April 2018
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This month’s upcoming premieres
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Readers: The purpose of this magazine is to share with our movie-goers, the industry and our partners updates about what is happening at Flix Premiere each month. We aim to highlight and explore the upcoming month’s film premieres in each market, and occasionally announce new developments on our platform. Happy reading!
Ev er yth ing
’s Go nn a Be Pin k
Go dde ss
IN THIS ISSUE: April Premieres Snapshot
Mile End
Learn about our exclusive new premieres showing each week. US April Premieres Snapshot - pg. 3 UK April Premieres Snapshot - pg. 4
Close Up: Premieres Feature Reviews
Qu ee r Cit y
A chance to immerse yourself in the wonderful stories premiering each week. Goddess - Laura Michelle Kelly, Ronan Keating, Magda Szubanski, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Lucy Durack - pg. 5 Queer City - Rafael Alencar, Sarah Chinn, Miriam Diaz, Thomas K. Duane, Kris Franklin, Geoffrey Rodgers - pg. 6 The Prosecutor, The Defender, The Father and His Son - Romane Bohringer, Samuel Fröler, Izudin Bajrovic - pg. 7 Everything’s Gonna Be Pink - Talia Wray, Natalie Thomas, Alexandra Turshen, Charles Grantham, Simon MacLean - pg. 8 Pneuma - Allyson Grant, Jason Beaudoin, Jessie Crabbe, Lucas Rubkiewicz - pg. 9 Mile End - Alex Humes, Heidi Agerholm Balle, Mark Arnold, Stevee Davies, Valmike Rampersad, Mary Jane Lowe - pg. 10 Stranger in the Dunes - Andrew Hovelson, Mike Dwyer, Delphine Chanéac - pg. 11 Cafard - Maarten Ketels, Wim Willaert, Benoît Magimel, Julie Gayet, Benoit Gob, Dinara Drukarova - pg. 12
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“ EXTRAORDINARY. You’ll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with all of them.”
Joe Ehrman-Dupre, LOGO TV
UK PREMIERE April 7, 2018 - 7pm BST
A diverse group of LGBT individuals in New York City, offering a vivid mosaic of queer American life in the 21st century.
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UK PREMIERE April 14, 2018 - 7pm BST New York City. The first night of fall. Three women seek love in three very different ways.
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US PREMIERES SNAPSHOT
Starring: Laura Michelle Kelly, Ronan Keating, Magda Szubanski, Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Lucy Durack
april 6, 2018 - 7pm EST
Starring: Romane Bohringer, Samuel Fröler, Izudin Bajrovic
April 13, 2018 - 7pm EST
Starring: Allyson Grant, Jason Beaudoin, Jessie Crabbe, Lucas Rubkiewicz
APRIL 20, 2018 - 7pm EST
Starring: Andrew Hovelson, Mike Dwyer, Delphine Chanéac
aPRIL 27, 2018 - 7pm EST
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UK PREMIERES SNAPSHOT
Starring: Rafael Alencar, Sarah Chinn, Miriam Diaz, Thomas K. Duane, Kris Franklin
April 7, 2018 - 7pm bst
Starring: Talia Wray, Natalie Thomas, Alexandra Turshen, Charles Grantham, Simon MacLean
april 14, 2018 - 7pm bst
Starring: Alex Humes, Heidi Agerholm Balle, Mark Arnold, Stevee Davis, Mary Jane Lowe
april 21, 2018 - 7pm bst
Starring: Maarten Ketels, Wim Willaert, BenoĂŽt Magimel, Julie Gayet, Benoit Gob
april 28, 2018 - 7pm bst
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
Goddess
US Premiere APRIL 6 - 7PM EST
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lspeth Dickens is a full-time mother of twin boys, tending to her children and the goats in her quaint cottage in rural Australia. Though not a single parent, Elspeth is left to fend for herself while her husband sails the seas on long ecological missions to save the whales. Amidst the chaos of toddlers, the clattering of pots, and the bleating goats, she longs to bring a gentler, sweeter song to the world. But how can Elspeth satisfy her longings for stardom from her kitchen? Lest you still doubt, the Goddess of director Mark Lamprell’s musical comedy is a domestic one. A household warrior and overworked mom by day, Elspeth is a performer at heart. She writes and practices music in the barn with a glass of wine once her children are asleep, and while her husband is away for work.
