Saturday, July 12, 2014

25 Great Foreign Films that Did Not Get Distribution in US Theaters

By José Alberto Hermosillo
Publicity for the Mexican film “The Amazing Catfish/Los insólitos peces gato.” Paris, 2014. 
© Photo courtesy of Georges Aintablian

Hollywood movies are shown all over the World, but the World is not showing its films in Hollywood. American audiences are missing a lot of what is going on out there, in the real World.

Lately, foreign movies in the US go straight to video, DVD, Blu-ray, V.O.D. (Video on Demand), YouTube, Netflix, and other Online downloads disappear after having great success in their local markets. LA, N.Y., and San Francisco are the big cities where films made overseas are shown. 

 There is a great hunger for world cinema in other markets such as Paris, London, Athens, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and MexMéxicoty. 

The reasons those movies are not getting US distribution have changed, but the result is the same: audiences do not get a chance to enjoy these fantastic movies on the big screen. Do we know why?

The niche market for foreign films makes it difficult for distributors to recoup a significant share of the marketing investment.

Where can we find these movies? 

A better way to watch those movies is by attending the different film festivals in town, AFI Fest, Arab, Argentinean, Brazilian, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indian, Israeli, Italian, Japanese, LA Film Fest, Mexican, Outfest, Polish, Southeast European, Scandinavian, Spanish, Turkish.

 People who go to film festivals have a lifetime opportunity to see the films on the big screen, meet the filmmakers, and movie stars.

Festival in LA selected 25 great foreign films from the past 3 years that did not get distribution in US theaters and are worth seeing on the big screen. 

U.S.C. Film School.
1.     Witching 
and
 Bitching 
(Spain), 
2014.
“Las Brujas De Zugarramurdi” is a mixture of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “Santa Sangre.” The horror combines with the humor and crazy violence, mixed with diabolical and artistic elements that make us fall in love with this flick. This surreal, irreverent, funny horror movie is masterfully crafted by Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia. It’s an instant cult classic. The film has a small distribution deal on V.O.D. and later on DVD. We think that it’s a colossal boo-boo not to show this incredible film in American theaters.

© Polish Film Festival, 2013.
2.   Walesa: Man of Hope 
(Poland), 
2013.
Four-time Academy Award-nominated Polish director Andrzej Wajda has an enormous cinematic vision for this great biopic about one of our time’s greatest leaders, Lech Walesa (Robert Wieckiewicz). The film starts with the famous interview by Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci (Maria Rosaria Omaggio). She asked relevant questions related to Walesa’s turbulent life, how he organized unions, won the Nobel Prize, and changed the destiny of his nation and the World. An inspiring movie that anyone should see. 

3.     Viva la Libertà 
(Italy), 
2013.
The reflections on politics, intrigue, infidelity, and depression are centered on the secretary of the opposing party, who fumbles between his private and public life in Italy. The performance by the entire cast is remarkable, especially the one played by Tony Servillo (“The Great Beauty,” “Il Divo,” Gomorrah”). This magnificent production deserves a shot in theaters worldwide.

4. Stray Dogs 
(Taiwan), 
2013
The narrative presents an alcoholic father and his two children struggling to survive in Taipei. The circumstances are devastating. Their path crosses with a lonely grocery clerk who helps them make their life easier. Despite adversity, the children are still able to preserve their innocence and imagination. It’s an incredible and powerful journey, full of symbolism and hope, for poor people who comfort and support each other. Well-directed by Tsai Ming-Liang. The long takes make the movie flow slowly, but the cinematography and the story are enjoyable, touching, and rewarding.

© Hola MexMéxicolm Festival, 2014.
5. Last Call 
(MexMéxico
2013.
Director Francisco Franco delivers a complex film with a fantastic cast ensemble. They, all together, have the difficult task of bringing to life the play by Albert Camus, “Caligula,” for a prestigious international theater festival. Everything is chaos when the lead actor quits. The film breaks away from clichés and makes us laugh and care about every character. It reminds us of “Meeting Venus” with Glenn Close, only that “Tercera llamada” has much more drama. I’ve seen this movie twice, and every time I like it even more. 
 
