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BASE’s NEW MEMBER…
…TRADE BODY AIMS FOR A 2021 REFRESH
AN ICONIC NEW STREAMER…
…AS FILMPIXS ALSO LAUNCHES
A NEW VISIONS
ANOTHER LIGHTBULB MOMENT
MOGUL ADDS GONGS
KEEPING AN EYE ON DOGWOOF
MINE HOST ENTERTAINS
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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We’ll start this week with news from BASE, with the trade organisation having bolstered its ranks once more with the addition of a new member. Step forward then, The Movie Partnership, the digital and TV aggregator, which is now officially a member of BASE. The company, headed up by industry stalwarts Michael Lee and Peter Dutton, formed in 2009 after the pair left Momentum Pictures and has now supplied more than 3,500 films and 2,000 hours of television product across 80 territories. The move comes as BASE sets out its stall for the future, with its ambitious plans to grow the business for its members across physical and digital in 2021 and beyond and, as BASE’s statement noted “complements its existing promise to identify opportunities for growth and develop clients’ projects to fully achieve their goals”.
Comment on the news came from Peter Dutton, Director and Founder of The Movie Partnership said: “As a company that works on behalf on many independent distributors, it’s important that we ensure they have as many possible routes to market and opportunities for marketing as possible. Becoming a fully-fledged member of BASE gives us that.” Liz Bales, CEO of BASE said: “The Movie Partnership is a key independent player in the UK home entertainment market, and we are delighted to welcome them. It’s a great time to join the organisation as we work hard, alongside our members, to enhance category performance and grow consumer engagement across a range of initiatives. It’s rewarding to be working with Peter and the team and seeing how these initiatives add direct value to The Movie Partnership’s own mission.”
More big news on the streaming front this week, with more launches offering up video on demand to UK consumers. Starting with a name already familiar to many, as The Icon Film Channel is set to launch on Amazon Prime in the UK from March 18. The monthly subscription video on demand service offers up more than 150 titles at launch, with further films added on a monthly basis. The films, of course, are from the Icon Film Distribution catalogue, and the new service comes from Icon parent KFilm, which includes Kaleidoscope’s film and home entertainment arms under its wing, as well as Platform Entertainment. Those 150 features include titles such as Drive, Apocalypto, The Passion of the Christ. Buried, The Butterfly Effect Trilogy, House of Sand & Fog, La Vie En Rose, Looking For Eric, The Guest and remastered titles such as Gosford Park and Malcolm X. Adam Sergeant, chief operating officer at KFilm: “From multi award winning directors including Roman Polanski, Kenneth Branagh, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Wolfgang Petersen, Mel Gibson, Stephen Fry, Lars Von Trier, Nicolas Winding Refn and Ken Loach, The Icon Film Channel will offer an unrivalled spectrum of visually and narratively stunning films to discerning UK audiences. Every film has been handpicked to deliver a special cinematic experience. Often award-winning, frequently critically acclaimed, but always memorable, you will be taken on a journey of pure thrill and delight” Spencer Pollard, geo at KFilm: “This is an exciting new step forward for a long-standing and much-loved brand in the UK. It’s the natural evolution for what is a fantastic catalogue. We plan to further significantly develop the offering in coming months with additional quality catalogue acquisitions, plus the addition of exclusive brand new releases and the expansion of places where you will be able to access the Icon Film Channel.”
Also launching, with the service opening its doors this week, is global streaming platform Filmpixs. The platform has been launched by HF Productions, a company involved in film festivals around the world and that is reflected in its product offering. There’s short films a plenty, alongside features from around the world, documentaries and fare from a wealth of different countries and genres. There are more than 350 titles on offer, with more additions planned regularly; subscribers can tuck into to New Releases and Weekly Recommends, Cannes and Academy Award selections, genres such as Horror, Drama, Comedy, Music, Children and Family. and other ares such as experimental films. The people behind the scheme, Henrik Frils and Benn Wiebe, said: “"We are extremely excited to be part of a project that ensures there is life after film festivals for these true gems. In the current climate, we’re also keenly aware of the potential to bring these important narratives to a much wider global audience, and our goal is that FILMPIXS is able to manifest itself as a quality platform of curated short films accessible worldwide.”
Another week, another new distributor enters the fray, as more experts realise that the right film, with the right treatment can find a market among film and and cineastes. This week it’s the turn of Fractured Visions, a new imprint that is due to release its first title, Silent Action, on March 29. Not only does the title appeal to Italian genre fans – it’s directed by Sergio Martino, whose filmography includes such giallo fare as All The Colours Of The Dark, The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh and Torso – but the label also looks likely to woo fans of existing boutique imprints such as Arrow and Second Sight Films. Label founder Phillip Escott has worked on titles for those imprints, among others. The first title sets out its stall too – smart sleeve; a booklet with new writing; slipcase; additional soundtrack CD; loads of extras, both new and archive; a commentary; restored film and more. Escott said: “Our first title is Sergio Martino's 1975 crime film SILENT ACTION. This will mark the global HD debut of the film, which we believe will be a key driver of sales and as a untested presence in the marketplace currently, we hope that this film will demonstrate the kind of exciting cult films we love and get audiences excited for what the future holds for Fractured Visions. We have created two hours worth of new bonus content, which consists of cast and crew interviews and a contextual piece on the turbulent 1970s in Italy. Later this year we'll be releasing Umberto Lenzi's FREE HAND FOR A TOUGH COP, another neglected gem in the filmography of a much loved filmmaker that hasn't received a UK release - ever! We hope that with these two classic crime titles we'll develop a reputation for quality genre cinema so when we start announcing contemporary titles, our audience will be willing to take the journey with us to discover new and exciting filmmakers.”
