DOWN TERRACE on DVD from May 17th

DOWN TERRACE, an English dark comedy by Ben Wheatley, will be released on the Evokative Collection of DVDs this May 17th. This is the 10th release of the collection and its first in the English language.

Father and son Bill and Karl have just been released from jail, but all is not well at Down Terrace. Patriarchs of a small crime family, their business is plagued with infighting: Karl has had more than he can take of his old man's philosophizing and preaching; Bill thinks Karl's dedication to the family is seriously compromised when he takes up with an estranged girlfriend who claims to be carrying his baby; they have to explain the profit drop to the bosses in London and figure out who’s the mole who turned them in. It’s time to clean house. Recrimination, betrayal, murder and a spot of redecorating are quick to follow. Always remember: you’re only as good as the people you know.
DOWN TERRACE breathes new life into the gangster genre by mixing-up family drama in the style of Mike Leigh, The Sopranos’ gangster reality and the body count of a splatter flick, caught with a fly-on-the-wall camera.

The film, shot over only 8 days in Brighton, is a real family affair. The characters Bill and Karl are real life father and son Bob and Robin Hill. Karl’s girlfriend Valda is Robin’s wife Kerry Peacock. Down Terrace is really their family home. This is the first feature film for Brighton-based Ben Wheatley, after writing and directing many animated and live-action short films, sketches and advertisings (some can be seen at mrandmrswheatley.blogspot.com) and work on Channel 4’s Modern Toss and the BBC’s Time Trumpet, Comedy Shuffle, The Wrong Door and Ideal. His following feature film, KILL LIST, recently premiered at SXSW to much buzz. Ben Wheatley wrote DOWN TERRACE with Robin Hill and allowed space for improvisation by the cast, including Julia Deakin (Spaced), David Schaal, Tony Way, Micheal Smiley and Mark Kempner.

DOWN TERRACE won the Next Wave Award for Best Film at Fantastic Fest, the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards, the Jury Prize for Best UK Feature at the Raindance Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize Narrative Feature at the international Film Festival of Boston. The film played to acclaim at many film festivals around the world such as Rotterdam, Glasgow, Belfast, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Puchon, Perth, Melbourne and Espoo. In Canada the film was featured amongst the programming of the Fantasia and Vancouver International film festivals. Ben Wheatley recently won the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards.

The DVD features UK English dialogue with optional Québécois French and Spanish subtitles and English Closed-Captions. An Audio Commentary with Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill, Acting & Camera Tests, an Extended Scene, a Deleted Scene, a Special Effects Featurette, a previous Short Film also starring Bob and Robin Hill and set in the same house, and the Festival Trailer are included as extra features. The DVD packaging is an environmentally-friendly and elegant digipack made of 100% recycled materials and wrapped in a 100% biodegradable cellophane.

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THE MISFORTUNATES on DVD from October 26th

THE MISFORTUNATES (Original title DE HELAASHEID DER DINGEN, French title LA MERDITUDE DES CHOSES), a Flemish tragic comedy, will be released on the Evokative Collection of DVDs this October 26th. Directed by Felix van Groeningen, THE MISFORTUNATES is an adaptation of the best-selling novel “De helaasheid der dingen” (literal translation “The Shittiness of Things”) by Dimitri Verhulst, which was inspired by the author’s childhood experiences.

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 around the world. It was released theatrically in Canada in Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec, Calgary, Vancouver and Saskatoon.

The film is available exclusively on Videotron’s VOD system since October 10th, as part of the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma’s special selection on Illico. The DVD will be available in stores from October 26th.

The DVD features Flemish dialogue with optional English and French subtitles in yellow, as well as a French dub track. The original Making-of, an exclusive interview with the director and the Trailer are available as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with an exclusive Director’s note and a foreword by Colin Geddes (Programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival) and Katarina Gligorijevic. The DVD packaging is an environmentally-friendly and elegant digipack made of 100% recycled materials and wrapped in a 100% biodegradable cellophane.

