Kino Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Emilio Mayorga New York-based Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to horror pic “Virtual Reality,” from Argentine director-producer Hernán Findling (“Impossible Crimes”).Other deals on the pic closed by FilmSharks include Media 4 Fun (Poland), AV Jet (Taiwan) and Laon-I (South Korea). Japan, Latin America, the U.K.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired all North American distribution rights to Elie Grappe’s Ukrainian gymnast drama “Olga,” which world premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week last year and won a prize. Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release on June 24, with 10% of proceeds to be donated to Direct Relief in Ukraine.Grappe’s debut feature, “Olga” stars former Ukrainian National Team gymnast Anastasia Budiashkina in her first film role.

Urszula Piasecka has been unveiled as the new CEO of Polish film distributor Kino Świat.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Mathieu Amalric’s “Hold Me Tight,” an engrossing family drama starring “Phantom Thread” actor Vicky Krieps. Co-produced and sold by Gaumont, the movie world premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.Adapted from Claudine Galea’s stage play, “Hold Me Tight” follows Clarisse (Krieps), a mother who has abandoned her family for mysterious reasons and is coping with great emotional upheaval.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights to “On the Edge,” a Belgian crime thriller by Giordano Gederlini (“Les Miserables”) from Le Pacte. The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior VP Wendy Lidell and Le Pacte’s head of sales Camille Neel out of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema market hosted by Unifrance and the Film at Lincoln Center.“On The Edge” marks the sophomore outing of Gederlini, who co-wrote Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated film “Les Miserables.” The gritty and twisty noir is set in Brussels, where Leo, a Spanish metro driver, saw his estranged son right before he fell onto the rails and died.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights for Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s debut feature “Murina” which won the Golden Camera Award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.Executive produced by Martin Scorsese and lushing lensed by Hélène Louvart (“The Lost Daughter”), “Murina” will be playing on opening night of the First Look Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.“Murina” is a tense and sensual tale about a restless teenager, Julija, whose urge to break free from her oppressive father and isolated existence in coastal Croatia is triggered by the visit of a family friend. Variety‘s Jessica Kiang wrote in her review that “If Patricia Highsmith had ever written a coming-of-age story set on the rocky, clear-watered Croatian coastline, it might have looked a lot like Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s bright, brooding debut.” The movie also boasts a breakthrough performance by Gracija Filipovic, a promising young actor and professional swimmer who was one of this year’s 10 Shooting Stars at the Berlinale.

Naman Ramachandran Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature, “Fire in the Mountains,” which premiered in the World Dramatic Competition of the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has the first trailer and teaser scene from Patrick Longstreth’s documentary Iron Family, which is set to make its world premiere at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival.

The Berlin International Film Festival has made a series of additions to its 2022 program, including unveiling the Books At Berlinale industry event lineup and a selection of films for the Forum strand.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired worldwide rights to Afrofuturist sci-fi punk musical , co-directed by poet, musician, and actor Saul Williams and playwright and director Anisia Uzeyman.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired worldwide rights to Afrofuturist sci-fi punk musical , co-directed by poet, musician, and actor Saul Williams and playwright and director Anisia Uzeyman.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired U.S. and Canadian  distribution rights to Aly Muritiba’s “Private Desert” (“Deserto Particular”) Brazil’s International Feature Oscar submission and a love story hailed for its large sensibility as well as political point.The deal was negotiated with the film’s world sale agent, Rome-based Intramovies.

EXCLUSIVE: North American arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has hired indie cinema veteran George Schmalz as Director, Theatrical Sales & Business.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaKino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to “Casablanca Beats” and plans to push the film for awards consideration. The film, which is Morocco’s official submission to the 94th Academy Awards, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was warmly embraced by critics.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterKino Lorber, the New York-based independent film distributor, is launching a free streaming channel dedicated to all things horror.The platform, titled Kino Cult, will be ad-supported and will featured hundreds of hours of curated films, with new titles added monthly. It bows in the U.S.

PENTAGON members Wooseok, Kino and Yuto have dropped new teasers for their upcoming joint single ‘Cerberus’.Forthcoming song was confirmed by the group on August 10 through their official Twitter account. The trio released the cover art for ‘Cerberus’ while revealing that the upcoming digital single will feature Wooseok, Kino and Yuto.#펜타곤 Digital Single[Cerberus]2021.08.18.

Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Ahed’s Knee, with plans to release the Cannes Jury Prize winner in theaters early next year.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNadav Lapid’s thought-provoking film “Ahed’s Knee,” which just world premiered at Cannes and won the jury prize, has been acquired by Kino Lorber for North American distribution.“Ahed’s Knee” will have its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at Toronto.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to the Amos Gitai Film Collection, comprising 22 films by the award-winning bold Israeli director of Cannes’ Palme d’Or contenders “Kippur,” BAFTA-winning “Kadosh,” and “Free Zone” with Natalie Portman. Gitai’s latest film, “Laila in Haifa” (pictured), which featured Israeli and Palestinian actors, world premiered at Venice in 2020.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has partnered with film distribution company Kino Lorber to present a new film series titled “AWFJ Presents.”Curated by esteemed female film journalists and critics under the new “AWFJ Presents” banner on Kino Lorber’s digital platform KinoMarquee, the inaugural selections include six exceptionally entertaining and relevant films by women directors.Jennifer Merin, AWFJ president, said, “The alliance is very proud to

Kino Industries has entered into a creative and co-financing partnership with Rocketman financier Starlings Entertainment.

Kino Lorber has acquired distributor Artsploitation Films from its owner and president Ray Murray. Murray and his team will remain with the business as a Kino Lorber brand and division. The deal for Artsploitation, which releases international genre and cutting-edge specialty films, adds 100 titles to Kino Lorber’s library that now has more than 4,000.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz’s feature documentary Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters, which had its world premiere at DOC NYC in 2020.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to cult filmmaker Beth B’s documentary Lydia Lunch The War Is Never Over.

EXCLUSIVE: Arthouse streamer MUBI has made three hires to its U.S. and UK teams.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentKino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Alex Camilleri’s feature debut, “Luzzu,” which world-premiered at Sundance where it won the Special Jury Award for its lead actor, Jesmark Scicluna.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran indie executive and filmmaker Jeff Lipsky is hooking up with Kino Lorber to launch The Jeff Lipsky Collection on growing streaming service Kino Now. The collection, which becomes available on March 5, will include five out of seven of Lipsky’s directing efforts dating from 2006-2019. Other filmmakers who are similarly represented with Kino Now Auteur Collections include Jean-Luc Godard, Lina Wertmüller, Derek Jarman, István Szabó and F.W. Murnau.

Day 3 of this year’s Berlinale announcements contain the line-ups for Encounters, Panorama and Perspektive Deutsches Kino. Check back in tomorrow for the Competition program.

EXCLUSIVE: Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to the Chris McKim-directed documentary Wojnarowicz which is also known for its full, and for some, controversial title, Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F*cker. The documentary which spotlights the artist and activist David Wojnarowicz is produced by Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey for WOW Docs and by McKim for Hobo Camp Films and will have a theatrical release on March 19 followed by VOD release on Kino Now and home video.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. arthouse distributor Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, has acquired all rights in North America to new doc feature In Balanchine’s Classroom.