Canadian International Pictures

[A Tortured Duckling]

https://www.canadian-international.com/

NEW BOUTIQUE BLU-RAY LABEL

CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES (CIP)
LAUNCHES WITH CANADIAN CLASSICS

“THE ERNIE GAME” & “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MR. LEONARD COHEN”
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH VINEGAR SYNDROME

AND OCN DISTRIBUTION

[Show spoiler]TORONTO, ON – January 1, 2022 – With the arrival of the new year, new boutique Blu-ray label Canadian International Pictures (CIP) launches an exciting partnership with Vinegar Syndrome and sister company OCN Distribution with the announcement of its debut release, Don Owen’s THE ERNIE GAME. Scanned and restored in 2K from the 35mm interpositive, this underseen 1967 classic will be released alongside four other ’60s gems from Owen, including a remastered presentation of the landmark documentary, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MR. LEONARD COHEN.

From arthouse to Canuxploitation, Canadian International Pictures (CIP) is devoted to resurrecting vital, distinctive, and overlooked triumphs of Canadian cinema. This label is focused on the country’s original cinematic boom years – spanning the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s – occasionally venturing past that period (and the country’s borders) to highlight the films of Canada’s most inspired actors and filmmakers. While CIP is currently focused on Blu-ray, plans are underway to expand into streaming and theatrical.

A collaboration of Canadian film writer/programmer Jonathan Doyle (Fantasia, TIFF, The Trash Palace) and Arbelos Films co-founders David Marriott – who was also born and raised in Canada – and Ei Toshinari, CIP has assembled a rich and varied slate for 2022, including a wide range of classic features and shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

In addition to the films on THE ERNIE GAME disc, this includes Robert Fortier's racecar daredevil doc THE DEVIL AT YOUR HEELS and Gilles Groulx's landmark John Coltrane-scored THE CAT IN THE BAG (LE CHAT DANS LE SAC), both of which will be paired with several other treasures from the NFB archive. CIP will also collaborate with Winnipeg’s Zellco Entertainment on a long overdue Blu-ray release of 1973’s THE RAINBOW BOYS, directed by Gerald Potterton (HEAVY METAL) and starring the legendary Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN).

“We are grateful to the NFB, the adventurous film lovers at Vinegar Syndrome, and all our other partners for making this ambitious undertaking possible,” explains Doyle. “Their support is a testament to the track record David and Ei have established at Arbelos, and we hope our releases live up to that standard. Those who take the time to explore the history of Canadian cinema are rarely disappointed, and I can think of no better place to start than THE ERNIE GAME.”

At Arbelos Films, Marriott and Toshinari have overseen the restoration and re-release of Béla Tarr’s masterpiece SÁTÁNTANGÓ, Dennis Hopper’s radical EASY RIDER follow-up THE LAST MOVIE, and Wendell B. Harris Jr.’s Sundance-winner CHAMELEON STREET, among many others. “This is a truly exciting time for film restoration and boutique reissues, and the perfect moment to expand our efforts,” Marriott says. “These resurrected gems of Canadian cinema will be a revelation for fans of classic films – and we’re just getting started.”

The second feature from celebrated Canadian filmmaker Don Owen (NOBODY WAVED GOODBYE), THE ERNIE GAME is a penetrating, unsettling character study and an inexplicably overlooked triumph of the New Hollywood era. Predating like-minded studies of loner desperation from MIDNIGHT COWBOY to TAXI DRIVER in a ’60s milieu comparable to INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – complete with a musical performance by budding folkie Leonard Cohen – this film has a distinctly Canadian vitality and desolation.

RELEASES
(Click catalog number to purchase @ Vinegar Syndrome)

CIP-001 - The Ernie Game
CIP-002 - The Other French New Wave, Vol. 1
CIP-003 - The Mob
CIP-004 - Buster Keaton Rides Again / Helicopter Canada (Slipcover Sold Out)
CIP-005 - Forbidden Love
CIP-006 - Don't Let the Angels Fall
CIP-007 - The Kid Brother
CIP-008 - Nobody Waved Goodbye
CIP-009 - The Amityville Curse
CIP-010 - Mindfield
CIP-011 - The Rainbow Boys
CIP-012 - Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
CIP-013 - Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
CIP-014 - Gina
CIP-015 - Speaking Parts
CIP-016 - Dirty Money



LINKS
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