criterionforum.org

Writer/Director Joanna Hogg's feature film debut, Unrelated has been acquired by Robert Beeson and Pam Engel's (formerly of Artificial Eye) new company New Wave Films in the UK and is set to be released 19th Sept. There is a short article here. The film played at the London Film Festival, did anyone see it?

As a side note New Wave films will be releasing the Dardenne's The Silence of Lorna on 17th October, I wonder whether they'll be branching out into DVDs soon, I heard they are using their own money to set this company up so I wouldn't bank on it.

I guess they'll have to release DVDs eventually to get some money back - many smaller independent distributors do (Soda, Peccadillo, Revolver), but of course others really struggle (Third Window). Even the BFI have been pretty slack in this respect - what's happened to Longing and Kelemen's Fate?

It's more than a little disconcerting to see Helen Hunt's Then She Found Me acquired by AE whilst the new Dardennes film is picked up the people who don't work for the company anymore.

I know what you mean, AE appear to be turning into some crazy factory - putting out all those old licenses before they expire, the future doesn't look good based on their new acquisitions. Though they have acquired part of the Fortissimo catalogue.

They (New Wave Films) will be releasing all their acquistions on DVD. First up will be Unrelated in January next year. The Silence of Lorna will be on DVD around March or April.

Many retailers have the distributor of the forthcoming DVD listed as Drakes Avenue - a partnership/deal, perhaps?

Verve Pictures is an independent UK specialist film distributor, with particular emphasis on British and independent films.

As an off-shoot of Verve, Drakes Avenue Pictures distributes independent films on DVD, with a special interest in contemporary arthouse and foreign films.

The DVDs themselves have New Wave Films logos, so they're keeping their own branding I assume until they have the resources to do it themselves.