The Criterion Collection already corners the home-video marketplace for status releases of basic and modern international movies. Now the corporate provides a brand new line of releases alongside its central line-up. What’s the brand new model? Criterion will work with Janus Films on Janus Contemporaries, a home-video line for first-run worldwide releases. The DVD/Blu-Ray editions of those movies will even coincide with their premieres on the Criterion Channel, Criterion’s streaming service.
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And Janus and Criterion have a robust batch of movies to start out issues off this Fall. Jerzy Skolimowski‘s “EO,” which received the Cannes Jury Prize final yr, leads the 2023 slate for the brand new line. Other releases for Janus Contemporaries this yr embody Jafar Panahi‘s “No Bears,” Louis Garrel‘s “The Innocent,” Hlynur Pálmason‘s “Godland,” and The Dardennes‘ “Tori And Lokita.” Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch‘s “The Eight Mountains,” in theaters now, rounds out the opening launch record.
The Janus Contemporary Blu-Ray and DVD editions will characteristic interviews with filmmakers much like these discovered on common Criterion releases and the Criterion Channel. And the brand new line will retail for a littles lower than Criterion’s customary home-video releases: Blu-Rays might be $29.95, whereas DVDs will value $24.95.
“It’s an exciting moment for Janus Films,” mentioned Peter Becker, president of Criterion and a companion in Janus Films, in a press assertion. “With a more robust first-run line-up than it has had since the 1960s and powerful partnerships with theatrical specialists Sideshow and the Criterion Channel streaming service, Janus is uniquely well positioned to bring the best films from around the world to theaters and homes across North America. The launch of Janus Contemporaries completes that picture.”
Janus Films has been the premiere distributor of arthouse cinema for the United States for practically seven a long time. And whereas they’ve culled a powerful beginning line-up for his or her new line with Criterion, anticipate them to be busy at Cannes later this month discovering extra future releases. Some early candidates from the Croisette? Aki Kaurismaki and Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s newest movies could match the invoice. But there are all the time a couple of sleeper movies within the Cannes line-up, like “EO” final yr, that may garner vital consideration.
Janus Contemporaries will debut later this yr.