IFC Films is eager to do its part to help the exhibition community recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as the indie distributor will make roughly 200 library titles available free of charge to indie theaters once they reopen, includingJennifer Kent’s 2014 horror-thrillerThe Babadook.
To be clear, theater patrons will still have to purchase tickets to these screenings, but the theaters themselves won’t have to split ticket sales with IFC Films, which won’t charge exhibitors for film rentals. The initiative has been dubbed “The Indie Theater Revival Project,” and comes as IFC Films celebrates its 20th anniversary. The company had been putting together programming to honor the occasion, but was forced to rethink its plans once theaters shut down across the country.
While theaters are expected to reopen in the coming weeks, it’s unclear what movies they’ll actually be able to show. Studios have moved most major releases to the fall or next year, and while there are still a handful of upcoming releases that have yet to budge from their original dates, it’s believed that popular library titles will be used to gauge whether audiences feel safe returning to theaters. Social distancing guidelines will likely remain in place even once theaters do reopen.
IFC Films will make its library titles available to indie cinemas across the U.S. on May 29. In addition toThe Babadook, available films includeRichard Linklater’sBoyhood, the Romanian masterpiece4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and the black-and-whiteGreta GerwigmovieFrances Hafrom directorNoah Baumbach. Other There are several other top titles you may have missed in theaters, such asAlfonso Cuaron’sY Tu Mama Tambien,Steve McQueen’s searing dramaHungerstarringMichael Fassbender,Steven Soderbergh’s two-part epicChe, andTom Six’s cult horror filmThe Human Centipede.
“We are honoring the partnership we’ve had with theaters over the last 20 years and we’re sending them a message of solidarity and gratefulness,” saidLisa Schwartz, co-president of IFC Films. “They’ve been with us since beginning and when they come back, we want to be there with them. This was a positive way to redirect our energy and creativity at a time when there’s so much uncertainty and stress,” Schwartz toldVariety, which broke the news.
IFC has devised 20 retrospective programs including “Yes We Cannes!” which highlights award-winners from the Cannes Film Festival, “Cult Icons,” which shines a spotlight on the company’s genre films, and a “Greatest Hits” collection featuringBoyhoodandFrances Ha. See below for a complete list of the first three programs to be announced, and don’t worry if you don’t see one of your favorites, because there are plenty more to come.
Greatest Hits: Indie Blockbusters from IFC Films
BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater, 2014)
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2002)
THE DEATH OF STALIN (Armando Iannucci, 2018)
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (Werner Herzog, 2011)
TOUCHING THE VOID (Kevin Macdonald, 2004)
45 YEARS (Andrew Haigh, 2015)
FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach, 2013)
BUCK (Cindy Meehl, 2011)
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (Miranda July, 2005)
THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY (Matt Brown, 2015)
PHOENIX (Christian Petzold, 2014)
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)
Yes We Cannes! – A selection of 15 IFC Films releases that have won major prizes at the Cannes Film Festival
Palme d’or (Best Film) winners:
I, DANIEL BLAKE (Ken Loach, 2016)
DHEEPAN (Jacques Audiard, 2015)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (Ken Loach, 2006)
Camera d’or (Best First Film) winners:
HUNGER (Steve McQueen, 2008)
Grand Prix (Second place award) winners:
GOMORRAH (Matteo Garrone, 2008)
THE KID WITH A BIKE (Dardennes Brothers, 2011)
Jury Prize:
FISH TANK (Andrea Arnold, 2009)
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (Hirokazu Kore-Eda, 2013)
Best Director:
PERSONAL SHOPPER (Olivier Assayas, 2016)
Best Actress – Charlotte Gainsbourg:
ANTICHRIST(Lars von Trier, 2009)
Best Actress – Juliette Binoche:
CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)
Best Actor – Benicio Del Toro:
CHE (Steven Soderbergh, 2008)
Cult Icons – What makes a cult icon? Only the audience can decide. Explore 10 cult hits from IFC Films.
THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (André Øvredal, 2016)
THE BABADOOK (Jennifer Kent, 2014)
COLD IN JULY (Jim Mickle, 2014)
DEPRAVED (Larry Fessenden, 2019)
FOLLOWING (Christopher Nolan, 1998)
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (Lars Von Trier, 2018)
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (Tom Six, 2009)
KILL LIST (Ben Wheatley, 2011)
SIGHTSEERS (Ben Wheatley, 2012)
VALHALLA RISING (Nicholas Winding-Refn, 2009)
WITCHING AND BITCHING (Alex De La Iglesia, 2013)
