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  • The Artsploitation Films Thread

    Just got this press release regarding a new label called Artsploitation Films and some of their upcoming releases.

    ------------------------------------------

    Artsploitation Films Announces New Acquisitions COMBAT GIRLS and VANISHING WAVES!

    Films Will Screen at Austin's Fantastic Fest This Weekend - Both Set for 2013 Theatrical and DVD Releases!

    LOS ANGELES (September 21, 2012) - Artsploitation Films, founded earlier this year by TLA Entertainment Inc. president Raymond Murray, announces the acquisition of two new feature films, the German drama COMBAT GIRLS and the Lithuanian science fiction film VANISHING WAVES. Both films will screen this week at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. COMBAT GIRLS will screen from 2:30pm - 4:28pm on Friday, September 21 at the Alamo South Lamar - Theater 1 (1120 S Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704) and VANISHING WAVES will screen on Sunday, September 23, 2012 11:45am - 2:04pm at Alamo South Lamar - Theater 3. Both films will see limited theatrical releases and full DVD releases complete with special features in 2013 courtesy of Artsploitation Films.

    A major success in its native Germany earlier this year, COMBAT GIRLS is an uncompromising and powerful drama about two young women caught up in the disturbing rise of neo-Nazism in contemporary Europe. This gritty, violent, and intense teen saga is exciting filmmaking with direction, cinematography and certainly the lead performances of the two young actresses, firing on all cylinders. The story follows two young women in the world of right-wing neo-Nazi fascist youth in today's German suburbs: 20-year-old Marisa is a hardcore believer, a semi-skinhead who's been in the movement for years and whose body is adorned with Nazi tattoos, whereas 14-year-old Svenja is a naí¯ve newcomer, a sheltered, spoiled, straight-A student who only becomes fascinated with the group because of her neo-Nazi boyfriend. They begin as attention-seeking adversaries but become best friends, though their loyalty is shaken when Marisa decides she wants to leave the movement behind, a decision helped by her unlikely friendship with a scared young Afghan boy whose brother she injured in a hate crime.

    A multiple award winner - for director David Wnendt and actresses Alina Levshin and Jella Hasse - at the German Film Awards, the Bavarian Film Awards, and the Munich Film Festival, COMBAT GIRLS inspired Fantastic Fest programmer Rodney Perkins to state, “COMBAT GIRLS pulls no punches. The film submerges the audience in the underground world of skinheads and racist ideologues. This attention to authenticity is not done for the purpose of sensationalism, but to support the film's compelling story and complex characters. COMBAT GIRLS is a powerful nuanced work by a dynamic new voice in German cinema.” In his commentary on the film, Olivier van Blockstael - sales representative for the film's German company East/West Distribution - said “We discovered COMBAT GIRLS just before Cannes 2011 and, although it was a first time director film, with a topic which at first sight could seem very specific to Germany, we saw a great international potential: at a time where nationalism is raising all over Europe we knew that the international audience would be interested, especially because it's the first film that approaches this topic through a female point of view. The incredible festival career of the film (with dozens of prestigious awards all over the world) and the number of territories where the film has been or will be released proved us right.” The film will continue to screen at festivals throughout the rest of the year, and then Artsploitation, owner of all North American rights, will give it a general theatrical release in early 2013.

    You may view the COMBAT GIRLS trailer here:
    http://www.artsploitationfilms.com/combat-girls/

