14/07/2006

Six new films are hitting UK screens today, including two European titles: The Death of Mr Lazarescu [+see also:
trailer
film profile], released by Tartan Films on 3 prints, and The Elementary Particles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Franka Potente & Moritz Ble…
interview: Oskar Roehler
film profile], released by Momentum Pictures on 25 prints under the title Atomised.

The Death of Mr Lazarescu by Romanian director Cristi Puiu will benefit from an online promotion, and special talker screenings targeting the medical profession were set up by Tartan Films. According to Jule Hartung of Tartan’s marketing department, the director came to the film’s UK premiere at the last London Film Festival and gave several interviews to the UK press. Produced by Madragora in Romania, the film won many international awards, including Best Film and Best Script at the last Copenhagen Film Festival.

German film Atomised is being released by Momentum Pictures in selected cinemas in all key UK cities. Lead actor Moritz Bleibtreu attended the UK premiere of the film on July 7 at the Cambridge Film Festival. Several online promotions were put together for Oskar Roehler’s film adaptation of Michel Houellebeq’s cult novel, offering copies of the book and posters of the film. Momentum Pictures was the UK distributor last year of German hit Downfall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bernd Eichinger
interview: Joachim Fest
interview: Oliver Hirschbiegel
film profile], the second biggest European film not in the English language, with an over £2.4m gross.

Next week, three new European titles will open in the UK: French film Les amants réguliers [+see also:
trailer
interview: Philippe Garrel
film profile] by Philippe Garrel released by Artificial Eye; the UK mainstream kid’s movie Stormbreaker by Geoff Sax, released by Entertainment Film Distributors; and the Italian documentary Viva Zapatero! [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Sabina Guzzanti, released by Dogwoof Pictures.