DELIVER US FROM EVIL from September 7th and 10th in Montreal

After its Canadian Premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and its Quebec Premiere at the 2010 Fantasia International Film Festival, DELIVER US FROM EVIL (French title DÉLIVREZ-NOUS DU MAL, original Danish title FRI OS FRA DET ONDE) will finally start its Canadian tour of theatres from September 7th at the Quartier Latin Theatre with a French subtitled copy and from September 10th at the AMC Forum Theatre with an English subtitled copy.

Lars and Johannes are brothers with very little in common. Johannes is a high-powered lawyer with a beautiful wife and two children; Lars is a truck driver and a drunken brute who beats his girlfriend. Having returned to his hometown in the country, Johannes hopes for a less hectic, more genuine lifestyle. But trouble is underfoot when Lars runs over a woman with his truck. He sees only one way out: put the blame on Alain, a Bosnian refugee with impaired mental functions. But when Lars, the God-fearing husband of the victim, and his friends close in on the Bosnian, Johannes stands up for the man and shelters him. Undeterred, the violent, drunken horde makes its way to Johannes’ secluded house, where the family and Alain fear for their lives. When words no longer suffice to contain the madness, a siege begins, in which unchained anarchy dictates a scenario of terror… DELIVER US FROM EVIL is a piercing insight into human nature driven berserk.

Written and Directed by Ole Bornedal (NIGHTWATCH, I AM DINA, THE SUBSTITUTE, JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY), the film stars Lasse Rimmer (a famous Danish Stand-up comedian and TV personality), Lene Nystrøm (in her first film role and part of the pop band Aqua), Jens Andersen (ANJA & VIKTOR - FLAMING LOVE, POLLE FICTION), Pernille Vallentin (JUST LIKE HOME, NORDKRAFT) and Mogens Pedersen (in his first role).

The Danish social thriller was awarded the Best Motion Picture Award in the Noves Vision section of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, a Special Award of the Jury at the Fantasporto International Film Festival, Bodil Awards (from the Danish National Association of Film Critics) for Best Supporting Actor (Jens Andersen) and Best Supporting Actress (Pernille Vallentin), as well as the Best Supporting Actress Award (Pernille Vallentin) at the Copenhagen Robert Festival. Over the last year, DELIVER US FROM EVIL was also part of the programming of the Halifax Atlantic Film Festival, the Hamptons Film Festival, the Pusan International Film Festival, the Tallin Black Nights Film Festival, the Istanbul International Film Festival and the Danger After Dark section of the Philadelphia Film Festival, amongst many others.

Posted in Theatrical 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

PARKING at the AMC Forum Theatre from November 6th!

After its acquisition at last year’s Asian Film Market in Pusan and an impressive tour of International film festivals, Evokative Films is very happy to finally offer the Taiwanese dramatic comedy PARKING. The film will be screening from November 6th at the AMC Forum theatre in its original version (Cantonese, Mandarin and Hokkien) with English subtitles, for a duration of 2 weeks. It will then go on to play in Toronto.

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.

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.

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 20 International film festivals, such as the festivals of Bangkok, Pusan, Stockholm and Thessaloniki. It could be seen in Canada at the Montreal World Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Ottawa Film Festival.

Posted in Theatrical Releases

BLACK Premiere at Toronto After Dark and on the big screen starting August 28th!

Evokative Films would like to highlight the Toronto Premiere of BLACK at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which will precede its theatrical release at the AMC Yonge & Dundas theatre from August 28th. The premiere will take place on August 15th at 8:15pm at the Bloor Cinema and will be hosted by Director Pierre Laffargue and Co-Producer Lauranne Bourrachot.

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.

After its World Premiere in the Fantastic Fest section of the SXSW Film Festival in Austin TX, this heist film filled with action, peppered with comedy, blaxploitation influences, African mysticism and paced to a funky soundtrack, seduced both the audience and critics. A screening at the Seattle International Film Festival followed in June. This month of July saw the Canadian Premiere of BLACK at the Fantasia International Film Festival followed by its theatrical release in Montreal. This month, BLACK will also be screening at London’s Film4 FrightFest. More Canadian festivals and limited theatrical releases will follow this fall.