    The self-described “erotic science fiction” film VANISHING WAVES is nothing short of a genre masterpiece. The film will be having its American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and then Artsploitation Films - owner of U.S. rights - will be theatrically releasing it in the first quarter of 2013. A bold, visionary work of science fiction cinema that recalls the genre in its cerebral 1960s and 70s golden age, just as it simultaneously forges new territory with its unique fusion of emotional melodrama and hallucinatory widescreen spectacle, VANISHING WAVES is one of the most accomplished and distinctive European films in recent memory. The second solo feature from Lithuanian director Kristina Buozyte, following her acclaimed 2008 debut The Collectress (which will be included on Artsploitation's Blu-ray release of this new film), VANISHING WAVES confirms Buozyte as a major young talent whose frequently breathtaking visual and technical gifts are thankfully also matched by her interest in complex characterizations, adventurous narratives, and challenging themes. Her new film is a science fiction romance that is equally occupied by the erotic as well as the fantastic. Lukas (Marius Jampolskis) is assisting a scientific research team by functioning as a patient in a series of heavily monitored (and medicated) sensory deprivation experiments wherein he is attempting to make some form of contact with the subject, Aurora (Jurga Jutaite), a young woman who has been locked in a comatose state for some time. Doctors initially hope for just a vague reaffirmation of consciousness, but the experiment takes an unexpected twist when Lukas and Aurora actually develop a strong psychic link in their mutually altered forms of consciousness…and their link quickly evolves into a romantic, sexually charged relationship. As Lukas hides this data from his researchers, he and Aurora meet secretly and passionately in a series of surreal dreamscapes created by their collective minds, but their union is tragically doomed to collapse around them. Exploring the tantalizing possibilities of forming a true, all-encompassing bond with one's lover, VANISHING WAVES is hypnotic, erotic, wholly engrossing, and wildly thought-provoking cinema that transcends any perceived limitations of the science fiction genre, becoming one of the year's most provocative films in the process.

    Director Kristina Buozyte remarks, “Artsploitation is a gateway for provocative, challenging and outstanding films to the U.S. VANISHING WAVES is delighted to be the part of this exclusive and fast growing family.”Matteo Lovadina, the CEO of French sales agency Reel Suspects, said he “is thrilled about the theatrical release of his festival winner VANISHING WAVES by one of the most promising, edgy and high-profiled new distribution companies in the U.S. Artsploitation is the perfect American home for this powerful cinematic tale. Raymond Murray has shown a pure enthusiasm for this film since the first screening in Cannes.” And Fantastic Fest programmer Luke Mullen wrote “VANISHING WAVES is a powerful sci-fi drama, with roots in films like The Cell and Inception while also calling to mind elements of Almodovar's Talk to Her. The film features beautiful cinematography along with a fantastic score that perfectly underscore a great story. Modern, slick and stylish, VANISHING WAVES is an incredible cinematic journey that will draw you in and keep you wanting more.”

    You may view the VANISHING WAVES trailer here:
    http://www.artsploitationfilms.com/vanishing-waves/
    Rock! Shock! Pop!

  • #2
    I'll pass on Combat Girls...but Vanishing Waves sounds like it has potential

    Comment


    • #3
      The trailer doesn't give a huge amount away but I'd watch the film. These press releases though are terrible.

      "Never let the fact that they are doing it wrong stop you from doing it right." Hyman Mandell.

      Comment


      • #4
        TLA Cult says their inaugural release is going to be Gandu!

        http://www.tlavideo.com/cult-gandu/p...7?refresh=true

        Rock! Shock! Pop!

        Comment


        • #5
          Press release for the Gandu release:

          ARTSPLOITATION FILMS DEBUTS WITH GANDU

          New Film Distribution Company Dedicated to Edgy International Titles Releases Acclaimed Independent Indian Film that Is Banned in India

          Available December 11 on DVD and VOD

          LOS ANGELES — (October 4, 2012) — Artsploitation Films, an ascendant American film distribution company, fulfills the promise it made earlier this year to bring edgy international movies to North American audiences with its debut release, GANDU.

          Directed by Bengali filmmaker “Q” (Kaushik Mukherjee), this independent Indian film is a deliriously frantic, music-infused look at one poor young man and his dreams of becoming a rap star. GANDU (Hindi slang for “asshole”) is a bold and entertaining example of new Indian filmmaking that, ironically, is banned in India.

