Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today the launch of the SIX SHOOTER FILM SERIES, a theatrical release of six films from the vanguard of quality worldwide genre cinema. With each film hailing from a different country, the series aims to bring fans of horror, sci-fi, alternative comedy and Asian cinema a mix of the most intelligent, genre-bending titles available from around the globe. The film series is a labor of love for Magnet/Magnolia, who have been committed for some time now to bringing this kind of high-quality fare to theaters, releasing such beloved titles as Bong Joon-ho’s THE HOST and ONG BAK with Tony Jaa.
The inaugural film in the series will be Tomas Alfredson’s critically acclaimed LET THE RIGHT ONE IN from Sweden, winner of such film festival honors as “Best Narrative Feature” at the Tribeca Film Festival, the “Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award” at Edinburgh, “Best Film and Best Cinematography” at Göteborg, and “Best Film, Best Director, Best Photography, Best European, North or South American Film” at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will open in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, October 24th with a regional expansion the following week. The film, based on a internationally bestselling Swedish novel, tells the story of an introverted and bullied 12-year-old boy whose wish for a friend is answered when a young girl moves into the apartment next door. However, the girl’s arrival coincides with a series of grisly murders, and their relationship is understandably complicated when the boy learns that his new friend is a vampire. Alfredson weaves friendship, rejection and loyalty into a haunting and darkly atmospheric, yet poetic and unexpectedly tender tableau of adolescence which manages to breath fresh life into the vampire genre.
“Some of the most exciting, forward-thinking cinema today falls under the genre label and deserves a showcase,” said Magnolia Pictures President Eamonn Bowles. “In the tradition of ‘The Shooting Gallery Film Series,’ we’re putting together a group of films whose quality far outweighs most of what’s on offer from Hollywood. And what better way to kick things off than with LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, which is one of the best films of the year—period.”
“It’s hard enough finding one film, let alone two that are benchmarks within any genre,” added Tom Quinn, SVP at Magnolia/Magnet. “We’re extremely fortunate to have six stellar films—future classics, in my opinion—that will appeal to critics and audiences alike, and make great additions to discerning DVD collections.”
The SIX SHOOTER FILM SERIES will continue the following month with Hal Halberman and Jeremy Passmore’s SPECIAL (U.S.A.), opening theatrically on November 21st after premiering earlier in month on November 7th as a VOD title as part of HDNet’s ULTRA VOD program. SPECIAL is an offbeat and lovable action/comedy starring Michael Rapaport as a meter-maid whose psychotic reaction to medication given to him at a clinical trial convinces him that he has super powers.
Next up in December is Nacho Vigalondo’s TIMECRIMES (Spain), a mind-bending time-travel caper, Sundance Film Festival favorite and Austin Fantastic Fest winner that has already been optioned by United Artists for an English-language remake with David Cronenberg slated to direct. In January is Franck Vestiel’s EDEN LOG (France), a dark and visually stunning sci-fi thriller which will be featured in the “Midnight Madness” section of the Toronto Film Festival next month. Ollie Blackburn’s gleefully twisted and sexually charged Sundance thriller DONKEY PUNCH (UK) with Jaime Winstone will bow in February, riding the wave of notoriety that it generated from its UK release last month. Wrapping up the series in March is Hitoshi Matsumoto’s wonderfully bizarre superhero/mockumentary hybrid, BIG MAN JAPAN (Japan), another Toronto “Midnight Madness” and Cannes Director’s Fortnight alum that re-imagines the iconic giant defender of Tokyo as a 40 year old loser who manages to incur the population’s wrath as he battles some of the strangest monsters ever committed to celluloid.
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