animation (“anime”) by combining unique titles, outstanding production values and efficient large-scale distribution. Today, ADV is the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation to the North American market, with the firm’s holdings including such premier titles as Spriggan, Sailor Moon, Samurai X, Medabots, Robotech, Gasaraki and Neon Genesis Evangelion. ADV has also expanded into other forms of genre programming, including live-action science fiction programs Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and Farscape, and classic science fiction such as Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. ADV’s corporate parent, A.D. Vision, Inc., publishes Newtype USA, the premiere anime and manga monthly in the English-speaking world, and operates The Anime Network, broadcasting anime and anime-related programming via digital cable, 24 hours a day. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA, with additional offices in the EU and Japan, and distribution on four continents, ADV is fast becoming an international entertainment powerhouse. For more information, visit ADV on the web at http://www.advfilms.com.