Thanks for the info. This is helpful. It certainly is a doable number, but we
do need to do whatever we can to maximize attendance.—Joel
From: cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of Sandra Sanborn
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2016 12:47 PM
To: cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Re: Candidates for Spring Screenings
Hi Joel,
As far as breakeven on film rental goes, we generally pay around $250-$350 as a
flat rate rental versus a percentage. On one or 2 time shows it usually is just
the flat rate as we don’t often fill a lot of seats to make percentage the
better deal for the distributor. So—30-40 (or 40-50 at the higher rate) total
people would be needed to cover flat expenses on the matinees and slightly less
if it was evening showing (depends a lot on how many full adult tickets
combined with seniors and card punches). That’s why extra attraction of
speakers counts!
Sam
On Feb 24, 2016, at 4:31 PM, Joel Johnson <joel_johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This is my follow-up from a couple of weeks ago when I first sent out
information about the 10 Foreign-language Oscar submissions that have US
distribution. I had indicated that I was leaning toward the Guatemalan
submission “IXCANUL” and the Romanian submission “AFERIM!” as they both had
good reviews, had been included in many high-profile film festivals, and had
won awards. Only Alice has responded with alternative candidates. With one
exception, no one else has either concurred with any of the suggested films or
made any other suggestions. Shannon and Sam suggested that having some type of
event or special guest in association with our film screening would help
maximize our success as we do not have a significant “captive” audience that we
know will come out to watch any of the films we are currently considering. It
would be helpful to know what would be break-even point for attendance to know
what our target should be for success with a one-time screening. I have,
however, done some research (see attachment) on faculty at Colby whose
interests coincide to some degree with “IXCANUL” (Prof. Ben W. Fellaw) and
“AFERIM!” (Asst. Prof. Arnout H.C. van der Meer and Associate Prof. Maple J.
Razsa). I have not contacted any of these individuals. I am curious as to
whether anyone on our team knows these people personally and has any indication
of their receptivity to helping us. It would appear Maple may already be
favorably inclined toward film and the Maine Film Center. If they were
favorably disposed toward participating in a post-film discussion that could be
helpful not only in making the film experience better for our typical filmgoer,
but for broadening our appeal to the Colby community.
Do you have any other suggestions or particular concerns about either my
suggestions or the ones put forth by Alice?
Do you have any information about the individuals I have identified or any
others to consider?
I don’t want to muddy the water at all, but two of the Foreign-language film
nominees (the acknowledged favorite “SON OF SAUL” and “EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT”)
are already booked for Railroad Square Cinema. The Jordanian entry “THEEB”
already screened here as part of MIFF. There is no indication yet that the
French entry set in Turkey “MUSTANG” <http://cohenmedia.net/films/mustang>
http://cohenmedia.net/films/mustang or the Danish entry “A WAR” ;
<http://www.magpictures.com/awar/> http://www.magpictures.com/awar/ will be ;
coming. That certainly could change and would very likely change if one of them
pulls an upset and wins the Oscar. Both “MUSTANG” and “A WAR” are currently in
release and fairly likely to be out on DVD or streaming in two or three months
or so (“MUSTANG” DVDs and Blu-Rays can pre-ordered from Amazon for release on
5/10/16). Ken may know now or will very soon whether he wants to try to book
either of them. Do you want to pursue either of those in place of the other
films suggested?
I look forward to your feedback. Hopefully, we can make a decision on the films
quite soon and be able to start promoting them with our audiences.
Joel
From: <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [
<mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of Alice Johnson
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2016 11:53 AM
To: <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Re: Contact Information for Associate Professor John
Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
I looked at all the Trailers…..
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films
2/5/16 (Limited)
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures
4/29/16
Alice
From: <mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [
<mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:cinemaexp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of Joel Johnson
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2016 9:00 PM
To: <mailto:cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> cinemaexp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cinemaexp] Contact Information for Associate Professor John
Turner/Candidates for Spring Screenings
Shannon:
Could you give me the e-mail address for Professor Turner? Thanks!
Everyone:
We had some discussion of possible spring screenings—most recently in e-mails
under the heading of “Opening weekend and beyond; dates for spring evenings.”
We had learned from Shannon that the schedule was very busy for March, but that
April and May were more open. In response, I had suggested that we could have a
one-night screening of a film during the second week of April (Tuesday, April
12th; Wednesday, April 13th; or Thursday, April 14th) and have another
one-night screening the first week of May (Tuesday, May 3rd; Wednesday, May
4th; or Thursday, May 5th). Hopefully, these dates are still available. We were
hoping to broaden the exposure of foreign-language films and needed to know
which of the submitted films would be nominated. The nominees are EMBRACE OF
THE SERPENT (Colombia); MUSTANG (France); SON OF SAUL (Hungary); THEEB
(Jordan); and A WAR (Denmark). In past years, all of the nominees have
eventually been shown by Railroad Square. So currently I am assuming that none
of the nominees are available. You may be aware that SON OF SAUL (considered
the favorite to win the Oscar) has a trailer running now. I have once again
sent out the listing of the submissions. This is informational. There are only
10 of the submissions (other than the nominees) that have US distribution and
are not now or soon-to-be available on DVD and/or streaming. I think there are
some quite interesting films on this list. The Internet Movie Database (
<http://www.imdb.com/> http://www.imdb.com/ ;) may be a helpful resource to get
additional information about these films, but I have included links to
distributor’s webpages for each film which usually has a trailer or directly to
a subtitled trailer. There are a number of interesting storylines. Which films
seem particularly attractive to you? We have a true crime story; a film that
looks like a different perspective on the SPOTLIGHT story of the transgressions
of those with religious vocations; drag performers in Havana; a coming-of-age
story for a young indigenous woman in Central America; two films with
estranged brothers; a look at the history of persecution of gypsies, etc. We
can certainly go in a number of different directions, but I am partial to
IXCANUL and AFERIM! IXCANUL has received some very favorable reviews and has
shown at several high-profile film festivals. AFERIM! has likewise received
good reviews and portrays an interesting piece of history. I guess I’m a bit of
a sucker for history and ethnography.
