Film Movement, the New York-based film distributor of first-run, award-winning independent and foreign films, is proud to announce its 2016 Film Movement Classics line-up today, which includes films from an array of auteurs and features various genres, such as sci-fi, thrillers, yakuza and period films.
Japanese actor/director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano’s acclaimed first two films as a director, VIOLENT COP and BOILING POINT, lead the list, as well as a new 4K restoration of Wolf Gremm’s cult classic KAMIKAZE 89, starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder in his last film role, and Marleen Gorris’ ANTONIA’S LINE, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Academy Award win. Other titles include Italian director Ettore Scola’s Cannes-winning film, UGLY, DIRTY AND BAD (originally released as DOWN AND DIRTY in the U.S.); Bille August’s THE BEST INTENTIONS (with a screenplay by Ingmar Bergman); Lee Tamahori’s ONCE WERE WARRIORS; and Geoffrey Murphy’s post-apocalyptic THE QUIET EARTH.
All films will be available for theatrical runs and retrospective screenings and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD with newly commissioned essays and bonus material in 2016.
Film Movement, a multi-platform distribution company, launched its Classics imprint this year. Films already released on both Blu-ray and DVD include Peter Greenaway’s THE PILLOW BOOK; Yves Robert’s TALL BLOND MAN WITH ONE BLACK SHOE, Liliana Cavani’s FRANCESCO, and Eric Rohmer’s THE MARQUISE OF O… and FULL MOON IN PARIS.
“We’re pleased to be releasing such strong and diverse titles under Film Movement Classics, bringing these out-of-print titles back to theaters, digital platforms and home video,” said Michael E. Rosenberg, President of Film Movement, “and we plan to continue to build our Classics catalog in the coming years.”
Below, please find descriptions of the 2016 Film Movement Classics line-up (alphabetical order):
ANTONIA’S LINE (Marleen Gorris, 1995, Netherlands, Dutch, 102 min) – In the aftermath of WWII, strong-willed Antonia returns to her small hometown where she has inherited her mother’s farm. Antonia, joined by her free-spirited artist daughter Danielle, ingratiate themselves with the town’s tight-knit and eccentric community. As the years unfold, love and tragedy come to Antonia and Danielle and the pair foster a vibrant circle of strong, liberated women. ANTONIA’S LINE won the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film, 1996 and will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of this win in 2016.
THE BEST INTENTIONS (Bille August, 1992, Sweden, Swedish, 182 min) – Swedish master Ingmar Bergman penned this loving tribute to his parent’s epic romance. In 1909, poor, idealistic theology student Henrik Bergman falls in love with Anna Åkerbloom, the intelligent, educated daughter of a rich family in Uppsala. After their wedding Henrik becomes a priest in the north of Sweden. Urbane Anna can’t stand living in the rural county and grows increasingly restless. She returns to Uppsala and the couple’s love and commitment are put to the test.
BOILING POINT (Takeshi Kitano, 1990, Japan, Japanese, 97 min) – In the second film from action auteur Takeshi “Beat” Kitano, two members of a Japanese junior baseball team get mixed up with the local yakuza after their coach is attacked by gangsters. The pair gets more than they bargained for when they travel to Okinawa seeking revenge in this violent and strangely humorous revolutionary take on the yakuza picture.
KAMIKAZE 89 (Wolf Gremm, 1982, Germany, German, 106 min) – In his last acting role, legendary director Rainer Werner Fassbinder plays Jansen, an expert cop living in a dystopic future (and clad in a sharp leopard skin jacket) where a mysterious organization known as The Combine controls all media. After The Combine’s headquarters receives several bomb threats, Jansen is tasked with infiltrating the nefarious conglomerate. This cult classic features a soundtrack by Edgar Froese of Tangerine Dream and an array of New German Cinema stars, including Brigitte Mira (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul), Frank Ripploh (Taxi Zum Klo), and Gunter Kaufmann (The Marriage of Maria Braun).
ONCE WERE WARRIORS (Lee Tamahori, 1994, New Zealand, English, 102 min) – Jake Heke lives with his family in a tenement house for native Maori in the slums of Auckland. Despite his love and devotion, Jake’s battle with alcoholism frequently results in terrifyingly erratic outbursts in front of his children and violent beatings of his wife Beth. After Jake loses his job, each member of the Heke family is forced to face their own personal demons and the societal constraints that shackle native New Zealanders.
THE QUIET EARTH (Geoff Murphy, 1985, New Zealand, English, 91 min) – In this sci-fi cult classic, Zac Hobson, a mid-level scientist working on a global energy project, wakes up to a nightmare. After his project malfunctions, Zac discovers that he may be the last man on Earth. As he searches empty cities for other survivors, Zac’s mental state begins to deteriorate – culminating in the film’s iconic and hotly debated ending.
UGLY, DIRTY, AND BAD (Ettore Scola, 1976, Italy, Italian, 116 min) – Acclaimed Italian auteur Ettore Scola (celebrating his 85th birthday in 2016) pairs up with legendary actor Nino Manfredi in this irreverent Cannes-winning grotesque comedy. Giacinto (Manfredi), along with four generations of his sprawling, crooked clan, lives in a cramped, dilapidated home on the outskirts of Rome. When a work accident leaves him blind in one eye, the derelict suddenly finds himself rolling in insurance money. Refusing to share the wealth, Giacinto’s relatives concoct several harebrained plots in hopes of wrenching the riches away.
VIOLENT COP (Takeshi Kitano, 1989, Japan, Japanese, 103 min) – In his directorial debut, and one of his first dramatic roles, writer/director Takeshi “Beat” Kitano plays Detective Azuma, a hostile cop who’s not afraid of using violent means to catch his culprits. When his sister is kidnapped by a sadistic drug lord, Azuma’s Dirty Harry-style tactics escalate in his quest for vengeance in this stunningly innovative cops-and-robbers thriller.
