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

TWO EVOKATIVE FILMS PREMIERES AT FANTASIA - DOWN TERRACE AND DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, North-America’s largest genre film festival, is an absolute must for Evokative Films. Attended since its first years by its founder, Stephanie Trepanier, who also collaborates to the festival since 2004, Fantasia is at the roots of the distribution company, the essence of it passion and inspiration. Evokative Films was founded so that the Fantasia audience could see the films they love, year-round.

We are thus extremely happy to benefit from the event to present two films to its public for the first time: DOWN TERRACE by Ben Wheatley will have its Canadian Premiere with the Director in town for the occasion; DELIVER US FROM EVIL will have its Quebec Premiere; and BLACK will be presented under the stars.

DOWN TERRACE
A life of crime is not an easy one. It’s even harder when your entire family are criminals living under one roof! Karl has just gotten out of jail and returns home to find a pregnant girlfriend and aching questions as to who might have snitched on him. His father, Bill, has also recently been released from the clink, and he shares his son’s obsession with finding an informer amongst their rogue’s gallery of law-smashing pals and hated family friends. Mum is no less on edge, with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for paranoia that leaves no gravestone unturned. And now, company’s coming over. In this house, full of people who seem to suspect each other of just about everything, blood pressure continuously rises until blood itself begins to flow. And it’s not particularly thicker than water.

This new acquisition for Evokative (and first English film) will have its Canadian Premiere on July 10th at 7pm and July 12th at 5:30pm, both screenings hosted by Director Ben Wheatley, who was recently noticed for his direction of the BBC series THE WRONG DOOR. The film won the Next Wave Award at Austin’s Fantastic Fest, where it had its World Premiere, to then win the Best UK Feature Award at the Raindance Film Festival and the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards. The film was programmed in many prestigious film festivals, such as Slamdance, Rotterdam, Glasgow, Seattle, LA Film Fest, Pifan and Melbourne. The film will be released at the end of the summer jointly with the American release by Magnolia Pictures.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL
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 their 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…

This Danish social thriller by Ole Bornedal (NIGHTWATCH, THE SUBSTITUTE, JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY) will have its Quebec premiere on July 25th at 7pm and on July 28th at 7:35pm. It won the Best Film in the Noves Visions section of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, as well as a special award of the Jury at the Fantasporto International Film Festival, after having its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and being programmed in many film festival such as the Hamptons, Pusan, Tallin, Istanbul and right now at Philadelphia’s Danger After Dark.

FANTASIA UNDER THE STARS
From July 13th to the 24th, the Fantasia Under the Stars event will return to offer outdoors screenings at Peace Parc, located beside the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT). Evokative Films is proud to participate to this event once again by offering a free screening of one of last edition of Fantasia’s popular success, BLACK, on July 13th. The screening will begin at 9pm and will be preceded by live musical and visual performances by TAXI NOUVEAU & LIBERTY.

FANTASIA’S FILMS AT EVOKATIVE FILMS
Evokative’s programming is intrinsically linked to Fantasia’s. Last year, we presented BLACK by Pierre Laffargue (now on DVD), ROUGH CUT by Jang Hoon (DVD coming this fall), from whom the SECRET REUNION will be presented at the festival this year, and DAYTIME DRINKING by Noh Young-seok (now on DVD). The previous year had THE KILLER (LE TUEUR) by Cédric Anger, as well as ADRIFT IN TOKYO by Satoshi Miki. CRYING FIST and HAZARD are other titles released by Evokative which premiered at Fantasia in the past.

The Fantasia International Film Festival will take place from July 8th to the 28th. Its programming includes more than 120 feature films and 250 shorts. We are looking forward to attend this 3-weeks movie marathon every day, to see favourites from this year’s festival circuit again along with the always-enthusiastic Fantasia audience, and discover new cinematic gems and oddities!

Posted in Events, Special Screenings

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.

Posted in DVD Releases

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

Evokative Films takes in THE MISFORTUNATES

Evokative Films is proud to announce that it has acquired the rights of Felix van Groeningen’s THE MISFORTUNATES (DE HELAASHEID DER DINGEN). The film has been chosen to represent Belgium in the race for the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year category at the Oscars 2010. It was also 2009’s biggest box-office hit of Belgium.

Stéphanie Trépanier, Evokative’s founder, says “This film seduced me from the get-go when I saw it in Cannes last year. Its mix of comedy and pathos, its way of making us strangely sympathetic to people who don’t make much effort to get out of their absolutely shitty lives, is absolutely unique. You’ll laugh and cry and laugh again throughout the film.”

Gunther Strobbe is a 13 years old boy growing up in the eighties. He lives in his grandmother's ramshackle house in a small Belgian town with his alcoholic father (a postman with more bars on his route than any of his colleagues) and three alcoholic uncles. Life in the household is clearly dysfunctional, yet it's hard to condemn the Strobbe men for their sins. 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 and naked bicycle races, teach vulgar songs to little girls. They end up in the hospital to 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, which is ultimately his key to escaping this squalor.

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, the Pusan International Film Festival and the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montréal, amongst many others.

DE HELAASHEID DER DINGEN (Flemish title) became Belgium’s biggest box-office hit of 2009 with 426 000 tickets sold after its fall release. Released on December 24th in France, LA MERDITUDE DES CHOSES (French title) reached 56 500 tickets sold in two weeks, increasing the number of copies from 39 to 44 and only having a 13% decrease of box-office. THE MISFORTUNATES will be released in the US on February 2nd and will follow in Canada with a Montreal release on March 12th, a Toronto release on April 2nd and a Vancouver release of April 23rd.

THE MISFORTUNATES was produced by IDTV, with International sales handled by MK2 International. The deal was made with Matthieu Giblin at MK2 International during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous of French Cinema a few days ago.

Evokative Films is a boutique film distribution company that releases clever, original and entertaining International independent films that mix up the genres to film enthusiasts across Canada. Its catalogue now counts 12 titles, such as ADRIFT IN TOKYO (Japan), DAYTIME DRINKING (Korea), BLACK (France), PARKING (Taiwan) and DELIVER US FROM EVIL (Denmark).

Posted in Acquisitions

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.

Posted in DVD Releases