Crime drama Bullhead and raucous comedy Clown, two of the best films from this year's Fantastic Fest, have been acquired by Drafthouse Films for distribution in North America.
Bullhead, Belgium's submission for Academy Award consideration as Best Foreign Language Film, is a mesmerizing descent into the world of agricultural hormone drug trading. The setting allows for a complex tale about manhood to develop with relentless energy. Michael Roskam wrote and directed; amazingly, it's his debut feature.
Clown, drawing from a Danish TV show, is inspired, deadpan lunacy, and very, very filthy. Things go from bad to worse as two men head off on a canoe trip, which is intended as camouflage for one of them to indulge in sexual hijinks, a plan that is disrupted when the 9-year-old son of the other man's girlfriend tags along.
Both of these films were in my top five seen at Fantastic Fest, and the same was true for my colleagues Swarez. Todd Brown, and Ryland Aldrich. J. Hurtado and James Marsh included Clown in their top five, and James named his introduction of Bullhead at the festival his 'single most fantastic moment.'
Drafthouse Films, the distribution of the Alamo Drafthouse, based in Austin, Texas, also announced that they will be partnering with Image Entertainment in a deal spanning home video, digital, television and VOD platforms, which should ensure wider distribution beyond the limited theatrical releases that are on the horizon.
So, yes, we're big fans of these two movies, and couldn't be happier to hear the news.