Lineup Includes North American Premieres of Na Hong-Jin’s The Chaser and Peter Van Hees’ Left Bank
Also Includes Previously Unannounced Titles to be Released on Festival Direct
New York, NY – September 18, 2008 – IFC Films leads the pack at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas with six films, including the North American premiere of Na Hong-Jin’s South Korean box office sensation The Chaser, Kim Jee-Woon’s The Good, The Bad, The Weird and Fear(s) of the Dark. Also screening are recently acquired Festival Direct titles Left Bank, which is making its North American premiere, Fighter and The Wild Man of the Navidad.
"IFC Films has always been avid supporters of genre films, said Jonathan Sehring," President of IFC Entertainment. "This year we are presenting what we consider some of the most exciting filmmaking anywhere in the world at Fantastic Fest, which has quickly proved itself to be the premiere destination for these films and their legions of fans."
The Good, The Bad, The Weird, Fear(s) of the Dark and The Chaser will all be released simultaneously in theaters and on VOD through IFC’s In Theaters program. The three recently acquired titles Left Bank, Fighter and The Wild Man of the Navidad will be released through IFC Entertainment’s multi-platform distribution model Festival Direct, in which select films that have screened at marquee film festivals are made available on-demand to a national U.S. audience through cable systems.
The following is additional information on each film:
The Chaser (Premieres in 2009 simultaneously In Theaters and on VOD): NA Hong-Jin’s South Korean thriller The Chaser tells the story of a serial killer who is preying on call-girls from various escort agencies. In the midst of police indifference and incompetence, Jung-Ho (Yun-Seok Kim), an ex-cop-turned-pimp must dust off his old flatfoot skills to find the killer and save the life of one of his girls who has gone missing. This debut film stunned Korean audiences and became an unexpected box office smash. It had its world premiere in the official selection earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and will be making its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest.
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Premieres in 2009 simultaneously In Theaters and on VOD): Directed by Ji-woon Kim and setting an all-time Korean box office opening weekend record this year, The Good, The Bad, The Weird, follows three Korean men struggling through turbulent times, who encounter each other by fate and start off on a chase across the continent to take possession of an unidentified map. The film is on its way to becoming one of the biggest box office smashes of all time in Korea and is the most expensive production ever made there. The Good, The Bad, The Weird had its world premiere earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival in the official selection and has just screened to unanimous praise at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals.
Fear(s) of the Dark (Premieres on October 29th simultaneously In Theaters and on VOD): Fear(s) of the Dark is a French language animated collection of fearful tales created by the world’s most cutting-edge, acclaimed graphic artists including Blutch, Marie Caillou, Pierre DiSciullo, Jerry Kramski, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire, Michel Pirus and Romain Slocombe. Their intertwined stories make up an unprecedented epic where phobias, disgust and nightmares come to life and reveal fear at its most naked and intense. Fear(s) of the Dark premiered in this year’s Sundance Film Festival and will be featured in the New Yorker Fest in New York on October 3.
Left Bank (Premieres nationwide on Festival Direct in 2009): Directed by Peter Van Hees, Left Bank follows a young woman who moves in with her new boyfriend on the fashionable "left bank" in Antwerp, only to discover that the building may have a very disturbing past. Jeff Deutchman, Manager of Acquisitions and Production for IFC Films negotiated the deal for North American rights with Elisar Cabrera from High Point Media. The film will be making its North American debut at Fantastic Fest.
Fighter (Premieres nationwide on Festival Direct November 26, 2008): Directed by Natasha Arthy, Fighter is A Danish kung fu coming-of-age drama choreographed by and featuring a supporting role by action master Xian Gao (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Lizzie Nastro, Director of Acquisitions and Production for IFC Films negotiated the deal for U.S. rights with Xiaojuan Zhou from Delphis Films.
The Wild Man of the Navidad (Premieres nationwide on Festival Direct in 2009): Co-directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks, The Wild Man of the Navidad is a drama allegedly based on actual events, which tells the story of a small Texas community along the banks of the Navidad River who were terrorized for years by a mysterious creature. Lizzie Nastro, Director of Acquisitions and Production for IFC Films negotiated the deal for North American rights with Maren Olson from Traction Media.
In addition to the six films screening at the fest, IFC Films’ Jeff Deutchman, Manager of Acquisitions and Production will appear on the Next Wave Jury, judging films by emerging genre filmmakers.
About IFC Entertainment
A leader in the independent film industry, IFC Entertainment consists of multiple brands that are devoted to bringing the best of specialty films to the largest possible audience: IFC Films, IFC Productions, and the IFC Center. Through an innovative day-and-date distribution model, IFC Entertainment makes films available to a national audience through theatrical release by its renowned film division, while IFC In Theaters, an on demand service, simultaneously releases these titles to cable and satellite viewers. IFC Festival Direct features a wide selection of titles acquired from major international film festivals and offers them exclusively through on-demand and digital platforms. IFC Productions is a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects. IFC Center is a three screen, state-of-the-art cinema with luxurious seating and HD digital and 35mm projection that shows art-house films in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. IFC Entertainment’s companies are subsidiaries of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world’s most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, Sundance Channel, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through IFC Entertainment, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a leading distribution company for independent film; IFC Productions, a feature film production company that provides financing for select independent film projects; and IFC Center, a three screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company; Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company; and 11 Penn TV, a company that manages Rainbow Media’s NYC studios and post-production facilities.