© LA Film Fest, 2013.

6.     Mother, I Love You
 (Latvia), 
2013
Janis Nordsj directs a beautiful story about Raymond, a 12-year-old boy, and his mother, a middle-class woman who has little time to care for him. Raymond falls into a world of petty crime, with problems piling up on him like a snowball. His mother has to put an end to this madness after the court date. This remarkable movie reminds us that the bond between mother and son is always cemented in stone. The Swiss film “Sister” and the Belgian “The Kid with a Bike” fall into the same category. 

© LA Indian Film Festival, 2014.

7.     Bombay Talkies 
(India), 
2014.
Four great short stories brought together to celebrate India’s hundred years of filmmaking. “The Talkies” are brilliant, honest, and eye-opening, each with a unique scenario. The grand finale is a major Bollywood production featuring the most celebrated Bollywood stars. 

© Polish Film Festival, 2013.
8.     Siberian Exile 
(Poland), 
2013.
An epic comparable to films about the Exodus and the Holocaust, based on real events in which Poles, Ukrainians, and Jews were driven from their lands and deported to Russia to labor on the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The story is narrated by a young boy who is forced to live almost as a slave with his family and neighbors. Struggling for survival, they must fight their captors, the merciless nature, the biting frost, and deadly famine. Political circumstances and the turn of events at the end of WWII continue the story of the young boy, who becomes a grown man and returns to rebuild his life and his country.

© South East European Film Festival, 2014.
9.     Sarajevo 
(Austria), 
2014.
A great political thriller with elements of romance and drama. The film depicts the events that led to World War I, better known as the Great War. The timing couldn’t be better for this Austrian production, as Europe commemorates the centennial of a military conflict that involved many nations, left thousands of casualties, and changed Europe’s map forever. “Sarajevo” focuses on Dr. Leo Pfeffer (Florian Teichtmeister), a magistrate who investigates the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The film is impeccable, accurate, articulate, and linear, and is well directed by Andreas Prochaska (“The Dark Valley”). It was intended to hit the European TV market, but a theatrical release in America will be worth its weight in gold.

10.  Little England 
(Greece), 
2013.
A beautiful Greek period drama set on the island of Andros at the beginning of WWII and running into the 1950s. The story follows two sisters, Orsa and Moscha, who fall for the same man, Spyros, an aspiring naval captain. A sense of family and community permeates this well-made film. It features elegant cinematography, well-balanced editing, and a marvelous script adapted from the novel “Mikra Anglia” by Ioanna Karystiani and directed by renowned Greek filmmaker Pantelis Voulgaris. The film won six Hellenic Film Academy Awards (Greek Oscars) this year, including best picture.  

© Scandinavian Film Festival, 2011.

11.  Superclásico 
(Denmark), 
2010.
A comedy/drama about a Danish couple (Anders W. Berthelsen and Paprika Steen) divorcing in the middle of a super clásico soccer game in Argentina (Boca vs. River). He is a wine dealer, and she is the agent of a very well-known soccer player. Under the guise of signing the divorce papers, Christian and their son Oscar will follow her from Copenhagen to Buenos Aires. The flavor of the streets and the noise of the soccer fans in the South American country juxtapose with the fighting between the husband and wife, making this movie delightful, funny, and sexy. It is a sweet film about couples, tango, food, soccer, culture, coming of age, passion, and above all, love.
 
12.  Class Enemy 
(Slovenia), 
2013.
A very realistic portrayal of what could happen if… - Tensions hit the roof after the arrival of a new teacher for the German class. Shortly after talking with him, one of the students commits suicide. The class revolts not only against the teacher and the school but also against the entire school system in their country. The calm approach and high camera angles contribute to the mounting tensions. At times slow, but the beautiful cinematography makes up for it.

