Category Archives: Movies

‘Akashi’ and ‘The Art of Adventure’ to World Premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival

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Pender PR has announced its fall festival roster, led by two world premieres at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 5: Akashi, directed by Mayumi Yoshida, and Alison Reid’s documentary The Art of Adventure.

Akashi stars Yoshida alongside Bun Kimura (Rental Family), Hana Kino (Faceless), Chieko Matsubara (Tokyo Drifter), Kunio Murai (Godzilla vs. Gigan), Hiro Kanagawa (Shōgun), and Ryo Tajima (Avalanche). Reid’s sophomore feature centers Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman and environmentalist Bristol Foster.

Other Canadian titles in the slate include Ava Maria Safai’s horror Foreigner, Omorose Osagie’s Lost Wax, Jon Chiang’s Spring After Spring, and Luke Gleeson’s documentary Wədzįh Nəne’ | Caribou Country, among others set to premiere at VIFF, Sitges, Brooklyn Horror, Whistler, ReelWorld, and additional festivals this fall.

Ticket information for Akashi, The Art of Adventure, and other VIFF screenings is available at viff.org
.

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Emile Hirsch, Inbar Lavi Lead Holocaust Drama “Bau, Artist at War”

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bau-artist-at-warSean McNamara’s Holocaust drama Bau, Artist at War will open in theaters across the United States and Canada on September 26 through ShowBiz Direct and Republic Pictures.

Based on the memoir of Joseph Bau, the film follows the true story of a Holocaust survivor and artist who used his skills as a forger to help fellow prisoners endure life in Nazi concentration camps while finding love with fellow prisoner Rebecca.

The film stars Emile Hirsch as Bau and Inbar Lavi as Rebecca, alongside Yan Tual (Outlander), Adam Tsekhman (Legends of Tomorrow), and Josh Zuckerman (School Spirits), with Edward Foy, Chris Cope, Josh Blacker, Eugene Lipinski, Dalias Blake, Pam Kearns, and Tori Griffith rounding out the cast.

McNamara, known for Soul Surfer and Reagan, directed from a script by Deborah Smerecnik, Ron Bass, and Sonia Kifferstein. Producers include McNamara, Smerecnik, David Brookwell, Marc Griffith, and Michelle P. Griffith.

Bau, Artist at War had its world premiere on September 21 at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, where cast, crew, and special guests including Jon Voight were in attendance.

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Gabriel Byrne Confronts Mortality and Leonard Cohen’s Ghosts in Death of a Ladies’ Man

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death-of-a-ladies-manGabriel Byrne headlines Death of a Ladies’ Man, Matthew Bissonnette’s surreal dramedy arriving on VOD September 26.

The film follows Samuel O’Shea (Byrne), a hard-drinking, twice-divorced professor whose life unravels after a terminal diagnosis. Haunted by visions of his long-dead father (Brian Gleeson) and strangers breaking into Leonard Cohen songs, Samuel retreats to his family’s Irish cottage where he confronts memory, regret, and the possibility of redemption through an unexpected romance (Jessica Paré).

The film blends dark humor, poetic visuals, and the music of Leonard Cohen, offering a meditation on mortality and second chances. Rounding out the cast are Antoine Olivier Pilon, Karelle Tremblay, and Suzanne Clément.

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Allen Danziger’s The Weedhacker Massacre Brings Meta-Horror to Digital

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weedhackerBuffalo 8 will release The Weedhacker Massacre on digital platforms October 17.

The horror-comedy, co-created by Texas Chainsaw Massacre actor Allen Danziger and Ray Spivey, follows a cast and crew making a low-budget horror film at the site of past murders, only to encounter the masked killer once more.

Danziger appears in the film as Sheriff Danzinshoos, with a cast that includes David Treviño (Rent Free), Molly Sakonchick (Storage Locker), Bobbie Grace (Fear the Walking Dead), Sean Reyna, and Parrish Randall (Circus of the Dead). Jody Stelzig directs from a script by Spivey, who also produced.

The film premiered at the Golden State Film Festival and has earned recognition on the indie circuit, winning Best Comedy at the New York International Film Awards and multiple acting and screenplay honors.

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New Clip: Eugène Green’s The Tree of Knowledge Premieres Tonight at Fantastic Fest 2025

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The-Tree-of-KnowledgeIn biblical terms, the “Tree of Knowledge” represents the beginning of free will. For filmmaker Eugène Green, it serves as a metaphor for spiritual awakening in The Tree of Knowledge, which premieres tonight at Fantastic Fest 2025.

The story centers on Gaspard (Rui Pedro Silva), a teenager ensnared by the Ogre, a man who has made a pact with the Devil and uses him to attract tourists, transforming them into animals before killing them. Gaspard escapes with a donkey and a dog and encounters the spirit of Queen Maria I of Portugal, while the Ogre sets off in pursuit.

