• Western

WESTERN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 3, 2017

Cinema Guild acquires Valeska Grisebach’s Cannes critical hit Western


NEW YORK, NY— Cinema Guild announced today the acquisition of all U.S. distribution rights to Valeska Grisebach's Western. The film was one of the most critically acclaimed films at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered in the Un Certain Regard section. Cinema Guild will release Western theatrically in early 2018. Western is the third feature film from Grisebach, whose Longing was a hit on the festival circuit in 2006. Grisebach also produced the film, together with Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski and Maren Ade of Komplizen Film—fresh off the success of last year's Oscar-nominated Toni Erdmann—and Michel Merkt of KNM.

An intense, slow-burning thriller, Western follows a group of German construction workers installing a hydroelectric plant in remote rural Bulgaria. The foreign land awakens the men’s sense of adventure, but tensions mount when, Meinhard, the strong, silent and newcomer to the group, starts mixing with the local villagers. The two sides speak different languages and share a troubled history. Can they learn to trust each other—or is the stage being set for a showdown?

With sweeping cinematography and tightly modulated pacing, Western tells a universal story of masculinity and xenophobia on the contemporary frontier of Eastern Europe. Drawing remarkably nuanced performances from a cast of non-professionals, Grisebach uses the trappings of the western genre to poke and prod at current anxieties about borders and our relationships with our neighbors.

“Valeska Grisebach uses the tropes of the western genre to tell a story that resonates globally.” said Cinema Guild Director of Distribution Peter Kelly. "Western is a film that really stuck with us from the first time we saw it and we’re sure it will have a similar effect on audiences."

"Western tells a contemporary story playing with the codes and rules of the western genre so we are very excited to have the film released in the U.S.," said Films Boutique's CEO & Partner Jean-Christophe Simon. "We’re big fans of the work and taste of Cinema Guild and they will be the perfect company to bring the film to U.S. audiences."

The deal was negotiated by Peter Kelly of Cinema Guild with Jean-Christophe Simon of Films Boutique.

Cinema Guild is a premier distributor of world cinema, independent films and documentaries, whose upcoming releases include Theo Anthony’s Rat Film and Jérôme Reybaud’s 4 Days in France. Recent theatrical releases include Albert Serra’s The Death of Louis XIV, Mehrdad Oskouei's Starless Dreams, Asghar Farhadi's About Elly and Lisandro Alonso's Jauja.

For press inquiries, please contact us at:

(212) 685-6242 or press at cinemaguild dot com

###




© 2015 Cinema Guild
2803 Ocean Avenue | Brooklyn, NY 11229 | (800) 723-5522 | (212) 685-6242 | info@cinemaguild.com