Sanjeev Singh, Director of Acquisition and Distribution of Videovision Entertainment announced today that the company acquired Woody Allen’s You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger as well as Ken Loach ‘s Route Irish on the opening day of the Cannes International Film Festival. The acquisitions came prior to the World Premieres of You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger on Saturday, 15 May 2010 as part of the Official Selection and Route Irish on 20 May 2010 which is screening ‘in competition’ at the Festival.
Woody Allen ‘s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger follows a pair of married couples, Alfie and Helena, and their daughter Sally and husband Roy, as their passions, ambitions, and anxieties lead them into trouble and out of their minds. After Alfie leaves Helena to pursue his lost youth and a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine, Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller. The film, written and directed by Woody Allen, stars Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Lucy Punch, Josh Brolin and Antonio Banderas.
A late entry into the Cannes Film Festival, Route Irish is an Iraq themed film. It details the story of two men who work as private security contractors in Iraq who risk their lives in a city awash with violence and greed. When Frankie is killed on “Route Irish” – the road linking Baghdad airport with the Green Zone – Fergus, wracked with grief and guilt, rejects the official explanation and determines to investigate the truth of his friend ‘s death. The film stars Mark Womack and Andrea Lowe and comedian John Bishop.
“We are thrilled to have acquired the rights Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Ken Loach ‘sRoute Irish” said Sanjeev Singh. “Like most Woody Allen films, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger has a star-studded cast, including Freida Pinto who enchanted audiences in SlumDog Millionaire. Acquiring Route Irish is certainly a coup due to its late entry into the Official Competition and follows our acquisition of Ken Loach ‘s ode to football star, Eric Cantona last year. We will be releasing the films in South Africa later this year through United International Pictures and we anticipate that You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Route Irish will be as critically acclaimed and garner awards like Vicky Cristina Barcelona and The Hurt Locker did.
