FILM DISTRIBUTION, noun: the process of trawling the depths of film markets and festivals worldwide for awesome movies, acquiring them, and putting them on cinema screens and DVD shelves. This blog is from the industry perspective, written by Jill Macnab, head of Film Distribution for Vendetta Films NZ.
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One of the big perks of my job is getting to see a ton of movies before they get released anywhere, and also getting to see a ton of movies that won’t ever release in NZ.
Unfortunately it’s a reality of the business that some of the very best films won’t make much money and won’t get a release here. So on the flip side, one of the worst parts of my job is seeing a wonderful film but having to make the decision not to acquire it because it doesn’t make commercial sense.
Here are ten films which I saw last year that I’m very happy to say will be getting a release in some form or other this year, and I urge you to see them.
Monsieur Lazhar
This movie is Canada’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film and tells of an Algerian man getting over his family’s death. He moves to Quebec and takes up a teaching post with a class getting over the suicide of their teacher. An excellent character study, this has so much soul and heart to it, it’s hard not to love. The kids are exceptional young actors, and their journey dealing with what would usually be an adult situation is played out beautifully.
Monsieur Lazhar will be released in 2012.
You, Instead
From David Mackenzie, the Scottish director of Perfect Sense with Ewan McGregor and Eva Green (releasing on DVD in March), this is the story of a couple who don’t know each other, but are handcuffed together by a mischevious mate at a music festival. One’s a performer, one just a gig-goer. This was filmed over a single weekend at T In The Park music festival in Balado, Scotland, and the buzz of all the real festival goers and the excellent soundtrack (let’s hope music clearances allow them to keep all the songs intact) are completely infectious. Loads of fun.
Hopscotch will release You, Instead in 2012.
Omar Killed Me (Omar M’a Tuer)
This dramatisation of a true story tells of a lady in her mature years, murdered in her basement, having apparently scrawled the title’s message on the wall with her blood before succumbing to death. Problem is, she got the spelling wrong (for any francophiles or pedants, it should be ‘Omar m’a tué’) and she was a very sophisticated and educated lady who would never have made this elementary mistake, even close to death. The ‘Omar’ of the title was her gardener, an immigrant from Morocco, who was immediately detained and charged with her murder. The story follows the case through the courts and is a compelling and damning indictment of the French justice system, and the film has rightly earned its place on the Oscar shortlist for Best Foreign Film (Morocco).
Omar Killed Me will be released in 2012.
Guilty
Another French-language movie about the inequalities and inefficiencies of the justice system (is it that I’m drawn to these, or is it that there’s a movement going on in France right now to make this type of movie?). This is the movie which has stayed with me the most over the past year, it is quite simply incredible. It has, however, the most horrific premise of anything you’ll see this year (perhaps aside from The Human Centipede’s inevitable next chapter), made even worse by the fact that it’s another true story: a French couple are accused of pedophilia and trafficking their own children. With no proof or basis in fact, they are sent to hell and back by the courts. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the viewer, and has to be seen to be believed.
Aztec will release Guilty in 2012, under the altered title ‘Presumed Guilty’.
Dirty Girl
Juno Temple is definitely on the up. One of the most fun movies I saw this year, Juno’s character Danielle is a teen girl heading off on a road trip to find her real father. Joining her is closet gay BFF Clarke and their flour baby project from school, named Joan. Great script, great acting, great soundtrack. Another winner from a first-time director, no doubt Abe Sylvia’s next film won’t be an independent release.
Roadshow (via The Weinstein Company) will release Dirty Girl in 2012.
Hell
This title has a double-meaning in its original language, with the translation of ‘hell’ being ‘light’ or ‘bright’, and those clever Germans also understanding the English meaning of the word. So it’s a great title which gives an immediate understanding of what you might be about to see. The characters live in a post-apocalyptic world where the sun has become so hot, the world has dried up to become a desert of sorts, and survival is the main focus for everyone. Perhaps I’m biased due to re-discovering the original 1970s BBC series Survivors last year, but I loved this. The bleached out cinematography and excellent acting make this first-time director’s movie a must-see.
Madman will release Hell in 2012.
Clown
This is the funniest comedy I saw all year, aside from The Inbetweeners. A spin-off from a Danish TV series, with a Curb Your Enthusiasm style to it, we follow Frank and Casper, two unlikely friends heading off for a weekend camping and canoeing. It’s really just an excuse for Casper to have a holiday without his girlfriend tagging along, so that he can find as many women as possible to have sex with. Frank then spoils those plans when he brings along his young nephew Bo for the trip. Hilarity ensues, but anything I write here would both spoil the jokes, and not live up to how funny it actually all is, so I’ll leave you to see for yourself.
Vendetta and 2Brothers will release Clown in 2012.
Margin Call
This film has had a lot of buzz on its release overseas, including talk of Oscar nominations, and rightly so. We follow an excellent cast of Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Simon Baker and Penn Badgley (phew, what a cast!) as they have a complete meltdown over a 24-hour period in an investment bank in New York. To Joe Bloggs on the street, creating a relative ease of understanding of the hugely complex financial crisis, this film is both smart and important. Coming from a first time filmmaker too, an incredible achievement.
Becker will release Margin Call in 2012.
Sleep Tight
From one of the directors of [REC], this movie provides the scares and creepiness you’d expect. A young woman, Clara, lives in her apartment alone, with her boyfriend working in another city. Her building’s concierge, César, helps her with DIY and daily tasks, and makes her life a little easier. What Clara doesn’t know is that César also hides in her apartment every night, under her bed, so that he can be closer to her. The actions of the clearly psychotic César are so chilling that this movie grips you with a visceral fear very unlike your everyday thriller. I’m told that women are much more affected by it than men, and it definitely made me check under the bed that night.
Rialto and Vendetta will release Sleep Tight in 2012.
Carré Blanc
The only film on my list I’m unsure of the release plan for, but I had to include it. Definitely the craziest film I saw last year, filled with off the wall moments that leave you completely confused and wondering what just happened. A ‘1984’ of sorts where the characters live in a bleak, grey world, living only to work, reproduce and, bizarrely and symbolically, play croquet. Saying too much will spoil this one.
Fingers crossed for a release in 2012.
