It was more than three years ago now that Tartan Films initially announced that they had purchased North American and UK rights to Anders Morgenthaler's violent anti-porn animation Princess, a provocative and shocking bit of work that - at the time - was still riding high off of a controversial appearance in Cannes. The company did manage to release the film in the UK for a short time but distribution and money woes hobbled the US release, a situation that culminated with the company collapsing globally - pulling the UK release off the shelves - and the status of the film lurching into uncertainty. But then along came Palisades Media, scooping up the Tartan library and promising the reorganize and get things out there in good time.
Well, the time is good, apparently. The freshly re-branded Palisades Tartan have just announced their first two releases, and guess what one of them is? You got it. Due out September 29th is the looooooong delayed US release of Princess. Huzzah! The full press release is below the break.
Palisades Tartan’s PRINCESS in Stores September 29th
“Powerful and uncompromising PRINCESS has stirred up controversy wherever it has played.”
-Todd Brown, Twitch Films
“One of those movies that rubs the audience’s noses in depravity and degradation, pushing shock value well into the red. Naturally, it’s Danish.”
-Noel Murray, The Onion
LOS ANGELES — July, 7th 2009 — For Immediate Release — Predominantly anime, but part live-action, Palisades Tartan is proud to present PRINCESS, a sexually graphic and brazenly violent film that takes aim at the porn industry using its own equally astonishing and taboo arsenal. This film will street September 29th in video stores across the country.
August returns home from years of missionary work after hearing about the death of his sister Christina, who – after going from greatness to the gutter as the famous porn star ”The Princess” - has finally died of drug abuse. She has left behind her five year-old daughter, Mia, with a prostitute, which August, a devout clergy man, finds unacceptable. He visits the brothel to bring Mia home with him and becomes her guardian. Burdened by sorrow, guilt and unspeakable rage August goes on a rampage to avenge his sister’s death and brings her small daughter with him. The mission escalates into a brutal and violent rout as August attempts desperately to protect the only thing he holds dear – namely Mia – forcing him to make a fateful decision.
Winner of multiple film festival awards, including Best European Fantastic Feature Film at the Sweden Fantastic Film Festival 2007 and Best Film at the Catalonian International Film 2007. PRINCESS also opened Director’s Fortnight in Cannes 2006 and played The Midnight Madness section in Toronto Film Festival 2006.
Director Anders Morgenthaler and partner Mikael Wulff are the creators of a daily comic strip in the Danish newspaper Politiken. The two have has also realized their comedy strip in a TV-show on national television in Denmark. Further, the comedy strip is currently being developed into an animated series for MTV Europe.
Danish, with English subtitles, PRINCESS is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with Stereo Sound. Special DVD features TBD.
Tartan Films was originally founded in 1984 in the UK and is credited with bringing Asian Extreme film to the West as well as some of the most compelling art house films of the last quarter century. In May 2008, Palisades Pictures acquired Tartan Films US library assets and two months later, acquired a majority of Tartan Films UK’s 400+ film library assets. The new company Palisades Tartan has operations both nationally and internationally. Palisades Tartan will continue to expand an already distinctive and provocative slate of films by focusing on quality film acquisitions, thus significantly increasing the size of their overall library in both territories. Palisades Pictures and its parent company Palisades Media Corp is a prestigious financier of print & advertising for the independent film market. Together with its affiliate, Palisades Media Asset Fund, Palisades has securitized and financed more than 550 films.
www.PalisadesTartan.com
Hey bro, I just wanted to let you know that I really, REALLY like this blog. It's nice and very...*can't seem to find the word anywhere*..overzichtelijk. In any event, I just thought I'd let ya know I appreciate what you do here, and that you've really expanded my DVD selection.
Keep it up!
"Overzichtelijk"? Eeks, more Dutch people showing up! :cheese:
Comprehensive comes closest as a translation I think.
As for "Princess": strange to see this as news, since "Princess" has been available for years already in Europe in a variety of languages.
Never realised that the US was still without its own release...
On the one hand, glad to see some of their long-shelved films getting released. On the other hand, Asia Extreme as branding needs to be taken out behind the barn and shot, before getting buried in an unmarked grave next to the word "Japanimation". It might be a stretch to call it racist, but it isn't much of one, and it definitely reinforces ignorant Western stereotypes about Asian cinema. At least they've stopped applying it to every single Asian film they mismarket - on their website their release of A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES is labeled simply "Tartan Video", as it should be. Credit where due - that's a huge step in the right direction.