© ECCE FILMS
13.  The Age of Panic 
(France), 
2013
A contemporary and marvelous film that blends documentary techniques with a modern narrative in a social context. On the night of the French presidential election, a TV journalist leaves her two children with a male babysitter. The father has a court-ordered restriction. He cannot see his children when the mother is absent. He insists, pushing everything toward chaos when the babysitter decides to take the children out into the tumultuous streets to see their mom. People become intense about the debate over who should win the election. Everything escalates into a fierce fight between wife and husband, the law vs. people’s impulses. A unique and innovative way to tell a story. The audience feels agony and is enveloped by the movie’s claustrophobic effect.

© Hola MexMéxicolm Festival, 2014.
14. I Don’t Know Whether to Slit My Wrists 
Or Leave Them Long 
(MexMéxico 2013

In a building in MexMéxicoty, two neighboring couples, one Catholic in a fixed marriage and the other Jewish and unable to have children, discuss their differences when a new neighbor arrives and invites them to dinner. He’s a handsome soccer player recovering from an injury. Even together, they are immersed in terrible loneliness. Two gunshots are heard, and the mystery begins with the suspicion of a crime scene. Comedy and drama with musical tones make an excellent Mexican melodrama. Similar in tone to one of an earlier box office hit: “Sex, Shame and Tears/Sexo, Pudor y lágrimas.” It was a big hit in Mexico, hoping to be seen in US theaters, it may have the same fate as many movies from this country that go straight to DVD. Now, try to read the title of the film out loud in Spanish: “No se si cortarme las venas o dejármelas largas.” 


15.   Cold Eyes 
(Korea), 
2013.
The high-tech Korean “Training Day” gets brutal when the recruits have to face superior crime forces. A remake of “Eye in the Sky” is bringing more fans of Korean crime thrillers. The film balances special effects with storytelling, character development, and performances, and all the action sequences are part of a good combo. This “cops and thieves” kind of movie always finds fans’ love all over the World.  

© Arab  Film Festival, 2012.
16.  Death for Sale 
(Morocco), 
2011.
Everything’s paid for in blood for three friends who want to rob a Spanish jewelry store in Morocco. They want to break the cycle of poverty they’re trapped in. In their conversations, one of them says, “If you want to remain dumb clouds, I won’t stop you. To each of us, our path.” Somehow, it’s different from another great Moroccan film, “Horses of God,” where kids were pushed by religion into terrorism. “Death for Sale” is a great thriller that also deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Photo José Alberto Hermosillo © www.FestivalinLA.com
17.  My Way/Cloclo 
(France), 
2012.
This is a biopic-musical about the French pop superstar of the 70s, Claude François, better known as “Cloclo.” It’s well-directed by Florent-Emilio Siri (“Intimate Enemies,” “Hostage”). It features a marvelous performance by Jérémie Renier (“L’Enfant” and “Brotherhood of the Wolf”) as Cloclo. The prolific composer, whose controversial life was largely shaped by his father, who never spoke to him, chose music as a livelihood. That sense of neglect inspired him to compose one of the most beloved songs ever written, “My Way.” Frank Sinatra made it famous; Paul Anka, Julio Iglesias, and many others included it in their repertoire. In MéxMéxicoosé José translated it into Spanish, renaming it “A mi Manera,” which sold thousands of records. I could never forget how magnificent “My Way” is.

U.S.C. Film School, 2013.
18.  Chinese Take-Away 
(Argentina), 
2011.
“Un cuento chino” is the original title of this delightful, heartfelt Argentine dark comedy that no one should miss. Roberto (Ricardo Darin, “The Secret in Their Eyes”) is an extremely obsessive person about order, the kind of middle-aged guy who likes to collect quirky newspaper clippings. In the middle of nowhere, a Chinese man is thrown out of a moving car. Roberto helps him, but the language barrier plays a significant role, sometimes funny, sometimes nostalgic, or even tragic. Roberto wants Jun out of his life, but humanity urges him to help the stranger. This Chinese brother hides the tragedy of his past and the reason he traveled to a foreign land to forget the loss of the love of his life under strange circumstances. The movie is sweet, enjoyable, and suitable for everyone.