Cassandra wants Elspeth to be her goddess, and flies her away to the big city to begin their campaign. But can Elspeth be mother, wife, and international icon all at once? Laura Michelle Kelly brings the vibrant energy and life demanded by the film’s title to the role of Elspeth.
L or e
Unsurprisingly, her genteel voice and bubbly dancing steal the show. That is not to diminish, however, the vocal talents and performances of her costars. Notably, her husband James is played by the dashing Ronan Keating–an impressive vocalist himself. Magda Szubanski brings a delightful larger than life presence to Cassandra, whose brassy singing is as playful as her business acumen is sharp.
Goddess is one of those rare feel good Australian films which can be described as a gem. Preview Films
James’ long absences are a recurring source of tension between the couple. He buys her a webcam to alleviate the distance between them, but Elspeth is exasperated to realize she cannot even connect with him using the device because he often leaves broadcasting range.
Longing for mature human contact, she begins broadcasting her own “sink songs” from her home for whomever will listen to them on the web.
Three outstanding leads provide a deep
Goddess is a bright and colorful musical whose melodies spring from both Elspeth’s fantasies and her web broadcasts.
deliver the film's best moments.
talent pool for the film and they each
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
It’s a fairytale about the precipitous rise to celebrity of a domestic diva, and a morality tale about the struggle to balance professional and family life. When she achieves a broad viewership of her song broadcasts, Elspeth catches the eye of a cutthroat marketing executive, Cassandra, who is searching high and low for a new representative for a laptop computer marketed specifically for women.
Overall, Goddess is a feel-good family romantic comedy that speaks to the performer in us all. Be sure to see it on Flix Premiere!
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
Queer City
UK Premiere APRIL 7 - 7PM BST
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loquently directed and produced by Draper Shreeve, Queer City is a documentary style film which gets under the skin of the LGBT community in the New York City of today. An eclectic selection of individuals each tell their personal story about their journey through life, all beautifully captured on film in the stimulating vitality of New York City. All are wonderful storytellers, each with their own very entertaining style. The cast of interviewees include the butch Puerto Rican lesbian, Tee, who matter of factly describes her realization that she was different to others and rattles through her various relationships good and bad; the elderly Englishman and art historian, Geoffrey, a resident of New york for over 35 years who is very grateful for the easy-going way in which his lifestyle has been accepted in the city, compared to the way of the world in England during his early years; a respected former politician, Tom Duane, talking about his experiences in the public eye; a lesbian couple with their twin children leading a normal lifestyle in a happy homely environment; and a young transgender black guy, Eric who has a strong sense of belonging in Coney Island despite his Haitian mother’s retention of her homeland traditions.
EXTRAORDINARY. You’ll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with all of them. Joe Ehrman-Dupre, LOGO TV
Dazzling...impassioned and emotional. Gary M. Kramer, IndieWire
Finally, and perhaps most extravagantly there is Mr Pam, who is a bisexual flamboyant gay pornagraphic filmmaker, with a huge range of friends, acquaintances and tastes who unabashedly describes her experiences and takes the viewer into the preparation for a film shoot, and gives the viewers a visual feast at a gay film festival awards ceremony. This ’not to be missed’ film will hold appeal to a wide range of viewers as the tale matter of factly and non judgmentally shows how all of these people fit colourfully and comfortably into the tapestry of life that is the human experience, in the forgiving canvas of a bustling New York City.
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
The Prosecutor, The Defender,
US Premiere ARPIL 13 - 7PM EST
The Father, and His Son
The Prosecutor, The Defender, The Father and His Son is a tense courtroom drama set in the high-stakes atmosphere of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Beneath the chess match between lawyers, journalists, defendants, and victims, however, lies a layered family drama. Following the resurfacing of the soldier’s abjured family, the film becomes a profound reflection on each of the players’ relationship to their own father and the role that such a legacy plays in shaping their current goals, dreams, and aspirations. Parental inheritance, we learn, can be both a beautiful gift and a profound burden – the kind of motor that powers high-profile careers, religious zeal, and even wars.
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man accused of mass murder and crimes against humanity in battle sails untarnished through days of his own trial. Despite hours of recorded testimony from surviving witnesses indicting Milorad Krstic, the charges do not promise to stick – the evidence is inconclusive. A monster looks poised to walk free. Enter a young man who testifies that he served as an orphaned soldier underneath Krstic and can identify him as the perpetrator of a massacre in the Bosnian war that resulted in dozens of civilian casualties.
