New Wave Films (UK)

[Peacock]

I asked them if they planned to release a Blu-ray of the film a week ago, they replied "In an ideal world, yes. But we can't guarantee it at the moment.". As Criterion doesn't seem interested in Dumont anymore considering how long ago they said they'd release L'Humanite and La Vie... I can't imagine they'll pursue Hadewijch, at least not any time soon; so hopefully New Wave pull through on this one.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Something better happen soon. This is going for silly money in France nearly 200 quid for a new copy.

[Nothing]

And has the new one, Hors Satan, even sold in the UK? Given the confidence everyone so clearly has in Hadewijch (by most accounts a more accessible work), I have grave concerns...

The biggest problem here, no doubt, is persuading Claire Binns and Picturehouse to exhibit the film nationally, lest certain-death at the Cine Lumiere present itself. With Picturehouse now acting as a distributor as well the major exhibitor, their already-dire near-monopoly on arthouse exhibition in the UK has just acquired severe anti-trust / anti-competition implications. I'm surprised it's being allowed to happen, to be honest, and would suggest the time is soon approaching when New Wave, Artificial Eye, Optimum, Metrodome, Soda, Network and others may wish to consider coming together in a legal action.

[Duncan Hopper]

I think you've hit on the real issue here, there are really not enough screens to book these films in, or to put it another way, not enough cinemas willing to screen these films.

It seems New Wave are genuinely struggling to get screens for these films, which is leaving them with a backlog. Yes, you could argue that they are sacrificing films like 'Hadewijch' by constantly pushing them to the back of their release schedule in favour of more commercially appealing films, but I guess they have to make some serious financial decisions. That said, I feel the Hadewijch situation is becoming a little ridiculous.

I noticed 'Film Socialisme' starts screening on the 9th of July at the Cine Lumiere, it is listed as 'In French with English subtitles'. I wonder what kind of English subtitles we can expect?

[tojoed]

Godard's Film Socialisme on dvd in September.
Subtitles by Stanley Unwin.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Godard's Film Socialisme on dvd in September.
Subtitles by Stanley Unwin.

Joy in the fundamold

[tojoed]

Joy in the fundamold

Deep Joy!

[MichaelB]

I noticed 'Film Socialisme' starts screening on the 9th of July at the Cine Lumiere, it is listed as 'In French with English subtitles'. I wonder what kind of English subtitles we can expect?

According to my Sight & Sound colleague Brad Stevens, who's handling the reviewing gig, the theatrical release will have Navajo subtitles only, but the DVD will have Navajo and conventional subtitle options.

[domino harvey]

Too bad Kino's Blu-ray won't follow such common sense

[MichaelB]

Bear in mind that this is based on information received, not on the actual DVD - I'm assuming Brad is either working from a screener of the theatrical version or a one-off screening in a preview theatre.

[RossyG]

Interesting news:

Thursday August 18th 2011

NEW WAVE ACQUIRES 2 TITLES FROM CANNES

New Wave Films is pleased to announce the acquisition of two films shown in the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection:

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Winner, Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival

Hors Satan by Bruno Dumont
Official selection, Un Certain Regard

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Great news on both counts but when they gonna put out Hadewijch which is now going for 200 euros!

[colinr0380]

Agreed - they must have eyes bigger than their belly. If New Wave are not going to release any Bruno Dumont films they should stop buying up the rights which would at least let someone else have a go at putting out a DVD, if not a Blu-Ray!

(Unless they are planning to put out a double feature of them - "The Epiphanal Atheistic Religiosities of Bruno Dumont"?)

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

If only. The US rights for both Ceylan and Dumont have been picked up by Cinema Guild I think. I wonder if they'll put out Hadewijch too?

[zedz]

Which reminds me that I don't remember hearing anything about the Dumont after its Cannes screenings. Has anybody seen it?

[John Edmond]

New Wave's blu-ray of How I Ended This Summer is reviewed at thedigitalfix. 1080i again?

[Dadapass]

The website says they have the rights to Nostalgia for the Light.

[Peacock]

Hadewijch will finally open in the cinema in Feb, so DVD around end April, early May. Blu on this is a bit ambitious...

They did originally say, pre-Boonmee release, that they would also like to do a Blu of this and Film Socialisme; but it's not surprising that they've changed their mind what with the delayed theatrical release and things... Fair enough... I just hope Hors Satan gets one!