© www.moviemonsters.gr
19.  J.A.C.E. 
(Greece), 
2011.
Everyone in Europe raved about J.A.C.E. and the new generation of Greek filmmakers. Critics praised the movie’s excellent storytelling, acting, and superb cinematography. The story follows an Albanian/Greek kid who witnesses his foster family being massacred. Violence, chaos, and abandonment on the streets are left to Jace, who embarks on his own Odyssey, always moving away from harsh reality and searching for a family to live with. A must-see on the big screen.

© German Currents, 2013.
20.  Layla Fourie 
(Germany), 
2013.
Winner of the Jury Special Mention at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival, this emotional, political drama/thriller captures the paranoia, fear, and mistrust of a place marked by racial conflict: South Africa. It is about a single mother trying to keep custody of her son while working as a polygraph operator; she manages to secure a job with a company specializing in lie detectors and security. On the road, she is involved in an accident that changes her life. Director Pia Marais delivers an impeccable work, similar to the Spanish classic “Death of a Cyclist” and the Argentinean co-production “The Headless Woman.” 

21.  Jappeloup 
(France), 
2013.
This emotional drama/biopic tells the story of Pierre Durand and his horse, Jappeloup de Luze, who competed at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Montreal Olympic Games, winning glory for the French team. They did the impossible. A highly entertaining film recommended for the entire family. It’s inspiring and competitive. It’s worth showing in American theaters. No one can understand why this beautiful film was not picked up by a US distribution company.

22.  Miradas Múltiples 
(La máquina loca), 
(MexMéxico
2012
A documentary directed by Emilio Maillé explores the work of legendary Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa. It showcases the iconic images from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. It examines what those moving pictures mean today to some of the World’s greatest cinematographers, including Hideo Yamamoto, Vittorio Storaro, Luciano Tovoli, Javier Aguirresarobe, Christopher Doyle, Haskell Wexler, Raoul Coutard, Gabriel Beristain, Janusz Kaminski, and many more. Each offers a comment, full of passion and admiration for the talented man behind the camera. A master class. As didactic as “Visions of Light.” This historical document should not only have already been screened in the US, but it should also be mandatory in every film school.  

Courtesy of SEEfest 2014, © reserved rights
23.  Karnaval 
(Turkey), 
2014.
Director Can Kılcıoğlu delivers a delightful romance/comedy. An independent production made with the help of family, friends, and neighbors. The story follows the path of “Sideways” in humor and adventure. This intimate drama is about an ordinary guy in a small town who lives in his car, in a quest for a good job and to meet the right girl. After a while, he finds himself working door-to-door, marketing Karnaval brand carpet cleaners. The girl is a wedding cake maker working for her father. Life’s circumstances will bring them together. This charming and refreshing little Turkish film will please anyone in the US.

© www.moviemonsters.gr

24.  The Priest’s Children 
(Croatia), 
2013.
This is a simple story about a priest who pinches all the condoms to promote population growth on the island. After that, the moral issue enters the game, and the complications begin. It is funny and beautiful to watch, directed by one of the most renowned filmmakers in the country, Vinko Bresan. It has been the most successful film in Croatia. 30,000 people saw it on the first weekend. It has been the audience favorite at festivals around the World and has been distributed in many markets worldwide.

© Kazakhstan Montage of Cinema, 2012.
25.   Tale of the Pink Bunny 
(Kazakhstan), 
2010.
We know very little about Kazakhstan cinema and how much it has grown in recent years. This gangsters’ dark humor and drama have never been released in the US. “Bunny” is the story of young people in suburbia as they try to survive. It shows the upper class and the poor/working class without preferential treatment. It has excellent visuals and a frenetic ending. “Pink Bunny” already has a sequel, “Return of The Tale of a Pink Bunny.” The “Amores Perros” of Kazakhstan rocks with great music and talented filmmakers.

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