For those of you that live in the UK and also enjoy Asian films as much as I do, this announcement should be welcomed with open arms. Third Window Films has announced that it has picked up Pang Ho-Cheung’s hilarious comedy, Vulgaria, and Shuichi Okita’s comedy, The Woodsman and the Rain for release on Blu-ray and DVD. I’ve saw Vulgaria earlier this year and loved it so when it hits the shelves next year you should definitely consider giving it a watch. I missed my chance to see The Woodsman and the Rain but have heard pretty good things about it. All the details about the acquisition can be found below. For US fans, now we just have to wait until China Lion releases Vulgaria over here so we can all enjoy it’s raunchy humor together.
Third Window Films is pleased to announce the acquisition of 2 wonderful comedies from the Far East, Pang Ho-Cheung’s Vulgaria and Shuichi Okita’s The Woodsman and the Rain (Kitsutsuki to Ame).
Both films have been touring many popular international film festivals to rave reviews with Vulgaria having its European premiere at the prestigious Udine Film Festival and then going on to open the New York Asian Film Festival while The Woodsman and the Rain won the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival and then had its European debut at the Terracotta Film Festival before going on to sell-out shows at Udine, Japan Cuts and many more.
Third Window Films mainly handles Japanese films nowadays, but the acquisition of Vulgaria still fits into the ethos behind Third Window Films handling unique and original films from directors that stick way out from the mainstream. Third Window Films’ MD Adam Torel says “Actually, I’ve been trying to release Pang Ho-Cheung films for years and have always had problems negotiating rights with companies who have been selling his films. Ever since I saw ‘You Shoot, I Shoot’ on VCD when it came out I knew that there was a brand new face of Hong Kong cinema that would go on to be something special, and he has proven it over the years by being one of the only writer/directors in Hong Kong who can make original films with intelligent and unique scripts with witty dialogue over a variety of different genres and topics, something which hasn’t been seen in Hong Kong cinema for a very long time. I’m very happy to have been able to acquire this film (after a looong negotiation process) and hope that the release of Vulgaria will help many of his other brilliant films filter into the UK.”
The Woodsman and the Rain is another very highly-received comedy that fits comfortably in to Third Window Films’ recent output of Japanese comedies. While slightly more mainstream than some of the more cultish and quirky comedies that Third Window has been handling, but as Adam Torel says “Third Window Films has always tried to work with new talent and try to get them more international attention through distribution in the West, and young director Shuichi Okita, who rose to fame with The Chef of the South Polar, has shown that he is definitely a director going somewhere!”
Both films will be released on DVD & Blu-ray in 2013.
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