Released on digital on Monday February 15, and out on DVD this coming Monday, February 22, is the latest from those busy folks at Lightbulb, horror flick Sator. The film has earned a good buzz thanks to some sterling reviews, not least from The Guardian, where it earned four stars (you can see the glowing review here); the mainstream reviews adding to its strong reaction from genre sites and publications after its festival appearances. Commenting on the release, Matthew Kreuzer, commercial director at Lightbulb Film Distribution, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this unnerving creature-feature to the UK. The film has terrified festival audiences around the world and writer/director Jordan Graham has created a must-see debut feature. It took him almost 5 years to make this film; from writing the script, building the set, directing the film, editing it, composing the score, and finding distribution. We would like to thank our retail and digital partners who have overwhelmingly support this chilling slice of independent horror.”
Awards season is looking a lot different in 2021, thanks almost entirely to the pandemic and the havoc it has wreaked on the entertainment business. Usually, distributors get to timetable a whole release around the season, often ensuring it lands in stores and on shelves just as the awards are doled out. This may not be as easy this year, but Thursday night’s British Independent Film Awards have given a timely boost to one of Monday’s releases. For chief among the winners at the ceremony, held online, of course, was Mogul Mowgli, the excellent Riz Ahmed starrer about a rapper who is forced to reassess his whole life when illness strikes. The film is out on Monday and the release was boosted by the two gongs given to the film, one for Ahmed for Debut Screenwriter (the screenplay was co-written with director Bassam Tariq) and the other to Paul Corley for Best Music. Commenting on the release, BFI Video Publishing’s Ben Stoddart, business and operations manager said: “We're delighted to be bringing the award-winning and critically acclaimed Mogul Mowgli to Blu-ray on Monday. The film continues to garner new fans and we hope that will continue with its home ent bow. The Blu-ray has been a real collaborative effort both in respect to the stunning sleeve artwork and the special features, which we are very thankful to both Riz and Bassam for being part of. Extras include an audio commentary, Riz Ahmed's 2014 short film Daytripper, deleted scenes, music videos and more.”
Having made both the BAFTA and Oscar short/longlists this awards season, doc specialist Dogwoof brings Sam Pollard's timely political documentary MLK/FBI to DVD and Blu-ray from Monday. The film was released in over 30 virtual cinemas via the company's Dogwoof On Demand platform and makes its physical bow complete with a director Q&A hosted by We Are Parable. Commenting on the release and its awards potential, here's Dogwoof's Daniel Green: "Although we would have loved - and had planned - to release MLK/FBI in physical cinemas across the UK and Ireland, we've been really pleased with the response to both the virtual cinema run (via Dogwoof On Demand) and virtual Q&A tour with Sam which we put on back in January. We were just as delighted to see MLK/FBI in several awards shortlists, and our fingers are firmly crossed that it lands a nomination or two in the coming weeks which we know will help boost home ent sales.
Also out next week is a title we’ve mentioned here a number of times over the past year, is Host, the shocking Zoom-call horror that’s taken a long route to its physical release – from an exclusive on Shudder, to cinemas when they were open, to digital and, finally, a sumptuous Blu-ray courtesy of Second Sight. The Raygun’s Tim Murray interviewed director Rob Savage this week for a feature on the new Home Viewing column on The Ransom Note and he discussed how great it was to be working on a physical release and with the label, not least as it had just released Dawn Of The Dead in a similar limited edition format. Not that, he noted, he’s comparing himself to George A Romero’s classic. He said: “It’s lovely to have the film treated with care. I’m a huge fan of Second Sight. It lends it a bit of prestige [being on Second Sight]. It’s incredible to know you’re sitting on a shelf.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE will be made available worldwide in all markets day and date with the US on THURSDAY, MARCH 18 (*with the exception of China, France and Japan, where the release dates are TBD). The feature film will be available in each market via one of the following distribution options – PVOD, PEST, EST, SVOD, TVOD, HBO linear and on HBO Go (in HBO Europe and HBO Asia territories), or via a local TV provider. Additional details for each specific market will be shared in the upcoming weeks.”
WarnerMedia statement about the impending release of the new cut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, after it appears on HBO Max in the US
AT THE MOVIES
Edgar Wright is one of those ridiculously busy directors and this week it’s emerged that he’s involved in another new project. For the Brit director is involved in a new take on Stephen King’s The Running Man. The book was originally written under another name, Richard Bachman, and was, of course, turned into a vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. As any King fan will tell you, the book is markedly different from the movie, although Wright’s direction is, as of yet, unknown…
The Raid director Gareth Evans, having made Apostle for Netflix, has now signed on the dotted line with the streaming service and will be making a raft of films for them. First up is Havoc, which will star Tom Hardy as a grizzled detective who becomes embroiled in a city-wide corruption ring after trying to find a politician’s son.
Also at Netflix, Tim Burton has revealed more details of his Addams Family series, which will focus on the college years of daughter Wednesday, and will be named after the offspring of the spooky family…
SITE OF THE WEEK
Here’s the latest in the Home Viewing column from The Raygun’s Tim Murray, this time talking to Gerard Johnson, director of Dazzler Media’s Muscle. https://www.theransomnote.com/culture/home-viewing/home-viewing-muscling-in/ Next up: Rob Savage and Arrow’s new service…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
The one everyone’s been talking about this week…
Reya sunshine…
On Disney+, inevitably…
More from Disney…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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