It’s already looking like it will be a fine year for Australian cinemagoers, and now Madman announces its early 2012 slate for the lucky country, including documentary Buck, thriller The Awakening France’s Romantics Anonymousand Studio Ghibli’s Arrietty.
ARRIETTY
Arrietty is a visually stunning animated film created by world-renowned Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo) and based on the much-loved children’s book The Borrowers by Mary Norton. In this whimsical adventure, tiny 14-year-old Arrietty lives under the floorboards of a sprawling mansion set in a magical, overgrown garden with her father and mother. Arrietty and her family live by borrowing. Everything they have, they borrow or make from the things they have borrowed from the old lady who lives in the mansion. Their peaceful life is dramatically changed when the ever-curious Arrietty accidentally allows herself to be seen by Sho, a lonely 12-year-old human boy. The two begin to confide in each other and, before long, a friendship begins to blossom…
Release Date • January 12, 2012
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Starring (UK voice cast): Saoirse Ronan, Olivia Colman, Mark Strong, Tom Holland and Luke Allen-Gale
SCREENING IN BOTH ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND ORIGINAL JAPANESE SUBTITLED VERSIONS.
BUCK
Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.
Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly inspiring story about an unsung hero, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.
Release Date • February 16, 2012
Director: Cindy Meehl
Starring: Buck Brannaman and Robert Redford
THE AWAKENING
Set in post-World War I England in 1921, The Awakening follows a skeptical woman (Rebecca Hall – The Town) who travels to a countryside boarding school to investigate rumours of an apparent haunting. Just when she thinks she has debunked the ghost theory, she has a chilling spectral encounter which defies all her rational beliefs.
The Awakening is BAFTA-winning director Nick Murphy’s feature film debut, announcing himself as strongly talented filmmaker for the big screen in addition to his previous achievements. Murphy elicits captivating performances from his cast, in particular Rebecca Hall who effortlessly blends dry wit and chilling terror. Finely crafted with subtle attention to detail, Murphy has succeeded in mastering the art of tension and twists to create a fiercely gripping piece of cinema.
Release Date • March 15, 2012
Director: Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton
ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS
Jean-René (Benoît Poelvoorde), the boss of a chocolate factory, and Angélique (Isabelle Carré), a talented chocolate maker, are two highly emotional people. Their shared passion for chocolate brings them together and they both fall in love with each other, without daring to let on.
Unfortunately, their pathological timidity tends to keep them apart. But they’ll overcome their lack of self-confidence, at the risk of revealing their feelings. So whether they will manage to get together, join their solitudes and live happily ever after is a guessing matter.
A classic French romantic comedy that’s truly touching and genuinely funny, with just the right amount of romance versus life, love and chocolate.
Release Date • April 5, 2012
Director: Jean-Pierre Améris
Starring: Isabelle Carré and Benoît Poelvoorde