          “When I started the label, I wasn't sure exactly what kinds of titles I'd try to acquire. Then I saw Gandu,” recalls Raymond Murray, president of Artsploitation Films. “I left the theater thinking this is exactly the kind of film Artsploitation should champion: edgy, strange, exciting, sexy and controversial. It's international, it's drama, it's an art film, it's a hyperventilating genre film.”

          On December 11, Artsploitation Films will release GANDU on DVD and VOD

          GANDU had its international premiere in 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York City, where it won the Jury Award (Runner-Up) for Best Film. The following year, Q earned the award for Best New Director at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival. One of the most widely internationally screened South Asian films in recent years, GANDU appeared at film festivals in Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Amsterdam, London, Helsinki, Singapore, Croatia and South Africa.

          International reviews have praised the film: “A highly transgressive, visually spectacular assault on the senses” (Time Out London); “…Bengali thrash-metal rap musical Gandu grabs auds by the throat and gradually works its way down” (Variety); “Bold, energetic and by turns both deliberately vulgar and sharply incisive…a film that straddles a heretofore unnoticed line between Danny Boyle's Trainspotting and Gaspar Noe's Enter The Void” (Twitch).

          Travis Crawford, an acquisitions consultant for Artsploitation Films, discusses GANDU's fiercely anti-Bollywood attitude in the package's liner notes: “The film isn't just a rebellion against 'Bollywood' cliché, but rather an explosion of cinematic anarchy directed at the pedestrian nature of all of contemporary world filmmaking.”


          About Raymond Murray: Murray is the co-founder of TLA Entertainment Group and its president/CEO since its inception in 1981. Over the years, the company has operated art house cinemas and later, award-winning video stores in New York City and Philadelphia. Today, the company runs www.tlavideo.com, one of the country's largest online DVD/VOD sales sites. Murray also founded and continues to be the Artistic Director of Philadelphia QFest and was Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Film Festival (2001-10). In 2000, Murray and partners launched TLA Releasing, a film distribution company that released films in North America. The company expanded its focus with the launch of the genre-focused Danger After Dark label in 2003. In 2004 it opened an office in London and expanded operations in the UK. Prominent releases include Suicide Club, Latter Days, Death of a Dynasty, Another Gay Movie, The Trip, Adam and Steve and Sleeper Cell.
          Rock! Shock! Pop!

          Comment


          • #6
            Hard Romanticker and Lapland Odyssey will be coming in 2013:



            Rock! Shock! Pop!

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            • #7
              Press release for Lapland Odyssey:

              ARTSPLOITATION FILMS LAUNCHES LAPLAND ODYSSEY

              Film Distribution Company's Second Release Spotlights Award-Winning Finnish Comedy Set in the Country's Forbidding Northern Region

              Available January 8 on DVD and VOD

              LOS ANGELES — (November 15, 2012) — Artsploitation Films, the rising American film distribution company, continues to deliver edgy international movies to North American audiences with its sophomore release, LAPLAND ODYSSEY.

              Directed by Finland's Dome Karukoski, this award-winning comedy was hailed by the Toronto International Film Festival as “…the hippest, freshest comedy to emerge from Finland in years.”

              On January 8, Artsploitation Films will release LAPLAND ODYSSEY on DVD. The same day, the film will be available for download from online digital retailers. It will also be offered in High Definition Video on Demand (VOD) and Standard Definition VOD from various providers.

              Set in the frozen landscape of northern Finland, LAPLAND ODYSSEY follows a raucous road trip that begins when slacker Janne is sent out into the night by his beautiful and frustrated girlfriend Inari to purchase a cable box for their home. But the quest is not as simple as it sounds. Janne, accompanied by his two hapless and troublemaking friends, is propelled along a bizarre journey filled with such obstacles as naked, gun-toting Russians, some very hostile reindeer, a Jacuzzi of bikini-clad beauties, barroom brawls, Inari's creepy ex-boyfriend, and much more. Meanwhile, the police are in pursuit of the three friends at every turn. Unfolding at a breakneck pace, this winningly wacky comedy was the biggest hit of the year in its home country and a film festival favorite.

