Richard Gere's 'Hachiko,' filmed in R.I., to open Dec. 18

Published Oct. 20, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.

Providence Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Richard Gere walks by crew members during the making of his movie, Hachiko: A Dog's Story, outside the train station in downtown Woonsocket in February 2008...

Hachiko: A Dog's Story, which Richard Gere filmed in Rhode Island in the winter of 2008, is set for a nationwide release Dec. 18.

A spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Film & TV Office said that the filmmakers have been contacted in hopes of holding a premiere in Providence, but so far have heard nothing.

Much of the filming for the film was done in Woonsocket, wrapping up in February 2008.

The film is based on a true story that happened in Japan in the 1920s. It's about a faithful dog who accompanied his professor-owner to the railway station every day and continued to do so after his owner's death. The people were so moved by the dog's faithfulness that they built a statue to him at the Shibuya train station.

Hachiko opened in Japan in August. It had its U.S. premiere in June at the Seattle Film Festival. Gere recently took the film to the Rome Film Festival in Italy.

For a look at the film a different viewpoint, see the Japanese version of its official Web site...

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