Oh and regarding Film Socialisme on Blu (would rather get this than the Kino as it would include both sets of english subs)

We'll see what the DVD does first! So it means even if we do, it won't come out for 4 or 5 months from now.

[colinr0380]

So another six months or so. Even a DVD of Hadewijch is still looking ambitious from this company!

Oh and regarding Film Socialisme on Blu (would rather get this than the Kino as it would include both sets of english subs)

We'll see what the DVD does first! So it means even if we do, it won't come out for 4 or 5 months from now.

I get really annoyed by that - if everyone buys it we'll put out the other edition and get you to buy it again, but if you wait to see if we'll do a Blu release, it will be your fault for holding out and making it more likely that it will not happen! (what makes them think that DVD sales good enough to cause a Blu release will inspire people to re-buy on Blu within such a short period anyway? Won't potential consumers have just cut their losses and plumped for either their DVD or bought the Region 1 Blu in the meantime?)

[peerpee]

I realise these Dumont films are not going to be extremely lucrative, but if they were handled with a bit more flair and more quickly, they would have a much better chance. HADEWIJCH came out on DVD in France over 18 months ago. It's not a new film anymore. Theatrically in the UK they're going to make about £900 combined - so why stick to this slow 1980s roll out, years late?

Disclosure: MoC attempted to licence HADEWIJCH and HORS SATAN, I'm a huge Dumont fan (we released his debut), and the reality is that if we'd been successful, they'd both be out now in Dual Format editions.

New Wave Films have the money and enthusiasm to licence these films but don't release them promptly and don't have the faith or the balls to release them on Blu-ray. Really disappointing! --

I'll now be hoping for Dumont Blu-rays from Cinema Guild, I'll be getting the FILM SOCIALISME Blu-ray from Kino, and New Wave Films will probably wonder why their DVDs don't sell very well. Sigh.

[Duncan Hopper]

The problem with New Wave is they want to release all their titles in the Cinema first, before DVD, and amount of screens available to them has become less and less, what with the likes of Curzon showing Harry Potter films and the Cine Lumiere taking their ludicrous summer vacation. The reality is they buy more films than they have screens to show them on, and thus some films keep getting shoved to the back of the queue, HADEWIJCH being the main victim.
I'm not making excuses for New Wave, I've been very vocal to them about the mistreatment of HADEWIJCH, I think they need to rethink how they deal with Dumont films.

They are clearly never going to make any money from a Dumont film, I'm sure they buy his films out of love for his work, HORS SATAN had only one screening at the London film festival this year and that was only just over half full. Bearing in mind that most films sold out at LFF and had at least two screenings shows you how tough a Dumont is going to be to sell. So leaving his films on the shelf is just going to make things worse.

I hope they do something decent with HORS SATAN as it deserves it, for me its one of Dumont's best films to date.

I'll now be hoping for Dumont Blu-rays from Cinema Guild, I'll be getting the FILM SOCIALISME Blu-ray from Kino, and New Wave Films will probably wonder why their DVDs don't sell very well. Sigh.

Are they joining you and Second Run for that DVD debate in December? Perfect opportunity to grill them on Dumont.

[colinr0380]

Come now Duncan, surely all this delay is worthwhile in order to get a lukewarm theatrical review from the Guardian? (I'm sure Mr Kermode is not losing any sleep over the delays to Film Socialisme either)

But I suppose the leapfrogging of Le quattro volte also didn't really help with the scheduling of the Dumont.

Are they joining you and Second Run for that DVD debate in December? Perfect opportunity to grill them on Dumont.

What's this debate? Will there be transcripts available?

[MichaelB]

I suspect Nick means this.

These things often are videoed, though usually published on BFI Live in substantially edited form.

[Duncan Hopper]

So HADEWIJCH finally gets a UK cinema release date of Friday the 17th of February, Twenty Six months after the French release date.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA follows soon after on Friday the 16th of March. No date for HORS SATAN as yet.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Disclosure: MoC attempted to licence HADEWIJCH and HORS SATAN, I'm a huge Dumont fan (we released his debut), and the reality is that if we'd been successful, they'd both be out now in Dual Format editions.

Just got to see Hors Satan at long last and boy is it screaming for a blu. Dumont's most intense and compositionally perfect offering to date. Could you not Indian arm wrestle them for the blu rights?