IFC Presents
The Cult of Criterion
Two Nights of Cult films From The Criterion Collection
Airs Friday, September 27 to Saturday, September 28 Beginning at 8:00PM (ET/PT)
Featuring
Kwaidan, Haxan, Sisters, Element of Crime, The Vanishing and
Witchcraft Through the Ages
The Independent Film Channel (IFC) presents The Cult of Criterion, two
evenings filled with cult favorites from Criterion, the preeminent home
video source for rare, high quality films from around the world, airs
Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 beginning at 8:00PM(ET/PT).
The Cult of Criterion festival line-up includes:
Kwaidan (1964) - directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Airs Friday, September 27 at 8:00PM (ET/PT)
This Oscar® nominee for Best Foreign Film and Cannes Special Jury Prize
winner is based on mythology, legend and the spirit world. The gorgeous,
highly stylized film dazzles with four tales of the supernatural.
Häxan (1922) - directed by Benjamin Christensen
Airs Friday, September 27 at 10:45PM (ET/PT)
Sex, debauchery and murder. This stunning, 1922 documentary by Denmark's
silent film genius, Benjamin Christensen, was banned for many years due to
its history and graphic re-creations of rites and rituals of witchcraft
practices from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Sisters (1973) - directed by Brian De Palma
Airs Friday, September 27 at 12:45AM (ET/PT)
This homage to Hitchcock tells the story of separated Siamese twins and a
reporter who witnesses -- but cannot prove -- a grisly murder features
terrific performances from Margot Kidder and Jennifer Salt, plus a chilling
score from Bernard Herrmann.
The Element of Crime (1984) - directed by Lars von Trier
Airs Saturday, September 28 at 8:00PM (ET/PT)
Von Trier's debut feature film is a visually remarkable murder mystery about
a cop who tries to track down a serial killer with the help of his former
mentor's Zen-like treatise on crime solving.
The Vanishing (1988) - directed by George Sluizer
Airs Saturday, September 28 at 10:00PM (ET/PT)
In this original Danish version, a man spends years obsessively searching
for his missing girlfriend who inexplicably disappeared from a highway rest
stop. While director/co-writer George Sluizer (who also helmed the
American
remake) lets you know "whodunit" almost right from the start, this
singular
thriller still manages to build up layers of suspense until its gruesome
finale.
Witchcraft through the Ages (Criterion 1968)
Airs Thursday, September 28 at 12:00AM (ET/PT)
The 1968 re-edited English version of the Danish classic Haxan narrated by
the legendary author William S. Burroughs and featuring a new score.
IFC and The Criterion Collection, the preeminent home entertainment resource
for restored films; Home Vision Entertainment, distributor for The Criterion
Collection; and Virgin Megastores present The Cult of Criterion: Cult Films
from the Criterion Collection. This multi-level cross-promotion highlights
six films from The Criterion Collection and will be featured on IFC,
IFCTV.com and in IFCRant beginning August 29 through September 28.
The Independent Film Channel (IFC), managed and operated by Bravo Networks,
is the first and most widely distributed channel dedicated to independent
film presented 24 hours a day, uncut and commercial-free. IFC
Entertainment, a division of IFC, consists of IFC Productions, a feature
film production company; IFC Films, a theatrical film distribution company;
Next Wave Films, established to provide finishing funds and other vital
support to emerging filmmakers; and IFC Originals, which produces
cutting-edge original programming for the network. In addition, IFC
Productions launched InDigEnt, an initiative that helps established
filmmakers shoot productions on digital video.
Bravo Networks is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:RMG), a
leading provider of news, sports and entertainment programming.
The Criterion Collection is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from
around the world and publishing them on DVD in editions that offer the
highest technical quality and award-wining, original supplements. Each
film
in the collection is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its
maker intended it to be seen. The company's supplements enable viewers to
appreciate Criterion films in context, through audio commentaries by
filmmakers and scholars, restored director's cuts, deleted scenes, shooting
scripts, early shorts, storyboards. To date, more than 35 filmmakers have
made the Director's Approved library of laserdiscs and DVDs the most
significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.
The Criterion Collection's new website address is www.criterionco.com
Home Vision Entertainment is the premiere distributor of foreign and classic
feature films on video in North America. Our audience is the discriminating
viewer, who is interested in experiencing and collecting quality films in
cassette and DVD. While the foundation of the collection is the classics,
Home Vision Entertainment has identified many contemporary films that will
stand the test of time. The company's insistence on the highest standards of
restoration, subtitling, and print quality make these highly collectable
tapes and discs the choice of film collectors in the North American market.
Home Vision Entertainment's new website address is www.homevision.com.
# # # #