Evokative Films takes in THE MISFORTUNATES
January 19, 2010
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).
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 |
