IFC Launches New Genre Label, IFC Midnight
For the past year IFC has bought up a lot of left-field, genre and oddball movies to distribute in the States. It started with Antichrist — not such a weird buy, given the prestige status of Lars von Trier — and then went to Valhalla Rising, Human Centipede (First Sequence) and Enter the Void, among many others.
Now IFC has spun off a genre label called IFC Midnight, which is a name that has been used by the company for a slate of on demand films in the past. It sounds similar to Magnolia's offshoot Magnet, and will send all these films to video on demand, DVD and some theatrical releases.
The mission statement of IFC Midnight is to offer "the very best in international genre cinema, including horror, sci-fi, thrillers, erotic arthouse, action, and more." Four films will premiere on VOD each month, with some hitting theaters at the same time as they premiere on demand.
IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring says of the label,
Many of our most successful VOD titles are those that might fall under the Midnight label – not just films that are straight up horror, erotic arthouse, or genre films, but also ones that shock audiences, push boundaries, and stir up controversy – so officially creating IFC Midnight was the logical next step... While we as a company continue to focus on a diverse range of films, this is one particular area which we are going to heavily brand and promote.
Here's the full list of films, with premiere info, via IFC:
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
Written and directed by Tom Six, the film is a truly one-of-a kind horror film about a mad scientist who achieves his sick lifetime fantasy of creating a human centipede. Entertainment Weekly wondered if this may be "the most disgusting horror movie of all time?" The film—a winner at Fantastic Fest for Best Horror Film and Best Actor, and a winner of Best Film at Screamfest LA—premiered theatrically on April 30 and will premiere on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning this month.
Cell 211
Directed by Daniel Monzon and winner of eight Spanish Goya Awards, including Best Picture, this taut prison drama tells the gripping story of a rookie prison guard who becomes trapped in a cell during a violent riot and must convince the prisoners he is one of them. The film, an official selection at the Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals, will premiere exclusively on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in June.
Doghouse
Directed by Jake West, this riotous British horror comedy follows ravenous, blood-thirsty female zombies as they wreak havoc on a group of guys trying to enjoy a male-bonding weekend. The film, which debuted at last year's Edinburgh Film Festival, will premiere exclusively on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in June.
Don't Look Back
From director Marina de Van ("In My Skin") comes this tense psychological thriller about a beautiful, best-selling author (Sophie Marceau) who loses her grip on reality as she slowly morphs into the body of another woman (Monica Bellucci). The film, an official selection last year at the Cannes Film Festival, will premiere exclusively on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in June.
Valhalla Rising
Director Nicolas Winding Refn delivers an action-packed epic about a savage one-eyed Viking warrior and a young runaway who embark on a dangerous odyssey. Starring Mads Mikkelson, the film—an official selection at Venice and Toronto last year and a featured selection at the upcoming BAMcinemaFEST—will premiere in theaters and on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in July.
Exam
In this gripping thriller, director Stuart Hazeldine follows eight strangers as they enter a ruthless competition to get the job of a lifetime, where the stakes soon become life or death. The film, which screened at Fantastic Fest last year, will premiere exclusively on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in July.
The Horde (La Horde)
Directed by Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher, this French zombie movie follows a posse of crooked cops, malevolent gangsters, and a horde of walking dead through an action packed story of escape and revenge. A hit at the Venice Film Festival, London's FrightFest Film Festival, and at this year's COLCOA (City of Lights City of Angels), the film will premiere in theaters and on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in August.
Vengeance
From acclaimed director Johnnie To comes his first English language film starring French superstar Johnny Hallyday along with To regulars Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, and Lam Suet. The film, a revenge thriller, was screened in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and screened as an official selection at last year's Toronto and San Francisco Film Festivals. In the film, Hallyday plays Francois Costello, a Parisian restaurant owner who is in Macau at the request of his daughter—to avenge a savage attack on her family. The film will premiere in theaters and on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in August.
Enter the Void
Filmmaker Gaspar Noe's long awaited follow up to the controversial "Irreversible" is a cinematically audacious exploration of the connected nature of sex, drugs, life, and death that was one of the most talked about films on the festival circuit in the past year – playing at Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, and SXSW. Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the film follows Linda and her brother Oscar on a spiritual journey through the city of Tokyo where the past, present, and future merge into a hallucinatory maelstrom. The film will premiere in theaters and on VOD under the IFC Midnight label beginning in September.