Green, born in New York and based in France, is known for Toutes les Nuits and a body of films often shown at major festivals including Cannes, Locarno, and Berlin.

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“Darling” 4K Restoration to Open at Film Forum for 60th Anniversary Run

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darling-film-classicJohn Schlesinger’s Darling (1965), starring Julie Christie, Dirk Bogarde, and Laurence Harvey, returns to the big screen in a new 4K restoration for its 60th anniversary. The bittersweet satire of Swinging London will screen at Film Forum in New York from October 10 to October 23.

The film, which helped define the British New Wave, earned five Academy Award nominations, winning Best Actress for Christie, Best Original Screenplay for Frederic Raphael, and Best Costume Design for Julie Harris. Christie’s performance as ambitious model Diana Scott launched her to international stardom.

Darling also earned four BAFTAs and three New York Film Critics Circle Awards, cementing its place as a cultural landmark of the 1960s.

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Justin Long and Kate Bosworth Face Survival Horror in Colin Minihan’s Coyotes, Opening October 3

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coyotes-filmAura Entertainment will release the horror-comedy Coyotes in theaters nationwide on October 3. The film, directed by Colin Minihan (Grave Encounters), stars Justin Long (Barbarian) and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), marking the couple’s latest on-screen collaboration.

Set in the Hollywood Hills, the story follows a family trapped in their home as a wildfire rages outside and a pack of aggressive coyotes closes in. Alongside Long and Bosworth, the ensemble includes Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters), Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive), Mila Harris (Mary), and Norbert Leo Butz (A Complete Unknown).

The project combines elements of eco-horror with survival thriller, playing on real-life urban-wildlife encounters against the backdrop of climate-related disaster. Brittany Allen also composed the score.

Coyotes will first screen at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX, on September 20 before its theatrical debut.

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TIFF Unveils Trailer for Karla Badillo’s Debut Feature Oca

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OcaMexican filmmaker Karla Badillo’s debut feature Oca will have its world premiere in the Discovery section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 4–14, 2025).

Described as a lyrical fable of pilgrimage and revelation, the film follows Rafaela (Natalia Solián), a young nun traveling to a remote town where a new archbishop has been appointed. Along the way, she encounters a cross-section of Mexican society, testing her devotion and sense of purpose.

The cast also includes Cecilia Suárez, Leonardo Ortizgris, Gerardo Trejo-Luna, Raúl Briones, and Enrique Arreola, alongside non-professional performers from San Luis Potosí.

Shot by cinematographer Diana Garay, Oca was produced by María José Córdova, Badillo, Federico Eisnerbusyc, and Federico Sande. It is a Mexican-Argentine coproduction between Pina Films, Las Jaras, Pucará Cine, and Año Cero.

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Scott Adkins Battles for Survival in WWII Drama “Prisoner of War”

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prisoner-of-warScott Adkins leads the upcoming World War II action drama Prisoner of War, which will debut in select theaters and on VOD September 19. Directed by Louis Mandylor, the film follows British SAS officer James Wright (Adkins), who is captured by Japanese forces and imprisoned in a Philippine POW camp.

As Wright and his fellow captives face the looming Bataan Death March, they are forced into violent death matches staged for the entertainment of their captors. The story charts their struggle for survival and the possibility of escape in the face of brutal conditions.

The film is written by Mark Clebanoff and Adkins, with additional contributions from Peter Shinkoda and Michael Copon, who also appear in the cast. Alongside Adkins, the ensemble includes Shinkoda (Falling Skies) and Copon (One Tree Hill).

Prisoner of War is set for release from WellGo USA Entertainment.

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“The Art of Adventure” Doc on Robert Bateman to World Premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival

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the-art-of-adventureAlison Reid’s new documentary The Art of Adventure will make its world premiere at the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival. The feature follows acclaimed Canadian wildlife painter Robert Bateman and biologist Bristol Foster, revisiting their 1957 global expedition and decades of work at the intersection of art and environmental activism.

Screenings are set for October 5 at the Vancouver Playhouse and October 7 at the Granville Island Stage, with Reid, Bateman, and Foster scheduled to attend.

The film traces Bateman and Foster’s early journey in their Land Rover, “The Grizzly Torque,” across Africa and Asia, weaving in Bristol’s original 16mm footage and Bateman’s paintings. It also explores their lasting impact as artists, naturalists, and advocates for conservation.

The Art of Adventure is directed and produced by Reid, whose credits include The Woman Who Loves Giraffes. The film also features appearances by Wade Davis, David Suzuki, Guujaaw, Briony Penn, and others.

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