Divorce Iranian Style and Runaway



Kim Longinotto is renowned for creating extraordinarily intimate portraits of women on the fringes of society, tackling controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion.
Filmed with empathy and humanity, they are gripping testimony to the transformative power of hope.

DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE unfolds inside an Iranian divorce court, providing a subtle and intimate look at the lives of women in a country stereotypically associated with fanaticism and oppression. Astute and beautifully observed, the film reveals the ingenuity and humour with which Iranian women negotiate the restrictions of their society.

RUNAWAY follows the stories of five young girls who arrive at a refuge in Iran’s capital city Tehran, having run away from abusive or neglectful families. Some are in despair, others are simply mischievous; but somehow they must all learn to face the future.

Special Features
- Special edition 2 x Film, optimal quality dual-layer disc
- Newly filmed interview with Kim Longinotto.
- Additional Arabic subtitles for Divorce Iranian Style.
- Digitally re-mastered with restored picture and sound.
- Booklet featuring a new essay by author/filmmaker Mark Cousins and an essay by co-director Ziba Mir-Hosseini.
- Available for the first time together on DVD.

Very interesting. Any more information as to what films will be included?

Fantastic news! Longinotto is one of the great modern documentarists. (How about Heddy Honigmann for a follow-up?)

Sisters in Law is an obvious choice (if it's not already out in some form), but I'd also be thrilled to see a gender-bending Japanese triptych of Dream Girls, Shinjuku Boys and Gaea Girls. They all involve Japanese women living 'male' lives and the last of them, about women wrestlers, is particularly brilliant: a must-see for Love and Rockets fans.

I'm sorry, but that's all they told me. Having just discovered this label it like the gate to another dimension has opened. Very kind people and truly different than "the rest". Will update you on this in case they give me more info.

Good news - the first two titles will be:

DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE (1998)
RUNAWAY (2001)

Enjoy!

Kudos to Second Run for releasing a feature film with six votes on IMDB! I've seen Divorce Iranian Style but not this one.
Releases of Longinotto's films in R1 tie in with a recent discussion in another thread about what a barrier institutional pricing can be. I don't mean to criticize Women Make Movies, but it will definitely be nice to be able to buy these on DVD for less than $300 each.

Officially announced on Second Run's website. The two films seem to be released together, a la Fighters / Real Money.

Special Features
- Optimal dual layer disc
- Restored picture and sound
- New filmed interview with Kim Longinotto
- Booklet essays

There will be a special screening event at London's Curzon Soho Cinema on Sunday December 7th from 12 noon.
Screening both DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE and RUNAWAY + Q&A with the brilliant Kim Longinotto

Up for pre-order on Amazon.

January 26

The little Amazon blurb definitely piques my interest in the disc

We just wanted to say thanks to all who attended our special Kim Longinotto event at the Curzon Soho cinema in London on Dec 7th. It was lovely for Kim to see such warm enthusiasm and great turn-outs for both Divorce Iranian Style and Runaway on a cold Sunday! They are important and wonderful films from a very gracious and humanist filmmaker.

We are putting the finishing touches to the DVD and expect to make the release date of January 26th.

Probably less than $3 each if the pound-dollar exchange rate carries on the way it's been going for the last few weeks...

Huge downgrade

Bear in mind that that may well be the temporary cover, if precedent is anything to go by...

It's gotta be a temp cover. Even if, like Fighters/Real Money, it's for a broader audience than SR's usual arthouse demographic (and given the recent success of Persepolis and Reading Lolita in Tehran, I don't see why it wouldn't), that photo collage is too busy and doesn't do anything to market the film to the average dvd buyer. Plus that shade of green is godawful.

I don't know, I'm pretty sure I saw an earlier cover that was just a single key image which would make it unlikely that this new cover is only temporary.
Did anyone else see this earlier cover, or am I just imagining it?

That's why I'm saying this one is a huge downgrade, because the first DVD image you're talking about was so striking

This is the final sleeve - but the poor quality Amazon image doesn't do it justice. jbeall is right - that green's are too bright
It should look something like this - and we like it:

Thanks for the info Bikey. That shade of green is much better, and the higher-res does the photos more justice, but I've still gotta say that the photo collage is less effective, I think, than the single image. That said, I'm looking forward to seeing it!

Kim Longinotto interviewed by Francine Stock on BBC Radio 4's The Film Programme this Friday (30th Jan) at 4.30pm - repeated Sunday 1st Feb and available at BBc i-player from Friday - or listen here.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KIM LONGINOTTO FOR WINNING THE GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR BEST WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY AT THIS YEAR'S SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL FOR HER NEW FILM ROUGH AUNTIES!

GO KIM !!

It is worth noting that The Film Programme is also available as a podcast.

Our Divorce Iranian Style / Runaway release is #3 in Time Out's 10 Best DVD's of 2009! http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/9362/the-dvds-of-2009.html
Thank you Time Out!