Variety reports that IFC Films has picked up U.S. distribution rights for ANTICHRIST, Lars Von Triers’ symbolic shocker, which recently screened at Cannes. From advance descriptions, the film sounds as if it will easily fall into NC-17 territory, so we can only hope that IFC puts it out uncut (and probably unrated, as they most likely will want to avoid the NC-17 label).
Also attracting interest after appearing at Cannes is Park Chan-wook’s new vampire film THIRST. Unfortunately, in this case, Hollywood seems more interested in securing remake rights than in distributing the original film. Previous Park films are already scheduled for being Americanized (OLD BOY, LADY VENGEANCE and SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE). Park – who is currently producing a new film from director Bong Joon-ho (whose THE HOST is scheduled to be remade by Gore Verbinski) – will not be involved with the remakes. He told Variety: “I want them to treat my films as if they were books and I was an 18th century writer who has long been dead.”