Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima will have its world premiere on AMC Saturday, here’s the details.

NEW YORK, February 6, 2008 – Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood will provide a special introduction to the network television premiere of his critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning 2006 historical war drama LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, starring KEN WATANABE, KAZUNARI NINOMIYA, TSUYOSHI IHARA, RYO KASE and SHIDO NAKAMURA. This prestigious film will air in its original form, without commercial interruption, in Japanese with English subtitles and premieres on Saturday, February 16 at 8PM ET & PT/7C on AMC.

“I was 14 years old when the invasion of Iwo Jima took place,” says Clint Eastwood in the introduction to the network television premiere of LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA shot exclusively for AMC. “I was curious about it, read about it, and at that time in my life I had a great curiosity about General Kuribayashi and what it was like to be sent to that island. The General had spent a lot of time in America and was very fond of our part of the world and then had to defend against it. I hope people walk away with the bigger understanding of the impact of war. Everybody has built a theory about the enemy, and while doing ‘Flags of our Fathers,’ we just thought it might be interesting to approach it from the other side and just see how it felt for Japanese people.”

Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and nominated for four Academy Awards, winning for Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Clint Eastwood’s LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers who defended their homeland against invading American forces. The film is a companion piece to Eastwood’s 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers.

With little defense other than sheer will and the volcanic rock of Iwo Jima itself, the unprecedented tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (KEN WATANABE) and his men transform what was predicted to be a swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic and resourceful combat. Among them are Saigo (KAZUNARI NINOMIYA), a baker who wants only to live to see the face of his newborn daughter; Baron Nishi (TSUYOSHI IHARA), an Olympic Equestrian champion known around the world for his skills and honor; Shimizu (RYO KASE), a young former military policeman whose idealism will be put to test; and Lieutenant Ito (SHIDO NAKAMURA), a strict military man who would rather commit suicide than accept defeat.

Almost 7,000 Americans soldiers were killed on Iwo Jima; more than 20,000 Japanese troops perished. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in letters they sent home and in this taut, gripping film that Rolling Stone calls “unique and unforgettable.”

Warner Bros. Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures present a Malpaso/Amblin Entertainment production, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. The film is directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz. The screenplay is by Iris Yamashita, from a story by Yamashita and Paul Haggis, based on the book “Picture Letters from Commander in Chief” by Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The cinematographer is Tom Stern, BSC, and the production designers are Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami. Joel Cox and Gary Roach are the editors. Music is by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens.