Eros will release ‘Pagalpanti’, ‘Marjaavaan’, ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ and ‘The Body’ This Year
DOUGLAS, Isle of Man–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros” or the “Company”), a Global Indian Entertainment Company, announced today that it will release four Hindi language films across different genres later this year in several overseas markets including the UK, US and Middle East. First to release will be the romantic action film titled ‘Marjaavaan’ on the 15th of November, directed by Milap Zaveri, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh, Tara Sutaria and Rakul Preet Singh. Produced by T-Series and Emmay Entertainment, the film is a dramatic, violent and action-packed love story.
New ‘Pagalpanti’ poster
The second film to be distributed will be ‘Pagalpanti’, which is scheduled to release on the 22nd of November. The forthcoming film is a comedy caper directed by filmmaker Anees Bazmee and produced by T-Series and Panorama Studios. The story of the film revolves around a group of Indian tourists on vacation that turns into a patriotic mission. The comedy stars Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Ileana D’Cruz and Arshad Warsi.
Closely followed will be two other releases, one titled ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ and the other, ‘The Body’. The two starkly different films are scheduled to release simultaneously on the 6th of December. The former is a remake of a cult Bollywood film of the same name. Produced by T-Series and directed by Mudassar Aziz, the highly awaited film stars Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday and Bhumi Pednekar. ‘The Body’ is a thriller mystery inspired by its Spanish antecedent. Produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the film is headlined by Emraan Hashmi, Rishi Kapoor, Vedhika and Sobhita Dhulipala.
Sunil Lulla
“Eros continues to be a forerunner in releasing the biggest hits from Bollywood in significant markets across the globe. We take immense pride in taking quality cinema outside of India to maximize its viewership. And with this, we shall continue to forge our own path in the overseas market with the sole objective to delight the Indian diaspora and global consumers seeking fresh content.” Says, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director- Eros International Media Ltd.
About Eros International Plc
Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) a Global Indian Entertainment company that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. Eros International Plc became the first Indian media company to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Eros International has experience of over three decades in establishing a global platform for Indian cinema. The Company has an extensive and growing movie library comprising of over 3,000 films, which include Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films for home entertainment distribution. The Company also owns the rapidly growing OTT platform Eros Now. For further information, please visit: www.erosplc.com.
S. Korean film industry eyes US market as “Parasite” dazzles American audiences
This year marks the centennial of the first Korean film, “Fight for Justice,” which debuted at the Dansungsa Theater on Oct. 27, 1919. Korean cinema has undergone enormous advancements since then. In May, the Hankyoreh began looking back at the path traveled by Korean film, sharing the stories of lost works, South Korean film stars, North Korean cinema, and women’s movies in an inaugural feature series titled “100 Years of Korean Film, 100 Works,” which highlights 100 quintessential Korean films. Now it is going beyond simply looking back on and assessing Korean film’s past and present to make predictions for its future. These days, Korean cinema is envisioning the “globalization of K-movies”: venturing beyond the domestic market into those of other Asian countries — and even Hollywood itself, the home of film. As another 100 years begins, can Korean film shift its position from the periphery of the global film industry to its epicenter?…
“Parasite” part of vanguard eyeing US market
The US debut of “Parasite” is being viewed as a test case for future Korean films. If the winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or prize proves commercially successful in America — and even gets honored at the Academy Awards next February — Korean cinema will be poised to make a major stride from the fringes to center stage. Positive signals are all around. In its first week, “Parasite” raked in US$376,264 in early runs after debuting on Oct. 11 at three theaters: the Landmark and ArcLight Hollywood in LA and the IFC Center in New York. Averaging US$125,421 per theater, it was the highest total ever for a foreign-language film premiering in North America. As of Oct. 18, “Parasite” had debuted at a total of 33 theaters in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, ranking 10th in the US box office 10 days after its release and 11th for its second weekend. By Oct. 24, its cumulative earnings had passed US$2 million. Critics and audiences have showered the film with praise. It had a “freshness” rating of 99% on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 95 on the review aggregation site Metacritic. Celebrated directors Martin Scorsese and James Gunn have lauded it on social media as the “best film of the year.” Its Oscar prospects are looking brighter after Bong received “Hollywood Filmmaker Award” honors at the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards…
Alongside the success of “Parasite,” the Korean film industry has been speeding up its efforts to make inroads into the US market. Its aim is to find new opportunities beyond the domestic film market, which has remained stagnant with cumulative viewership in the range of 200 million admissions for several years now. The US, which ranks as one of the world’s two biggest markets alongside China, accounts for 30% of global box office sales…
The American Film Market is the most efficient film acquisition, development and networking event in the world. Unlike a festival, AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. More than US$1 billion in deals are sealed every year — on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production.
Over 7,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries converge in Santa Monica every November. They include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.
At AFM, participants can discover the entire global catalogue of available films and projects, attend 50+ world class conferences, roundtables and presentations, and connect with the independent film community’s decision makers, all in one convenient location without the distraction of a film festival.
Stay tuned for more from this year’s event November 6 – November 13, 2019, in Santa Monica Calif.
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe star as two lightkeepers, Ephraim Winslow and Thomas Wake, trying to survive and maintain their sanity on a mysterious island while living at a remote, New England lighthouse in the 1890s, in The Lighthouse, directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch). Evoking such seafaring literary classics by Herman Mehlville (Moby Dick) and Ernest Hemingway (Old Man and the Sea) as the film opens with an almost square aspect ratio (1.19:1) harkening back to early cinema. The effect is at once claustrophobic and mysteriously out of place.
In a traditional narrative fashion, the characters are introduced and established. Winslow, a strapping, mysterious, young man of few words and who appears to have a troubled past claiming a work history as a Canadian lumberjack is the hired help (wickie) under contract for four weeks with hopes of moving up the ladder and someday hoping to become a lighthouse operator like his housemate Wake, a salty, crusty archetypal seaman. Wake comes across as an experienced sea hand with knowledge of sailor life and mythology who has the inexplicable behavior of farting loudly much to Winlow’s chagrin. Moreover, Wake treats Winslow harshly despite Winlsow’s unswerving dedication to carrying out the chores, emptying chamber pots and swabbing the floor repeatedly to Wake’s unending condemnation.
The two work together, sleep together and eat together. Winslow refrains from alcohol until a storm begins pounding the lighthouse. Together the two imbibe, dance, sing and became Marry. Soon, however, a darkness creeps in and the two men vie for control of the lighthouse. Also, Wake refuses Winslow access to the lantern room atop the lighthouse. Intrigued a jealous Winslow begins spying on Wake’s ritualistic time in front of the massive light bulb and becomes infatuated with Wake’s unearthly obsession. The two lighthouse keepers engage in an escalating battle of wills in a tension-fed, trapped scenario with mysterious forces, real or imagined, looming while a seemingly never-ending storm rages outside, leaving the men stranded.
Eggers uses several crew members from The Witch production including cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, production designer Craig Lathrop, costume designer Linda Muir, composer Mark Korven, and editor, Louise Ford, to transport the audience into a realm of terrifying unknown. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular as the lighting and framing create a sense of the paranormal. And, the production design along with the costuming transports the viewer, via the suspension of disbelief, into the time of the 1890s capturing the harshness of the film’s setting. Furthermore, Pattinson and DaFoe play off of each other very well. But, in my opinion, the attention to detail with the sound design including foghorn, seagulls, waves, machinery, and furnace, lend strong credence to the film’s reality.
The stormy night is when the film goes into warp drive and provides a catalyst for all the odd and unusual behavior to come alive and take over the film’s consciousness. Eggers’s use of black and white allows for the utmost effect in facial lines and scene shadowing. These scenes have a supernatural, expressionistic appearance as the film delves into insanity. What emerges is a tragic Greek myth (it begins with a capital P). Highly recommended!