<http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/>
http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/
FILM US DISTRIBUTOR
US RELEASE DATE
THE CLAN (Argentina) Twentieth Century Fox 3/18/16
(Limited)
The true story of the Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people in
the 80s.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 Trailer with English subtitles
THE CLUB (Chile) Music Box Films
2/5/16 (Limited)
<http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-club-movies-127.php>
http://www.musicboxfilms.com/the-club-movies-127.php
A crisis counselor is sent by the Catholic Church to a small Chilean beach town
where disgraced priests and nuns, suspected of crimes ranging from child abuse
to baby-snatching from unwed mothers, live secluded, after an incident occurs.
IXCANUL (Guatemala) Kino Lorber N/A
<http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2266>
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2266
Maria, a 17 year old Mayan (Kaqchikel) woman, lives on the slopes of an active
volcano in Guatemala. An arranged marriage awaits her, but her suitor must
first spend months working in the city. It is a world Maria knows nothing of,
but is forced to encounter when problems arise.
RAMS (Iceland) Cohen Media Group 2/3/16
(Limited)
<http://cohenmedia.net/films/rams> http://cohenmedia.net/films/rams ;
In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending to
their sheep. Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the country's
best and the two brothers are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who
carry an ancient lineage. Although they share the land and a way of life, Gummi
and Kiddi have not spoken to each other in four decades. When a lethal disease
suddenly infects Kiddi's sheep, the entire valley comes under threat. The
authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak.
This is a near death sentence for the farmers, whose sheep are their main
source of income, and many abandon their land. But Gummi and Kiddi don't give
up so easily - and each brother tries to stave off the disaster in his own
fashion: Kiddi by using his rifle and Gummi by using his wits. As the
authorities close in the brothers will need to come together to save the
special breed passed down for generations, and themselves, from extinction.
VIVA (Ireland) Magnolia Pictures
4/29/16
<http://www.magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=eba486dd-ffa7-4648-992e-de07ff66d8e0>
http://www.magpictures.com/profile.aspx?id=eba486dd-ffa7-4648-992e-de07ff66d8e0
When everything is for sale, what's the value of love? Jesus does make up for a
troupe of drag performers in Havana, but dreams of being a performer. When he
finally gets his chance to be on stage, a stranger emerges from the crowd and
punches him in the face. The stranger is his father Angel, a former boxer, who
has been absent from his life for 15 years. As father and son clash over their
opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a love story as the men
struggle to understand one another and become a family again.
600 MILES (Mexico) Pantelion
N/A
<http://www.pantelionfilms.com/> http://www.pantelionfilms.com/ ;(Currently not
especially helpful)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDMqB5VlTo>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDMqB5VlTo Trailer with English subtitles
Arnulfo Rubio smuggles weapons for a deadly Mexican cartel. ATF agent Hank
Harris (Tim Roth) attempts to apprehend him, but gets kidnapped by Rubio,
instead. Rubio takes him to his bosses, but during the 600-miles-long drive,
they slowly befriend.
ARABIAN NIGHTS: VOLUME 2, THE DESOLATE ONE (Portugal) Kino Lorber
12/4/15
<http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2215>
http://www.kinolorber.com/film.php?id=2215
This is part 2 of a trilogy. It is not based on the Arabian Nights stories, but
does borrow from their format. Check out the website for the synopsis.
AFERIM! (Romania) Big World Pictures 1/22/16
<http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim/index.html>
http://bigworldpictures.org/films/aferim/index.html
Set in early 19th century Wallachia, when a local policeman, Costandin, is
hired by Iordache, a boyar (local noble), to find Carfin, a Gypsy slave who had
run away from the boyar's estate after having an affair with his wife, Sultana.
Costandin sets out to find the fugitive, beginning a journey full of
adventures. Gypsy slavery lasted from the 14th century up until the middle of
the 19th century, a situation which is very little known and almost nonexistent
in the public debate today, although its impact continues to influence
Romania's social life.
IRAQI ODYSSEY (Switzerland) Typecast Releasing 11/27/15
<https://typecastfilms.com/3563/iraqi-odyssey/>
https://typecastfilms.com/3563/iraqi-odyssey/
Documentary tracing the emigrations of his family over more than half a
century, this riveting 3D documentary epic from acclaimed expatriate Iraqi
filmmaker Samir pays moving homage to the frustrated democratic dreams of a
people successively plagued by the horrors of dictatorship, war, and foreign
occupation. NOTE: 163 minutes
BROTHERS: THE FINAL CONFESSION Intellect Pictures N/A
<http://www.intellectpictures.com/Brothers_The_Final_Confession>
http://www.intellectpictures.com/Brothers_The_Final_Confession
The film is a psychological drama developing on the highlands of the Carpathian
Mountains. Two helpless old men, brothers, desperately keep competing with each
other in order to prolong their lives. Even though their bodies are decaying
and both are sick the one still wants to outlive the other ... But one day a
woman enters their remote dwelling...
Joel
<Possible Discussion Contributors for AFERIM and IXCANUL.docx>