              Heralding the arrival of LAPLAND ODYSSEY on January 8, Artsploitation Films will ship its first release, GANDU, on December 18 (*Please note this is the new street date, moved from December 11). Directed by Bengali filmmaker “Q” (Kaushik Mukherjee), this independent Indian film is a deliriously frantic, music-infused look at one poor young man and his dreams of becoming a rap star. GANDU (Hindi slang for “a**hole”) is a bold and entertaining example of new Indian filmmaking that, ironically, is banned in India. It will be available on DVD and VOD.

              For more information regarding LAPLAND ODYSSEY, please contact Christoph Buerger at 323.848.4279 or christoph@davidlynch.com.

              About Artsploitation Head Raymond Murray: Murray is the co-founder of TLA Entertainment Group and its president/CEO since its inception in 1981. Over the years, the company has operated art house cinemas and later, award-winning video stores in New York City and Philadelphia. Today, the company runs www.tlavideo.com, one of the country's largest online DVD/VOD sales sites. Murray also founded and continues to be the Artistic Director of Philadelphia QFest and was Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Film Festival (2001-10). In 2000, Murray and partners launched TLA Releasing, a film distribution company that released films in North America. The company expanded its focus with the launch of the genre-focused Danger After Dark label in 2003. In 2004 it opened an office in London and expanded operations in the UK. Prominent releases include Suicide Club, Latter Days, Death of a Dynasty, Another Gay Movie, The Trip, Adam and Steve and Sleeper Cell.
              Rock! Shock! Pop!

              Comment


              • #8
                Hm. All of these flicks sound really interesting in their own way, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this label. Combat Girls and Gandu sound particularly fascinating to me.

                Comment


                • #9
                  They've also picked up a film called Bullet Collector.

                  http://www.artsploitationfilms.com/bullet-collector/

                  Rock! Shock! Pop!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    They've just announced that they've signed to release the 2012 Swedish horror film Wither domestically in 2013.

                    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140671/
                    Attached Files
                    Rock! Shock! Pop!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Cover art for Bullet Collector.
                      Attached Files
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                      • #12
                        Press release!

                        --------------------

                        JAPAN'S HARD ROMANTIKER LIVES UP TO ITS REPUTATION AS A VIOLENT GANGSTER SAGA BASED ON TRUE-LIFE EVENTS

                        AVAILABLE ON DVD AND VOD JANUARY 22 FROM ARTSPLOITATION FILMS

                        LOS ANGELES (December 13, 2012) - Artsploitation Films, the rising American film distribution company, continues to deliver edgy international movies to North American audiences with its third release, HARD ROMANTICKER. Based on director Gu Su-yeon's semi-autobiographical novel, HARD ROMANTICKER is a spectacular and violent gangster movie that delivers its story with equal amounts style and carnage. Dripping James Dean style cool, the bleach blond Gu (Shota Matsuda) is a young cocky-Korean Japanese hoodlum living in Tokyo. When someone accidently kills the grandmother of a ruthless rival thug. Gu soon finds himself on the receiving end as he becomes the target for bloody, even deadly revenge. And it doesn't help that the police are on his tail as well. What's a snarling cigarette puffing thug to do? With tons of ultra-violence, rampaging youths and nihilistic retribution HARD ROMANTICKER is a modern take on A Clockwork Orange, Yakuza style.

                        Artsploitation's release of HARD ROMANTICKER, will arrive on DVD for the first time ever on January 22. The DVD extras include a fully illustrated booklet containing critical analysis of the film by writer Patrick Macias - a renowned expert on Japanese pop culture.

