Claim: Regent Releasing was a theatrical distribution company that focused on independent films from around the world including the film Departures ( a 2008 Japanese drama film).
Evidence: Regent Releasing was a U.S. theatrical distribution company based in Los Angeles, California, under the umbrella of Regent Entertainment, which was owned by producers Paul Colichman (formerly of IRS Media) and Stephen P. Jarchow. Focusing on narrow releases of independent films from around the world and from U.S. filmmakers, Regent's successes include such Academy Award-winning films as Departures, Best Foreign Language film from Japan; Gods and Monsters, starring Ian McKellen; Sordid Lives, starring Olivia Newton-John, Delta Burke, and Leslie Jordan; Franco Zeffirelli's Callas Forever, starring Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons and Joan Plowright; and The Hunting of the President, producer Harry Thomason's documentary based on the book about the right-wing conspiracy to destroy Bill Clinton. Departures (Japanese: おくりびと, Hepburn: Okuribito, "one who sends off") is a 2008 Japanese drama film directed by Yōjirō Takita and starring Masahiro Motoki, Ryōko Hirosue, and Tsutomu Yamazaki.