The Prosecutor, The Defender, The Father and His Son is an important
Director Iglika Triffonova takes on the emotionally weighty topic of the Bosnian genocide through the scaffolding of the law. In doing so, she challenges our preconceived notions of justice and our expectations for a struggle between good and evil. Romane Bohringer delivers what first appears to be an austere and sober performance as the Prosecutor. Underneath her measured professional facade, however, we sense an agonizing devout woman who is terrified that a villain will escape the law under her watch.
film about contemporary Bulgarian cinema - it is an important artistic act, an in-depth commentary on the latest history of the Balkans. Elitsa Mateeva, 12mag
Triffonova [Director] brings an important piece of recent history to life in an epic The press is abuzz as the tide appears to have turned against the commander. Will justice finally be served? And what of the unexpected resurfacing of the boy’s family, thanks to the aggressive investigational efforts of the defense?
fashion that is not to be missed.
Similarly, Samuel Fröler’s Defender at first presents as cold-hearted and calculating. How could anyone zealously defend such a man as Krstic? But over the course of the film, we see beyond the veneer of his character’s ambition into the man who has an idealized notion of the law and a fraught relationship with his own father. The Prosecutor, The Defender, The Father and His Son is a moving drama based on historical events. Triffonova brings an important piece of recent history to life in an epic fashion that is not to be missed.
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
Everything’s Gonna Be Pink
UK Premiere APRIL 14 - 7PM BST
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s the sun sets in New York City, three women experience the many different facets of love amidst the beautiful cityscapes and colorful lights. Sasha [Talia Wray] struggles through a tumultuous and fight-fraught relationship with a turbulent writer, Gavin. After another argument, Sasha is drawn from a night with her friends when Gavin goes missing on a night of binging. On the other side of the spectrum, Lauren [Natalie Thomas] seeks to liven up her seemingly perfect Upper West Side marriage by way of a swingers party, suggested by her husband, Greg. And Jessie [Alexandra Turshen] has an uphill battle with her idealization of a perfect relationship. As the successful Manhattan business woman encounters a furniture-maker from Brooklyn, she comes to question if her expectations of love are realistic.
Each actress unravels their characters’ vulnerabilities in dignified and nuanced performances.
Everything’s Gonna Be Pink is truly a cinematic experience.
By the end of the night, each woman steps into the sobering light of daybreak with a clearer perspective of their relationships and themselves. Director Roni Ezra masterfully illuminates Christina Pastor’s words and themes in a very natural and relatable way, weaving three very different relationships together almost effortlessly. Ezra strips down complicated human relationships and emotions in a way that’s easy to digest and sympathize with. Paying tribute to The Great Gatsby, she animates New York City into the ever present witness to the characters’ actions, adding a delicious note of self-reflection.
The film is supported by Drew Ravani’s wonderful cinematography, which leaves subconscious indications of the characters’ relationships through composition and colors. Various framing demonstrates the level characters feel trapped within their circumstances in love and life. Similarly, Ravani uses vibrant nightlife colors, principly red, yellow and green, to act as an omen of transpiring events. Everything’s Gonna Be Pink is an unconventional romantic drama that provides a dose of reality that is easier to swallow.
Through these three women, we explore the good, the bad, and the awkward of modern love and dating. We come to understand the realities of young love through Sasha. We experience the risk and sacrifice for a significant other through Lauren. And we all recognize the fear of jumping out of our comfort zone through Jessie. Each actress unravels their characters’ vulnerabilities in dignified and nuanced performances. Engaging visually and emotionally, Everything’s Gonna Be Pink is truly a cinematic experience.
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
Pneuma
US Premiere APRIL 20 - 7PM EST
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onathan finds himself in a correctional facility with little to no memory of his life after a crime he committed. He undergoes therapy sessions with Dr. Erin Sandstone in order to rehabilitate his retrograde amnesia. Erin, conflicted but optimistic, finds herself setting aside her moral integrity for his redemption. However, the two find themselves doing more than side-step regulation and develop a more intimate relationship. Through a series of powerfully vulnerable conversations, Pneuma explores the question of human nature, learned behavior, and whether someone can fundamentally change who they are.
