Friday, August 9
PREMIERES
JAMAICA INN | THE 39 STEPS | THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
(ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S BIRTHDAY: 8/13/1899)
To commemorate the birthday of the Master of Suspense – one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema – Film Movement Plus premieres three of Hitchcock’s early masterpieces from Corinth Films’ classics collection: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, THE 39 STEPS and JAMAICA INN.
JAMAICA INN (1939, 98 mins) — For a Hitchcock film, this is not what you’d expect from the master of suspense, but the story of cutthroats luring ships to be wrecked, then robbed, on the rocky coast of 17th century Cornwall is compelling, and the stellar British cast is superb. Charles Laughton, Emlyn Williams, Basil Radford, Leslie Banks and Mervyn Johns deliver top notch performances as a band of rogues which supercilious Laughton doesn’t want to have anything to do with, except for carrying out his orders to pillage and kill.
THE 39 STEPS (1935, 86 mins.) — In Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant spy thriller, Richard Hannay has a knack for ending up with beautiful women. The first one asks him if she can come up to his apartment. It turns out she is a British secret agent being hunted by international agents working for a villainous man described only as having the end of his pinky finger missing. The agents are under orders to stop her from delivering a secret code to an agent in Scotland. When he meets beautiful Pamela (Madeleine Carroll) trying to escape from a sheriff, they are handcuffed together and are “forced” to spend the night together.
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934, 75 mins.) — This 1934 vintage suspense thriller was Alfred Hitchcock’s biggest British success and, although it was remade by Hitchcock in 1955, this remains the definitive version. The story concerns a British couple and their daughter traveling in Switzerland where they witness the murder of a Frenchman (Pierre Fresnay) who, before he dies, tells them about a plot to kill a foreign diplomat in London. A spy ring captures the little girl to ensure the couple’s silence. The couple return to London to track down the kidnappers, and, in one of Hitchcock’s most famous sequences, the mother manages to save the diplomat’s life by foiling a breathtaking assassination attempt at the finale of a concert at Albert Hall.
Friday, August 16
PREMIERE
I AM NOT A WITCH (WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY; 8/19)
Director Rungano Nyoni captured a BAFTA for I AM NOT A WITCH, her provocative debut feature and a striking satire about witchcraft in contemporary Zambia.
When nine-year-old Shula is accused of witchcraft, she is exiled to a witch camp run by Mr. Banda, a corrupt and inept government official. Tied to the ground by a white ribbon, Shula is told that she will turn into a goat if she tries to escape. As the only child witch, Shula quickly becomes a local star and the adults around her exploit her supposed powers for financial gain. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom.
In time to commemorate World Humanitarian Day (August 19), Film Movement Plus premieres this internationally acclaimed drama, the U.K.’s Official Oscar Submission for Best Foreign Language Film in 2019. At times moving, often funny and occasionally surreal, I AM NOT A WITCH offers spellbinding storytelling with flashes of anarchic humor, showcasing Nyoni as the birth of a significant new screen voice. Festival audiences and juries also agreed, bestowing more than 20 nominations on I AM NOT A WITCH, including the AFI Fest Audience Award and a BIFA nod for “Best British Independent Film”. Also nominated for a 2018 Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film and a Golden Camera Award at Cannes, I AM NOT A WITCH has been named to numerous “Best of 2018” lists including The New Yorker, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Film School Rejects and IGN.
“Wickedly smart”
— Los Angeles Times
“One of the most striking debuts of the year”
— IndieWire
“A rush of originality, energy and ambition”
— Sight & Sound
“Signals the auspicious arrival of a fierce new talent”
— Chicago Reader
| I AM NOT A WITCH Official U.S. Trailer |
Friday, August 23
PREMIERE
VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD-WINNERS
The oldest film festival in the world – and one of its most prestigious – The Venice International Film Festival will hold its 76th iteration from August 28 to September 7. To celebrate this world class festival, Film Movement Plus will premiere THE PRESIDENT, from Corinth Films.
In the Opening Film of the 2014 Venice Int’l Film Festival (and nominated for “Best Film”), directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Kandahar), the President and his family rule an unnamed the land with a draconian fist, enjoying a privileged and luxurious existence at the expense of his miserable and oppressed subjects. After a coup d’état uproots his position of power, the President’s wife and daughters are flown out of the country as he stays behind with his grandson, who is too young to grasp the unfolding events. After his personal escort and bodyguards turn on him, he is forced to disguise himself and flee into the countryside to avoid capture. He soon learns that he is now the country’s most wanted fugitive and begins a perilous journey with his grandson, his only ally.
Film Movement Plus also invites movie lovers to partake in a deep collection of award-winning films from Venice:
– EDWARD II – Winner, Volpi Cup for Best Actress (1991)
– FULL MOON IN PARIS – Winner, Best Actress (1984)
– HANA-BI – Winner, Golden Lion (1997)
– HOTEL SALVATION – Winner, Unesco Prix Enrico Fulchignoni (2016)
– LIGHT OF MY EYES – Winner, Best Actor & Best Actress (2001)
– PARADISE – Winner, Silver Lion for Best Director (2016)
– THEEB – Winner, Horizon Award for Best Director (2014)
– UNDER THE BOMBS – Winner, EIUC Award & Young Cinema Award (2007)
FILM MOVEMENT PLUS (
www.filmmovementplus.com) opens up a world of provocative, compelling and award-winning films from Film Movement’s singular library. Priced at $5.99 per month with a free 14-day trial, the SVOD subscription service, currently available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, mobile (iOS and Android), and Chromecast, offers consumers immediate access to 250 festival favorite feature films and 100 short films, including: THEEB, the 2016 Academy Award® nominee for Best Foreign Film; AFTER THE STORM, a powerful family drama from 2018 Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda; HUMAN CAPITAL, a political thriller from Paolo Virzi (
The Leisure Seeker) that was Italy’s Best Foreign Film submission for the 87
th Academy Awards® and MY LOVE, DON’T CROSS THAT RIVER, an unforgettable documentary about true love that transcends generations and cultures and is South Korea’s most successful film of all time. Classics from the Film Movement catalog include Bille August’s PELLE THE CONQUEROR, an Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 1996 and much more.