Posted in Theatrical Releases

BLACK Premiere at Fantasia and in theatres from July 31st!

Evokative Films would like to highlight the Canadian Premiere of BLACK at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which will precede its theatrical release. The premiere will take place on July 22nd at 7pm and will be hosted by Lead Actor and French rapper MC Jean Gab’1, Director Pierre Laffargue and Co-producer Lauranne Bourrachot .

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.

After its World Premiere in the Fantastic Fest section of the SXSW Film Festival, this heist film filled with action, peppered with comedy, blaxploitation influences and African mysticism and paced to a funky soundtrack seduced both the audience and critics. A screening at the Seattle International Film Festival followed in June. In August BLACK will be screening at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and London’s Film4 FrightFest. BLACK was released in French theatres today.

Posted in Theatrical Releases

Glowing reviews for ADRIFT IN TOKYO!

Following the April 10th release of ADRIFT IN TOKYO, we’ve been blessed with all-around positive reviews! This love-fest in the media translated in a very good box-office for the 1st week-end at the AMC Forum Theatre: $6 600. Yes, these are small bucks compared to the Hollywood blockbusters, but it still puts us in second place of the Quebec per-screen box-office for 1st-week films, and in 5th place for per-screen box-office on all films playing in Quebec. To say that we’re thrilled is an understatement!

So here’s a little round-up on the good things that have been said in the press for the release and beforehand…

Print Media
At the Montreal Gazette: John Griffin’s review, Liz Ferguson’s review, Al Kratina’s review
At the Montreal Mirror: Mark Slutsky’s review
At the Hour: Meghan Hick’s review
At Exclaim!: Katarina Gligorijevic’s review
At The McGill Tribune: Brahna Siegelberg’s review
At Variety: Russell Edwards’s review
At the Japan Times: Mark Schilling’s review

Web
At Twitchfilm: The release news, Todd Brown’s review, Todd’s Best films of 2008, Andrew Mack’s review
At the Toronto J-film Pow-wow:The release news, Chris MaGee’s Review
At Cinema Strikes Back: David Austin’s review, Their Top-10 picks of 2008
At Midnight Eye: Keith Fancher’s review
At They Shoot Actors, Don’t They?: Katarina Gligorijevic’s review
At eFilmCritic: Jay Seaver’s review
At UGO: John Lichman’s review
At LunaPark6: Luna6’s review
At MovieMoxie: Shannon Riddler’s review

ADRIFT IN TOKYO will be playing in Montreal until April 23rd, to then play in Toronto at the AMC Yonge & Dundas theatre from May 1st. Next up will be Vancouver from May 22nd.

Posted in In the Press, Theatrical Releases

ADRIFT IN TOKYO in theatres from April 10th!

We are very pleased to finally announce the theatrical release of ADRIFT IN TOKYO (TEN-TEN), a film written and directed by Satoshi Miki. This walking road movie stars the “Johnny Depp of Japan” Jô Odagiri (Retribution, Shinobi, Hazard), Tomokazu Miura (Always - Sunset on Third Street, Survive Style 5+, The Taste of Tea) and Kyôto Koizumi (Tokyo Sonata, Sakuran, Survive Style 5+).

The film will be screening from April 10th, for a two-weeks run, at the AMC Forum theatre in Montreal, with a Japanese with English subtitles copy. ADRIFT IN TOKYO will then go on to play in Toronto at the AMC Yonge & Dundas theatre from May 1st and Vancouver from May 22nd. Quebec-made French subtitles will be available on the DVD to be released subsequently.

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. Based on the original novel by Naoki Prize winner Yoshinaga Fujita comes a fascinating, humorous and wildly clever film that is sure to charm you.

In Quebec, ADRIFT IN TOKYO was part of last year’s Fantasia Festival’s programming, where it got two sold-out screenings, as well as the Ottawa Film Festival / Festival du film de l’Outaouais just recently. In 2008 the film 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 and finally the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, where it had the honour of being the Closing Film. Besides being hailed as a masterpiece by some 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 Festival.

See the Montreal event on Facebook here and the Toronto event here.

Posted in Theatrical Releases