                        Heralding the arrival of HARD ROMANTICKER on January 22, Artsploitation Films will ship its first release, GANDU, on December 18 (*Please note this is the new street date, moved from December 11). Directed by Bengali filmmaker “Q” (Kaushik Mukherjee), this independent Indian film is a deliriously frantic, music-infused look at one poor young man and his dreams of becoming a rap star. GANDU (Hindi slang for “asshole”) is a bold and entertaining example of new Indian filmmaking that, ironically, is banned in India. It will be available on DVD and VOD.

                        Artsploitation's second DVD release on January 8, is the award-winning Finnish comedy LAPLAND ODYSSEY. The film was hailed by the Toronto International Film Festival as “…the hippest, freshest comedy to emerge from Finland in years.” The film will also be made available for download from online digital retailers. It will be offered in High Definition Video on Demand (VOD) and Standard Definition VOD from various providers.

                        About Artsploitation Head Raymond Murray: Murray is the co-founder of TLA Entertainment Group and its president/CEO since its inception in 1981. Over the years, the company has operated art house cinemas and later, award-winning video stores in New York City and Philadelphia. Today, the company runs www.tlavideo.com, one of the country's largest online DVD/VOD sales sites. Murray also founded and continues to be the Artistic Director of Philadelphia QFest and was Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Film Festival (2001-10). In 2000, Murray and partners launched TLA Releasing, a film distribution company that released films in North America. The company expanded its focus with the launch of the genre-focused Danger After Dark label in 2003. In 2004 it opened an office in London and expanded operations in the UK. Prominent releases include Suicide Club, Latter Days, Death of a Dynasty, Another Gay Movie, The Trip, Adam and Steve and Sleeper Cell.

                        HARD ROMANTICKER
                        Price: $24.99 (DVD)
                        Street Date: January 22, 2012
                        Pre-Order Date: December 25, 2012
                        Running time: 109 minutes
                        Distributor: ARTSPLOITATION FILMS
                        DVD UPC: 854555004026
                        Language: English with Japanese subtitles
                        Rating: NR

                        HARD ROMANTICKER- SPECIAL FEATURES
                        -Trailer
                        -12 page collectors booklet that includes an essay on Hard Romanticker, a study of Toei Studios Yakuza films by Japanese cinema expert Patrick Macias and a gallery of original Toei movie posters
                        Rock! Shock! Pop!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Hemel is coming 3/19/13:

                          Synopsis:

                          Sacha Polak's debut feature is a frank and explicit look at carnal desire that is told from a distinctly female perspective. She paints an erotically charged portrait of a woman whose casual sexual encounters mask a loneliness and a craving for intimacy. Hemel (Hannah Hoekstra) is a young woman who drifts through a series of anonymous one-night stands and seems only close to her father. When he finds himself a girlfriend, Hemel's jealousy puts her on the emotional edge. An emotionally and physically raw study of sexuality that is nothing less than mesmerizing.

                          Credits:

                          Director: Sacha Polak
                          Running time: 80 minutes
                          Country: The Netherlands, Spain
                          Language: Dutch, Arabic, English and Spanish with English subtitles
                          Screenwriter: Helena van der Meulen
                          Cast: Hannah Hoekstra, Hans Dagelet, Rifka Lodeizen, Mark Rietman, Barbara Sarafian, Eva Duijvestein, Ward Weemhoff, Ali Ben Horsting
                          Producer: Stienette Bosklopper
                          Cinematography: Danií«l Bouquet N.S.C.
                          Editors: Axel Skovdal Roelofs
                          Music: Rutger Reinders

                          Click image for larger version

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                          • #14
                            Press release!


