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Kino International (company)
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Foundation date 1 january 1977
Kino International is a film and video distributor, founded by Bill Pence in 1977. Donald Krim bought Kino just months after its founding and served as president of the company until his death from cancer in 2011. Kino, based in New York City, specializes in art house films, such as low-budget current films, classic films from earlier periods in the history of cinema, and world cinema. Similar in many respects to The Criterion Collection, the home video releases by Kino are usually restored versions with substantial supplementary material.
Kino's theatrical arm handles theatrical distribution of much of the Janus Collection, and has a focus on recent art house and foreign films. Their non-theatrical arm has more of a focus on classic cinema, providing silent film classics which are otherwise difficult to find. They are the largest video distributor of silent films, including a great many from the early days of cinema (before 1914). These include important early landmark films by Thomas Edison, Georges Méliès, the Lumière brothers and D.W. Griffith. Many of those were restored by David Shepard's Film Preservation Associates.
In 2009, Kino International merged with Lorber HT Digital to form Kino Lorber. Kino International remains that company's imprint for world cinema titles, as well as American independents, documentaries, international classics, and silent cinema. The other Kino Lorber imprints are Lorber Films, Alive Mind, and Knitting Factory Entertainment.
Films released by Kino International include:
Winnebago Man (2010)
Dogtooth (2009)
Ajami (2009)
Harvard Beats Yale (2008)
Ballast (2008)
Love Comes Lately (2007)
Lady Chatterley (2006)
Slippin': Ten Years with the Bloods (2005)
Kippur (2000)
Funny Games (1997)
Happy Together (1997)
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1993)
Putney Swope (1969)
Andrei Rublev (1966)
Les Bonnes Femmes (1960)
Munchhausen (1943)
M (1931)
The Threepenny Opera (1931)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Metropolis (1927)
The General (1926)
Faust (1926)
The Last Laugh (1924)
The Hands of Orlac (1924)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
The Finances of the Grand Duke (1924)
Our Hospitality (1923)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Haunted Castle (1921)
Intolerance (1915)
Best films
(2011)
(1964)
(2011)
(2002)
(1999)
(2007)Filmography of Kino International (company) (67 films)
Distribution
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Seventeen Years (1999)
, 1h30Directed by Zhang Yuan
Genres Drama
Actors Li Bingbing (李冰冰)
The film takes place in and around the city of Tianjin, in northeastern China. Two divorced singles (Liang Song and Le Yeping), marry, each bringing a daughter into their new home. Xiaolan (Li Jun), short haired is fiercely independent and wishes to work in a factory after she graduates from high school. Her stepsister, Xiaoqin (Liu Lin), is more intellectual, and wishes to enter a university. After a dispute over a mere 5 yuan that Xiaoqin accuses Xiaolan of stealing, Xiaolan hits her stepsister over the head. To the surprise of everyone, Xiaoqin succumbs to the injury and dies and Xiaolan is led to jail.
Dr. Akagi (1998)
, 2h9Directed by Shōhei Imamura
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, War, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Historical
Actors Akira Emoto, Kumiko Asō, Jacques Gamblin, Jūrō Kara, Keiko Matsuzaka, Misa Shimizu
The film concerns Dr. Akagi, a doctor on an island in the Seto Inland Sea area during World War II. He runs into conflict with the military while trying to combat a hepatitis epidemic. Akagi earns the nickname "Dr. Liver" (カンゾー先生 Kanzō-sensei) because of his work.
Happy Together (1997)
, 1h36Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Origin Hong kong
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Leslie Cheung, Chang Chen, Shirley Kwan, Ng Man-tat
Ho Po-wing et Lai Yiu-fai sont originaires de Hong Kong. Un jour, ils décident de partir quelque peu à l'aventure, très loin, là-bas, en Amérique du Sud. Presque à l'autre bout du monde. Ils s'aiment parfois, se querellent souvent et se quittent, irrémédiablement. Pour mieux se retrouver, et repartir à zéro, comme ils tiennent tant à se le rappeler.
Who the Hell Is Juliette? (1997)
, 1h31Genres Documentary, Musical
Themes Films about films, Films about sexuality, Films about prostitution, Documentary films about prostitution
Actors Salma Hayek, Benny Ibarra, Daniel Giménez Cacho
Who the Hell is Juliette? begins with Yuliet Ortega saying that her name on the title card, Juliette Ortega, is misspelled and demanding that it is corrected. The director immediately complies and the card is corrected to Yuliet Ortega. Ortega is a 16-year-old girl who is being taken care of by her grandmother. Her mother committed suicide, while her father left his family and went to the United States. Ortega became a jinetera to support herself.
The Ogre (1996)
, 1h58Directed by Volker Schlöndorff
Origin German
Genres Drama, War
Themes Films about children, Films about sexuality, Films about pedophilia, Political films
Actors John Malkovich, Agnès Soral, Volker Spengler, Marianne Sägebrecht, Gottfried John, Heino Ferch
Abel Tiffauges (Malkovich) is a simple Frenchman at the start of World War II, who loves animals and children. The first part of the film recalls his childhood at a Catholic school for boys, in where he wishes to Saint Christopher that the school, which he sees as a prison, is burned down. By irony of fate, while Abel is being disciplined for spilling lamp oil on the chapel floor, his friend Nestor accidentally sets fire to the building, burning it down as he wished. From that day on, Abel is convinced that fate is on his side, and that it will protect him from anything.
