BLACK on DVD from April 6th

BLACK, a French heist film, will be released on the Evokative Collection of DVDs this April 6th. Directed by Pierre Laffargue, the film stars the French rapper MC Jean Gab’1 (Banlieue 13), Carole Karemera, François Levantal and Anton Yakovlev. BLACK was filmed on location in Paris and Senegal through a Chic Films (A Prophet) production.

Black, a Senegalese bank-robber born and raised in France, is getting over a disastrous heist in which he lost nearly all of his men. He’s seriously thinking of going straight when his cousin Lamine calls him from Dakar: a briefcase full of contraband diamonds has just been deposited in the bank where he works. Thinking this will be an unbelievably easy coup, Black assembles a new gang and quickly flies to Africa. What they haven’t planned, however, is that they are far from being the only ones interested in that briefcase. The corrupt director of the bank, an arm dealer suffering from suppurating psoriasis, a gang of mercenaries from Chechnya and an Interpol agent are also set to get their hands on those diamonds.

This heist film filled with action, peppered with comedy, blaxploitation influences, African mysticism and paced to a funky soundtrack first had its World Premiere in the Fantastic Fest section of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin TX, where it seduced both the audience and critics. Screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival and London’s Film4 FrightFest followed last summer. In Canada, BLACK was first introduced at the Fantasia International Film Festival (where it won 3rd place of the Public’s Prize in the Best American or European Film category) and at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. It was released theatrically in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Ottawa.

The DVD features French dialogue with optional English subtitles in yellow. The French Making-of, a Documentary about MC Jean Gab'1 coming to Montreal, a Capsule about the Canadian Premiere at Fantasia and the Trailer are included as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with an exclusive Director’s note and a foreword by Tim League, founder of the Alamo Theatres and co-founder of the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. In accordance with the innovative vocation of Evokative, the DVD packaging is an environmentally-friendly and elegant digipack made of 100% recycled materials and wrapped in a 100% biodegradable cellophane.

Posted in DVD Releases

THE MISFORTUNATES in theatres across Canada from March 19th!

Evokative Films is very pleased to announce the theatrical release of Felix van Groeningen’s THE MISFORTUNATES (DE HELAASHEID DER DINGEN). The film will debut in Montreal on March 19th at the AMC Forum Theatre with a Flemish with English subtitles print and at the Cinéma Beaubien with a Flemish with French subtitles print. THE MISFORTUNATES will then go on to play in Toronto from April 9th at the Canada Square Theatre (venue may change), in Ottawa from April 30th at the Mayfair Theatre and in Vancouver from May 14th at the Cinemark Tinseltown Theatre. Other engagements throughout Canada will follow.

Gunther Strobbe is a 13-year-old boy who lives in his grandmother's house in a small Belgian town with his alcoholic father and three uncles. Life in the household is clearly dysfunctional, yet it's hard to condemn the Strobbes. Their hearts are in the right place – it's just that they can't seem to help turning everything around them into an unmitigated disaster. The Strobbes enter drinking contests, ride bicycles naked, teach vulgar songs to little girls and end up in hospital, then head right back to the bar the next day. Gunther is an observer in this broken home that reeks of cigarette smoke, spilled beer and sweat-stained clothes. He participates in his drunken uncles' shenanigans only to fit in, hiding his true passion for writing. The Strobbes will make you laugh your eyes out and cry out loud.

THE MISFORTUNATES was chosen to represent Belgium in the race for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2010 Oscars. It was also 2009’s biggest box-office hit of Belgium. The film had its World Premiere in the Director’s Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival in 2009, where it got a special mention from the Art Cinema Jury. It then went on to play at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hamptons Film Festival, where it got the Awards for Best Film, Best Script and Best Cinematography and the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montréal, amongst many others. It has also been selected to be part of the programming of the upcoming Outaouais Film Festival, where it will screen with French subtitles on March 13th and 15th.

Posted in Theatrical Releases