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PARKING on DVD from June 8th

PARKING, a Taiwanese dramatic comedy, will be released on the Evokative Collection of DVDs this June 8th. PARKING is the first fiction feature by Chung Mong-Hong, who also signed the scenario and cinematography. It stars Chang Chen, who could notably be seen in EROS, 2046 and HAPPY TOGETHER by Wong Kar-wai, as well as RED CLIFF I and II by John Woo and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON by Ang Lee. The film also features Lu-Mei Kwai (SECRET, THE MOST DISTANT COURSE), Leon Dai (BUTTONMAN, SILK), Chapman To (ISABELLA, INFERNAL AFFAIRS I and II), Jack Kao (SHINJUKU INCIDENT, THE SNIPER) and the popular model Peggy Tseng in her first screen role.

On Mother’s Day in Taipei, Chen-Mo makes a dinner date with his wife, hoping to improve their estranged relationship. While buying a cake on his way home, a car double-parks next to his, preventing his exit. For the entire night, Chen-Mo searches the owner of the car and encounters a succession of strange events and eccentric characters: an old couple who has lost their only son, living with their precocious granddaughter; a one-armed barbershop owner cooking fish-head soup; a mainland Chinese prostitute trying to escape her pimp’s cruel clutches; and a Hong-Kong tailor embroiled in debt and threatened by underground loan sharks. Combining the different flavours of drama, comedy, and noir film, PARKING interweaves stories to create a moving and darkly funny film, served up in a superb cinematography that will have you transfixed to the screen.

The film started its career with a selection in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. It distinguished itself at the Golden Horse Festival of Taipei with a Best Art Direction Award and a FIPRESCI Critics Award; at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival with the Best New Talent Award and the Audience Award; and at the !ftanbul International Independent Film Festival of Istanbul with the Most Inspired Film Director Award. The film travelled the world in more than 20 International film festivals, such as the festivals of Bangkok, Pusan, Stockholm and Thessaloniki. It played in Canada at the Montreal World Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Outaouais Film Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release in key Canadian cities.

The DVD features original dialogue in Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien with optional English and French subtitles in yellow. 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.

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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.

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DAYTIME DRINKING on DVD from February 2nd

DAYTIME DRINKING, a South-Korean comedic road-movie, will be released on the Evokative Collection of DVDs this February 2nd. Made on a micro-budget, the film seduced critics and audiences alike in the many film festivals where it played, all rallying behind Variety’s opinion that the film is “proof that a good script and simpatico direction and performances can overcome budgetary restrictions.”

DAYTIME DRINKING is the oeuvre of one man, NOH Young-seok, who took on the roles of Producer, Writer and Director, as well as Cinematographer, Production Designer, Editor and Composer of the Original Soundtrack. It stars SONG Sam-dong (GO GO 70s), YOOK Sang-yeob (HAND PHONE), KIM Kang-hee (ROOMMATES - 4 HORROR TALES) and LEE Ran-hee (WELCOME TO DONGMAKGOL).

On a drunken night out with his friends, a broken-hearted young man gets swayed into going to the countryside with them for a getaway. But when he gets there, he finds that not only have none of them have showed up, but the tiny seaside town is shuttered - no shops are open, no tourists are around, the beach is freezing, and there’s no cell phone signal. Unable to return to Seoul, he finds himself in the company of some very unusual locals and, subject to the rigid rules of Korean drinking culture, on an increasingly strange odyssey nursing a never-ending hangover. Ushering a new era of independent filmmaking in South Korea, DAYTIME DRINKING is a comedy in the spirit of STRANGER THAN PARADISE and SIDEWAYS - but with a distinctly Korean twist.

DAYTIME DRINKING started its festival career at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2008, where it won the JJ-Star Award and the Audience Critics Award, to follow with the Locarno International Film Festival, where it won a Special Mention of the Jury and a NETPAC Award, and the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2009 it followed with the Vesoul Asian Film Festival, where it won an Inalco Jury Award and then, amongst many others, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the SXSW Film Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival.

The DVD features Korean dialogue with optional English and French subtitles in yellow. A making-of, a deleted scene, an alternate take of Hyuk-jin’s nightmare and the original soundtrack are included as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with a Director’s note and a foreword by Grady Hendrix, co-director of the New York Asian Film Festival. 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.

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ADRIFT IN TOKYO on DVD from December 22nd

ADRIFT IN TOKYO, the film that charmed cinema enthusiasts during its limited theatrical release last spring and has already built a mini cult following, will finally be released on Evokative Collection DVDs this December 22nd.

