Kino Lorber is the director of Bruno Dumont’s sci-fi satire, The We have acquired North American distribution rights to “Empire.” And Fabrice Luchini.
The Empire had its world premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize. The film is Dumont’s follow-up to the dark comedy “France” starring Léa Seydoux, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kino Lorber is scheduled for theatrical release later this year, followed by home video, educational, and digital release on all major platforms. The acquisition of ‘The Empire’ marks Kino Lorber’s sixth collaboration with Dumont, with previous releases including ‘Lil Quinkin’, ‘CoinCoin and the Extra Humans’ and ‘Slack “Bay”, “Camille Claudel 1915”, and recently “France”.
The film is set in a quiet and picturesque fishing village in northern France. A special baby is born there. The baby is so unique and eccentric that it sparks a secret war between good and evil extraterrestrial forces. In an attempt to restore the Empire, his two opposing factions from the depths of space, One and Zero, spark an apocalyptic conflict on Earth.
“We are thrilled to be part of Bruno’s latest journey into the cinematic future,” said Richard Lorber, Chairman and CEO of Kino Lorber. “He brilliantly navigated the new risks of Empire with philosophical wit and visual fun, inventing his own brand of special effects to pull off stunts like no other. ”
He continued, “Being a movie buff in the Dumont area has never been so fun. We, the Kino Lorber gang, went on a space training trip to sail alongside some of today’s most adventurous authors. We can’t wait to bring this huge piece of entertainment to American audiences and prove once again that Bruno has what’s right cinematically.”
The deal for “The Empire” was negotiated by Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Liddell and Memento International’s Alexandre Moreau.
“The Empire” has also been acquired in France (ARP), Benelux (Cineart), Italy (Academy Two), Sweden (Njuta), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Bulgaria (Beta Film), Hungary (Vertigo) and the Baltic States. I am. (Scanorama) and Indonesia (PT Falcon).
Kino Lorber just recently acquired the queer Sundance hit “Sebastian” and announced the merger of Topic with MHz Choice, a major international series streamer that Kino acquired last year.
Kino Lorber’s 2023 roster also includes Kawsar Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters.”
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. The film was produced by Tessarit Productions in association with Red Balloon Films, Ascent Films, Novak Prod, Rosa Films, and Furyo Films. The producers are Jean Blair and Bertrand Fevre. Co-producers are Dorothee Beinemeyer, Fabrizio Mosca, Andrea Paris, Matteo Rovere, Ines Vasilievich, Olivier Dubois, Joaquín Sapinho, Marta Alves and Emma Binet.