The natural chemistry and flawless performance between Jason (Beaudoin) and Allyson (Grant) paint an intimate atmosphere. The interaction between the two, immerse you into the story. Darren Wiesner, Hollywood North Magazine
Imaginative, gripping dialogue and delectably problematic characters makes you forget the limiting circumstances and sucks you in completely.
Jason Beaudoin gives a stirring performance as Jonathan as he battles his demons. After remembering the hate crime he carried out, Jason effortlessly draws the audience into a place of sympathy for the character. Jonathan finds his past transgressions despicable and desperately longs to start over - to lead a completely different life and to forget the one he regrets. Although we can’t remove the character from his crime, we can identify with his remorse and his desire to turn over a new leaf.
Allyson Grant (Dr. Erin Sandstone) gives her character an undeniable light and charm. In an attempt to forward her career, she puts everything on the line for Jonathan’s rehabilitation. Much like the audience, Sandstone feels much torment over her growing sympathies towards Jonathan.
Not to mention the dialogue which brings up interesting questions about human nature and how much of our personality is shaped by our experiences and beliefs. And the film poses a very important question to the audience: can people actually change?
Writer and director William Carne exacts beautiful character studies in the film. Employing a subtle and nuanced approach, the audience can understand who these people are from their word choice and tones, creating characters that are easy to invest in.
Pneuma takes a bold approach to storytelling by limiting themselves to one location and essentially two characters. Imaginative, gripping dialogue and delectably problematic characters makes you forget the limiting circumstances and sucks you in completely.
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Mile End
Close Up: Premiere Feature Review UK Premiere APRIL 21 - 7PM BST
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ut of work London publishing executive Paul Kerr (Alex Humes) has been forced out of his job by a younger rival, but tells his girlfriend Kate (Heidi Agerholm Balle) that he quit to take a new career direction. He instead takes up running to give himself new focus and meets John (Mark Arnold), a friendly American, when he’s out jogging. They both agree that life isn’t fair; Paul having lost his job, while John was the innocent victim of a car crash caused by a drunk driver. John works hard at getting close to Paul, as if he is desperately looking for a friend to confide in.
Brilliant UK filmmaking. Ollie England, Crispy Sharp Film
Kate worries that John’s penchant to bend the rules is a bad influence and Paul, growing wary of John’s unpredictable moods, tries to cool their friendship; but John refuses to get the message. After being shortlisted for a role he never applied for, Paul discovers that John has been pulling strings in the background to help him get interviews. The realisation that John is secretly interfering in his life leaves Paul torn between feelings of anger and hope on the eve of his big job interview. Adrian, the investment banker, fails to return from a run and is found dead, and soon after two more people who have disrespected Paul meet their deaths. Paul’s suspicion falls on John, but John collapses and dies running a half-marathon, taking his secrets with him.
Paul’s girlfriend sets up an interview for him at an investment bank through Adrian (Valmike Rampersad), an arrogant banker she knows in the City, but it goes badly and Paul feels humiliated. Afterwards, John manipulates Paul into taking part in a malicious prank on an office worker out jogging at lunchtime, laying a tripwire to trip him up.
Beautiful and unsettling. Elizabeth Howard, Quadrapheme
Twisted and tense London-set thriller. Raindance Film Festival
With the three deaths remaining unexplained, Paul learns that he has been successful in his job interview, and sets out on the next chapter of his life with renewed hope. Mile End ’s cinematography is slick and makes good use of the sharp lines of Canary Wharf ‘s concrete and glass buildings and manicured pathways to set the backdrop for this intriguing tale which evolves from marathon running into a psychological thriller. Writer and Director Graham Higgins enticingly leaves the audience to make up their own minds about the unexplained deaths - was it coincidence or not?
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review
Stranger in the Dunes
US Premiere APRIL 27 - 7PM EST
I
t could have been a restful summer vacation at the beach house, filled with morning swims and dramatic views, but everything changes for married couple Elliott (Andrew Hovelson) and Diana (Delphine Chanéac) when Wesley, an old friend (played by Mike Dwyer) drops by their porch early one morning, with a bandage on his hand and a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Tensions run high, as Diana and Wesley clearly have history, and Elliott seems to know it. Stranger In The Dunes turns themes of marital loneliness into the stuff of supernatural proportions. Early one morning, Diana and the heavily intoxicated Wesley slip out for a walk while Elliott sleeps. They stumble upon a secluded dune and what seems to be a gold mine of sorts - a shallow pool of water glittering an ethereal turquoise blue - that alters the course of their lives. The pool, gleaming with both unimaginable opportunities as well as violent ramifications, ultimately tests their humanity.