ADRIFT IN TOKYO (TEN-TEN) is a Japanese film written and directed by Satoshi Miki (INSTANT SWAMP, TURTLES ARE SURPRISINGLY FAST SWIMMERS, DIE AND LET LIVE, IN THE POOL), based on a novel by Naoki Prize winner Yoshinaga Fujita. This walking road movie stars the “Johnny Depp of Japan” Jô Odagiri (AIR DOLL, HAZARD, RETRIBUTION), Tomokazu Miura (ALWAYS: SUNSET ON THIRD STREET, SURVIVE STYLE 5+, THE TASTE OF TEA) and Kyôto Koizumi (TOKYO SONATA, SAKURAN, SURVIVE STYLE 5+).

Leading a lazy life, Fumiya has been a university student for 8 years and owes money to loan sharks. One day, a man named Fukuhara comes to collect the loan, which Fumiya cannot pay. So Fukuhara makes a proposition: He will cancel the debt as long as Fumiya agrees to walk with him across Tokyo to the police station of Kasumigaseki, where he intends to turn himself in for a crime he deeply regrets. Not having much choice, Fumiya accepts the deal. Thus begins their journey which will lead them to various unusual encounters, most of all with themselves. This fascinating, humorous and wildly clever film is sure to charm you.

In 2008, ADRIFT IN TOKYO garnered praise following its screenings at the Udine Far East Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, the Neufchâtel Fantastic Film Festival, the Raindance Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, for which it was the closing film. It was also part of the Edmonton International Film Festival last fall. Besides being hailed as a masterpiece by some critics and being featured in many Best-films-of-2008 lists, ADRIFT IN TOKYO won the Kinema Junpo Award for the Best Supporting Actor, as well as the Best Scenario Award and a Special Mention of the jury for Jô Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura’s acting at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

The DVD features Japanese dialogue with optional English and French subtitles in yellow. A 71-minutes Making-of and two original Japanese TV ads are included as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with an interview with the Director, a foreword by Todd Brown, Editor of Twitchfilm, and ADRIFT IN TOKYO Words of “wisdom”, a compilation of funny and absurd lines from the film. 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.

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Sion Sono’s HAZARD on DVD from July 14th!

Canadian lovers of the Japanese cinema provocateur Sion Sono will finally have the chance to see his New York adventure HAZARD on DVD. Written and directed by Sion Sono (SUICIDE CLUB, NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE, STRANGE CIRCUS, EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS, LOVE EXPOSURE), the film debuted Joe Odagiri (ADRIFT IN TOKYO, RETRIBUTION, SHINOBI), now a Japanese star actor, as well as Jai West (LOVE EXPOSURE, BIG BANG LOVE, JUVENILE A) and Motoki Fukami (CROWS: EPISODE 0).

Shin is a Japanese university student longing to escape his meaningless existence. One day he discovers a book titled "Dangerous Ways to Walk the World" which talks about the hazards of New York City. Shin immediately jets off in search of danger and adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the harsh realities of the city. After being mugged for eveything he's got, Shin is befriended by Lee and Takeda, two Japanese-American punks who school him in the ways of crime. It's not long before Shin joins them and starts taking on all comers; robbing, stealing, and celebrating his new found freedom in New York City.

An anarchic adventure taking place in the pre-Giuliani New-York of 1991, HAZARD was filmed on location with a small budget, often with guerilla-style camerawork. Although filmed in 2002, it was only released domestivally in Japan in 2005 and was programmed in a few festivals, such as the New York Asian Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival, in 2007.

The DVD features Japanese and English dialogue with optional English and French subtitles. A Making-of (in Japanese only) and an Exclusive Video Interview with Sion Sono, produced by Evokative Films, are included as extra features. The packaging includes a booklet with an interview with the Director and a foreword by Chris MaGee, founder of the Toronto J-Film Pow-wow blog, specialised in Japanese films. 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.

It is to be noted that Sion Sono’s latest opus, the 4-hours-long LOVE EXPOSURE, will have its Canadian Premiere on July 11th and 12th at the Fantasia International Film Festival. This film was celebrated at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, where Sono was awarded the Caligari Film Award and the Fipresci Prize. This week the film also won the Grand Jury Prize at the New York Asian Film Festival.

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