The Anime News Network is reporting that ADV Films has acquired the rights to a feature-length anime film from Makoto Shinkai, the creator of Voices of a Distant Star, a short, poetic science fiction OAV that he made almost entirely by himself on his Apple G4 computer (see 'The Future of Anime').  The Place Promised in Our Early Days is a 91-minute anime feature that will open in Japanese theaters next month.  In his new film Shinkai explores another form of science fiction, alternate history, with a story set in different post World War II timeline in which Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido is controlled by the Soviet Union, while the rest of Japan is occupied by the U.S.  Three teenager living on the northern most shore of the U.S. zone spot an enormous tower being constructed on the southern shore of Hokkaido, and the story unfolds as the kids attempt to discover the secrets of the tower.

ADV has not set a firm price or release date for The Place Promised in Our Early Days, but a spokesman told the Anime News Network that the film would be released in 2005.