A minimalistic, eerie sci-fi story that lingers long after the screening proving that independent cinema has no genre or budget limitations, with the productions outcome solely depending on the authors vision. Adam Samuel Court, Raindance
Director Nicholas Bushman has created a film that pulses with sensuality, texture and even fierce existential dread.
Stranger In The Dunes beautifully straddles various genres - horror, sci-fi and psychological thriller seem the most apt - with hints of the disaffected ennui in the style Antonioni. Director Nicholas Bushman has created a film that pulses with sensuality, texture and even fierce existential dread.
The motif of the ocean - so cruel, while also fecund with life - haunts the film. Often captured by skillful and breathtaking panning shots, the ocean surrounds and entraps them from the greater world, while also teasing them with tremendous opportunity. Stranger In The Dunes is in many ways a fabulistic character study, examining how different people react in tense, trying circumstances while forcing the spectator to confront them as well. There seems to be no good answer to the moral quandaries that the film poses. When they first discover the pool, it is life - giving and restorative. But it turns out to be like a fantastical mirror, revealing the depths of human frailty.
Cafard
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Close Up: Premiere Feature Review UK Premiere APRIL 28 - 7PM BST
T
he devastations and magnitude of war are enough to remind even the most accomplished, well-respected men of their frailty and fleetingness. War can separate families, expose ineffable horror, and make even some of the most faithful lose their religion. World War I, referred to as “the war to end all wars,” was especially shocking for its introduction of modern artillery that could detach the soldier from its victim. In this animated feature, Flemish director Jan Bultheel tells the story of the war through the lens of one man’s remarkable odyssey, Jean Mordant (Wim Willaert), loosely based on the true story of world champion boxer Constant le Marin. The animator ultimately delivers an arresting tribute to a champion who has experienced unimaginable loss and to the battalion of Belgian soldiers with whom he served. The film is punctuated by a simple and evocative style.
The characters’ faces are minimalist and almost anonymous looking—at once simple and embodied—in comparison to the horrorscapes that they inhabit.
An incredible odyssey, visual and human. Olivier Bachelard, Abus de Ciné
The world of Cafard juxtaposes loss with beauty and a sense of the absurd. It is the year 1914, and just as Jean Mordant is fulfilling his dream and cementing his status as the boxing champion of the world, his 15-year-old daughter Mimi (Maud Brethenoux) is horrifically raped by German soldiers in Ostend. She is taken care of by her aunt, while her father is sent to fight for the Armored Car Division (ACM) in Flanders, but is soon transferred to Russia, even farther from his daughter and his home.
All in all, Cafard is a fascinating experience, with a quirky look and a must see for those interested in the history of the war. John Solitude
Jean receives a devastating letter saying that Mimi has fallen pregnant, and is overcome with shame that he cannot help her. What follows is Jean’s seemingly never-ending attempt to return home. Cafard is stunningly beautiful, and achieves an arresting, ethereal animation style that highlights the sheer vastness of war compared to the smallness of this one man and his odyssey to return home: We are reminded, time and time again, of the massive, epic scale of his journey, and of the forces that prevent him from realizing it. Jan Bultheel’s directorial eye is a compassionate and inquisitive one, revealing the ways in which good people can lose themselves. Some of the most startling and affecting scenes are those of theatrical performance and nightmare. Through occasional seductive images of devils and monsters, we are reminded of where the real terror lies, and it’s not on stage or in dreams, but in memories.
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“ Goddess is one of those rare feel good Australian films which can be described as a gem..”
Preview Films
US PREMIERE April 6, 2018 - 7pm EST Elspeth Dickens dreams of finding her "voice" despite being stuck in an isolated farmhouse with her twin toddlers.
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“... an important artistic act, an in-depth commentary on the latest history of the Balkans”.
Elitsa Mateeva, 12mag
US PREMIERE April 13, 2018 - 7pm EST Two ambitious lawyers face each other in the trial of Milorad Krstić, who’s accused of committing war crimes in the Bosnian war.
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