Stefan Andersson wrote:
+1 Yeelen. One of my favorite African films, along with the equally impressive Yaaba.
I've just spotted this.
Yeelen was released by Artificial Eye in UK cinemas in 1988. As I remember, they advertised it as
The Light, and it had had a London Film Festival showing under the title
Brightness. AE didn't release the film on VHS, let alone DVD, and I've no idea if they still have the rights. It would have BBFC issues though - it was cut for the cinema by 1:16, for reasons of animal cruelty, a chicken being sacrificed by being burned alive. If I remember rightly, the one TV showing on the BBC cut this too.
Yaaba had a UK cinema release from Recorded Releasing, who are now defunct, but also hasn't had a VHS or DVD release.
As for me, I'd like to see UK DVDs (I realise Second Run don't do Blu-rays as yet) of Margarethe von Trotta's
Die bleierne Zeit (released as
The German Sisters in UK cinemas,
Marianne and Juliane in US cinemas - shown on Channel 4 in the 80s but never released on UK VHS or DVD),
The Lacemaker (if Arrow don't still have the rights - they released it on VHS), and a brace of Bertrand Taverniers,
Une semaine de vacances (not released on UK VHS) and
Sunday in the Country (the latter being another Artificial Eye VHS but not DVD). I'm shamelessly listing films which had considerable personal significance to me during my 80s cinemagoing which don't have UK DVD/Blu-ray releases.
Also, I mentioned it in the Polish cinema thread so I'll do so again here - I wonder if Second Run would be interested in the more recent Polish film
Rose (Róża), which so far has not had a UK release?