Appleseed Ex Machina, also known as E.X. Machina (エクスマキナ, Ekusu Makina?) in the original version, is a 2007 Japanese animated CG film and is the sequel to the 2004 Appleseed film, similarly directed by Shinji Aramaki, and was produced by Hong Kong director and producer John Woo. It was released on October 20, 2007 in Japan and made its American premiere at the Jules Verne Adventures Film Festival in Los Angeles on December 15, 2007. The MPAA has Appleseed Ex Machina rated PG-13 for action/violence and brief strong language, though the first film was rated R for some violence. It was released in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 11, 2008, for DVD and Blu-Ray, and released for HD DVD on April 1, 2008. It was released in Europe on May 30, 2008 on DVD, with HMV releasing a 2-disc DVD special edition box set in Ireland and the UK, while Blu-Ray edition was released on June 2, 2008. In July 2008, the film was released theatrically in Australia as part of an anime film festival screening known as REEL ANIME hosted by Madman Entertainment, however it was the Japanese version. The film was shown theatrically along with other films such as Vexille and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in various selected cinemas throughout the country. The film was released on DVD in Australia in September 2008.