Fourteen years after he helped launch the Dogme 95 movement with his family drama “The Celebration,” director Thomas Vinterberg returned to Cannes this past month with his latest film, “The Hunt.” As the Croisette is wont to do, reactions were immensely divided, with some calling the film a masterpiece of near-unbearable dread, while others found the film a manipulative soap opera. Luckily for the filmmakers though, those in distribution kept a keen eye, and have now tapped the film for a future US release.
THR reports Magnolia Pictures have acquired the U.S. rights from sales group TrustNordisk, and we're guessing they plan to release the film by year's end. The drama follows Mads Mikkelsen, who impressed Cannes enough to win Best Actor this past weekend, as a man suddenly plunged into a world of accusations and hatred after his genial relationship with a young girl (Annika Wedderkopp) goes truly awry. Vinterberg is above all things a master at handling group dynamics and the way power subtly shifts, and “The Hunt” appears no different in its examination of a man’s slow betrayal by the community around him. Plus, Mikkelsen is always compelling, so perhaps we’ll give his award-winning performance a chance when it hits theatres.
Also finding North American distribution after festival recognition is the Tribeca Film Festival hit “Una Noche,” directed by Lucy Mulloy, who picked up the prize for Best New Narrative Director while there. Sundance Selects/IFC Films have agreed (via Deadline) to handle the film, which centers around three Cuban teenagers (Dariel Arrechaga, Anailin de la Rua de la Torre, and Javier Nunez Florian) fighting poverty and weighing the consequences of what the 90-mile journey to Miami could hold. A real life parallel situation occurred when the lead actors used the film as an opportunity to gain U.S. political asylum, but it represents just a tiny part of the bigger situation, which you can hope to view soon in Mulloy’s lauded film. And if you need another reason to see, it was one of the best movies we saw at Tribeca, so track it down if it comes near you.
