It's about bloody time. We've been singing the praises of Aron Gauder's very vulgar, very smart, very funny animated opus The District for over two years now, over which time it has gone on to major acclaim at festivals around the world, racking up a fistful of awards in the process. What it hasn't been able to find is a single English friendly distributor anywhere on the globe which is absolutely baffling to me because it has:
A) Rapping Hungarian prostitutes
B) Copious violence
C) A very pointed and explicit shredding of US foreign policy under George W Bush
Put these things together and you'd think you'd have a film that distibs would be more than willing to take a chance on, but no. Not until now. Montreal's Atopia have just announced the acquisition of the film, which they plan to run in limited release across the continent beginning next month before an eventual DVD release.
Read on for the details.
Montreal-based Atopia Distribution announces
the acquisition of all North American rights
to Aron Gauder’s acclaimed Hungarian comedy
THE DISTRICT!
Montreal-based Atopia Distribution is pleased to announced its acquisition of all North American rights to Aron Gauder’s acclaimed Hungarian art comedy THE DISTRICT! (“Nyocker!”), an edgy animated social and political satire musical that the 2006 Seattle International Film Festival described as “an Eastern European South Park” and which was hailed by Ain’t It Cool News as “startlingly original”. THE DISTRICT! had its North American bow at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to screen at 59 fests across the world, including Karlovy Vary, Rotterdam International, Philadelphia Film Festival, Austin Fantasticfest, Mar Del Plata, Melbourne International and Sitges, winning awards at no less than 13 of them. The acquisition was negotiated between Atopia Distribution Inc’s Pascal Maeder and Mitch Davis and SzimplaFilm Ltd’s Kreet Paljas.
THE DISTRICT! Is ther story of a group of teens from the wrong side of Budapest’s tracks who band together to make themselves rich by traveling back in time, burying a horde of mammoths under the city’s streets, then returning to the present and drilling for oil. As creators of a new oil-producing nation, their scheme draws the attention of Vladmir Putin, Tony Blair and George W. Bush. In the midst of it all, star-crossed teen love is in bloom. This outrageous and visually stunning animated satire plays like an unhinged ghetto updating of Romeo & Juliet smash-filtered through a politically charged — and politically incorrect - kaleidoscope of clashing world views and social unrest, complete with musical numbers and a wicked soundtrack of Hungarian hip-hop. You have never seen anything like it.
Atopia will be taking the film out theatrically in the United States and Canada begining next month, with engagements booked in such venues as Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse, Boston’s Brattle Cinema, Seattle’s Grand Illusion, Montreal’s Cinema Du Parc and Toronto’s Bloor Cinema, with additional cities currently being confirmed. The film’s theatrical run will be followed by a supplement-packed dvd release on the 4th of December. Atopia’s dvd output is distributed in the United States by EMI’s Caroline Distribution with Morningstar Entertainment distributing within Canada.
Atopia is an independent film production, distribution and sales company based in Montreal, Canada. Since its inception in 2000, the company has produced and released a string of critically-acclaimed and award-winning feature films including Daniel Cross’ S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks In Traffic (2001), Federico Hidalgo’s A Silent Love (2004), Simon Sauve’s Jimmywork (2004), Sophie Deraspe’s Missing Victor Pellerin [Rechercher Victor Pellerin] (2006), Noel Mitrani’s On the Trail of Igor Rizzi [Sur la trace d’Igor Rizzi] (2006), Antlers [Panache] by André- Line Beauparlant, and most recently, The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez by Heidi Specogna. In order to give our films the richest tour, Atopia Distribution screens them at major festivals around the world, then releases them in art-house and commercial theatres. This allows our titles to garner wide media exposure prior to being launched on DVD through retailers, as well as being sold on line.