                            SHOT IN STUNNING HIGH-CONTRAST BLACK & WHITE
                            ALEXANDER VARTANOV's BULLET COLLECTOR
                            CAPTURES AN INTENSE TALE OF RUSSIAN YOUTH

                            AVAILABLE ON DVD AND VOD FEBRUARY 19
                            FROM ARTSPLOITATION FILMS

                            LOS ANGELES (January 28, 2013) - Artsploitation Films, the rising American film distribution company, continues to deliver edgy international movies to North American audiences with its fourth release, BULLET COLLECTOR. The film is the powerful debut of Russian director Alexander Vartanov. A unique and visually striking work, the film examines the traumas of a wide-eyed 14-year-old boy, struggling to cope with a terrible home life dominated by an angry mother and a stepfather who can't stand the sight of him. His school routine is plagued by brutal attacks from bullies, and his life becomes even more nightmarish after he is sent to a hellish reform school. Losing himself in a fantasy world where he is loved by a beautiful girlfriend and able to defeat his oppressors, the boy's reality tells of a very different life. But is he actually just a timid teen destined for abuse, or will he gain the strength to fight off his attackers? Recalling the world of Antoine Doinel in Truffaut's The 400 Blows, this unsettling, moody masterwork updates that classic by giving it a distinctly Russian flavor.

                            Artsploitation's release of BULLET COLLECTOR will arrive on DVD for the first time ever on February 19. The DVD extras include a deleted scene, cast interviews and a 12-page collectable booklet.

                            Artsploitation's third release, Japan's HARD ROMANTICKER, arrived on DVD January 22. With tons of ultra-violence, rampaging youths and nihilistic retribution HARD ROMANTICKER is a modern take on A Clockwork Orange, Yakuza style. The DVD extras include a fully illustrated booklet containing critical analysis of the film by writer Patrick Macias - a renowned expert on Japanese pop culture.

                            Last week Artsploitation was pleased to announce their first two theatrical releases ever. Both are award winning films by young, female directors: VANISHING WAVES and CLIP. This dynamic double-header will debut at Cinema Village in New York on March 15, 2013 with more cities to follow.


                            About Artsploitation Head Raymond Murray: Murray is the co-founder of TLA Entertainment Group and its president/CEO since its inception in 1981. Over the years, the company has operated art house cinemas and later, award-winning video stores in New York City and Philadelphia. Today, the company runs www.tlavideo.com, one of the country's largest online DVD/VOD sales sites. Murray also founded and continues to be the Artistic Director of Philadelphia QFest and was Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Film Festival (2001-10). In 2000, Murray and partners launched TLA Releasing, a film distribution company that released films in North America. The company expanded its focus with the launch of the genre-focused Danger After Dark label in 2003. In 2004 it opened an office in London and expanded operations in the UK. Prominent releases include Suicide Club, Latter Days, Death of a Dynasty, Another Gay Movie, The Trip, Adam and Steve and Sleeper Cell.

                            ARTSPLOITATION FILMS CURRENT RELEASE SCHEDULE:
                            GANDU - on DVD December 18
                            LAPLAND ODYSSEY - on DVD January 8
                            HARD ROMANTICKER - on DVD January 22
                            BULLET COLLECTOR - on DVD February 19
                            VANISHING WAVES - Theatrical Release March 15
                            CLIP - Theatrical Release March 15

                            BULLET COLLECTOR
                            Price: $24.99 (DVD)
                            Street Date: February 19, 2013
                            Pre-Order Date: NOW
                            Running time: 121 minutes - film. 25 minutes - bonus features.
                            Distributor: ARTSPLOITATION FILMS
                            DVD UPC: 854555004033
                            Language: Russian with English subtitles
                            Rating: NR

                            BULLET COLLECTOR TRAILER:



                            BULLET COLLECTOR- SPECIAL FEATURES
                            -Trailer
                            -Making of featurette
                            -Cast audition interviews
                            -Deleted scene
                            -12-page collectable booklet
                            -Reversible DVD wrap with controversial cover
                            Rock! Shock! Pop!

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                            • #15
                              For anyone who cares, VANISHING WAVES was my 4th fave film of 2012 after SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN, DJANGO UNCHAINED, and THE HISTORY OF FUTURE FOLK.
                              www.cinemasewer.com

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