Saint Clara (1996)
, 1h25Directed by Ari Folman
Origin Israel
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films about religion, Films about Jews and Judaism
Actors Maya Maron, Yigal Naor, Orly Silbersatz Banai, Menashe Noy, Evgenia Dodina
The film takes place in 1999 in a small Israeli town, in which a young girl called Clara (Lucy Dubinchik) discovers that she has paranormal powers that allow her to predict the future.
Fallen Angels (1995)
, 1h36Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Origin Hong kong
Genres Drama, Action, Crime, Romance
Actors Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Charlie Yeung, Karen Mok
À Hong Kong, un tueur à gages désillusionné s'apprête à remplir son dernier contrat, mais il doit d'abord surmonter l'affection de sa partenaire, qu'il voit rarement. Dans une errance nocturne sordide et surréaliste, il croise le chemin d'une fille excentrique et d'un muet qui essaie sans arrêt d'attirer l'attention sur lui.
The Blue Kite (1994)
, 2h20Directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang
Origin Chine
Genres Drama, Historical
Themes Politique, Political films
Actors Pu Cunxin, Lü Liping, Guo Donglin
The story is told from the perspective of a young boy (铁头, Tietou, literally meaning 'iron head') growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Beijing. Three episodes – Hundred Flowers Campaign, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution – show the family members evolving, e.g. from the real father, the "loving patriarch," to the protective but unemotional stepfather.
, 3h8Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Leni Riefenstahl, Marlene Dietrich, Luis Trenker
La vie et l'œuvre de Leni Riefenstahl, qui au contraire de ses homologues qui, tel Fritz Lang, quittèrent l'Allemagne nazie, refusa de partir et devint la cinéaste attitrée du national-socialisme.
Visions of Light (1992)
, 1h32Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Historical
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the visual arts, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Ernest R. Dickerson, Michael Chapman, Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist, Caleb Deschanel, Néstor Almendros
The film is the equivalent of a walk through a cinema museum. The doc interviews many modern-day directors of photography and they illustrate via examples their best work and the scenes from films that influenced them to pursue their art.
Tito and Me (1992)
, 1h44Directed by Goran Marković
Genres Comedy
Themes Politique, Political films
Actors Miki Manojlović, Anica Dobra, Bogdan Diklić, Vojislav Brajović, Branimir Brstina, Olivera Marković
The movie is set in Socialist ruled Yugoslavia during the 1950s. Zoran is a slightly overweight 10-year-old living in an overcrowded home that his parents share with his grandmother, and aunt and uncle. In the communist era of Yugoslavia, many homes were taken away from their owners in the Land Reform programs.
Life on a String (1991)
, 1h50Directed by Chen Kaige
Genres Drama
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about disabilities, La cécité
Actors Xu Qing
Un vieux musicien aveugle parcourt le pays avec son jeune disciple Shitou, aveugle lui aussi.
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
Directed by Julie Dash
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Feminist films, Political films
Daughters of the Dust is set in 1902 among the members of the Peazant family, Gullah who live at Ibo Landing on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Their ancestors were brought there as slaves centuries ago, and the islanders developed a language and culture that was creolized from West Africans, of Ibo, Yoruba, Kikongo, Mende, and Twi origin. Developed in their relative isolation of large plantations on the islands, the slaves' unique culture and language have endured in areas of the Low Country. The Peazant family, including a couple of contrasting daughters who have come back for a last dinner on the island, is meeting before most leave for the North. The film is narrated by the Unborn Child, and is influenced by accounts of ancestors, represented especially by Nana Peazant, the matriarch. She says, "We are two people in one body. The last of the old and the first of the new." Lyrical visual images convey much of the story. The dialogue is in Gullah creole.
The Match Factory Girl (1990)
, 1h8Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
Origin Finlande
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Actors Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari, Vesa Vierikko, Outi Mäenpää
Iiris is withdrawn and friendless, living with her older, alcoholic and unsympathetic mother and stepfather. Looking for escape she seeks company in a nightclub but receives none. Life goes on unchanged until one day she buys a dress using money from her work check, which is usually given to her mother and stepfather. She gives them the money left over but is told to take the dress back. She doesn’t and instead receives 500 markka from her somewhat estranged brother who may not realize the money will be given to her mother. Soon afterwards one night she dresses up a little nicer than usual and goes to the nightclub, where she is selected for a dance by a mysterious man and spends the night with him. The next morning the man leaves her a 1000 markka note when leaving the house. Before leaving his apartment, she leaves him a note with her name and number which says call me. Her life continues on the same but she seems happy, maybe even naively in love. She waits for his call but never receives one, during the early evening she walks by his apartment building and sees his car, but the lights are off and she leaves. About a day or two later she waits outside his apartment door until it opens and a woman leaves, she waits another moment and rings his doorbell. He answers and she asks why he didn’t call, he seems occupied and even bothered, telling her that he will pick her up tomorrow at 8. She gives him her address and leaves.
As Tears Go By (1988)
, 1h42Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Origin Hong kong
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Crime, Romance
Themes Sports films, Martial arts films, Gangster films
Actors Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung
The film centers around Wah (Lau), a mob enforcer who primarily deals with debt collection. His brother Fly (Jacky Cheung) also works for the mob, but is less successful and not as well respected as Wah, frequently causing trouble and borrowing money he can't pay back. Out of the blue, Wah receives a call from his aunt, informing him that his younger cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung), whom he has never met before, will be coming to stay with him in Hong Kong for the next few days. Ngor works at her family's restaurant on Lantau Island, but due to a malfunctioning lung, must come to Hong Kong for a medical procedure.