Naked Acts Among Kino Lorbers New Releases of Overlooked Indie Cinema Gems

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Kino Lorber, at the Lumiére Festival and International Classic Film Market (MIFC) in Lyon with a number of new restorations, including Stanley Kubrick’s “Fear and Desire,” will next release Bridgett M. Davis’ 1996 drama “Naked Acts” and a complete retrospective of Oscar Micheaux, the first black filmmaker.   

Also headed for release is “The Dragon Painter,” a rare, 1919 silent film with an all Asian cast, with the feel of an old Japanese film but entirely shot in the San Francisco area. It stars Sessue Hayakawa, who produced it himself, as well as his real-life wife Tsuru Aoki.

Kino Lorber is partnering with Milestone Films to release “The Dragon Painter” in 4K in 2024 with a new score.

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Likewise set for a 4K release next year in partnership with Milestone is “Naked Acts,” which follows young Black actress Cicely, who is about to make her acting debut in a low budget film. As she finds out that the role requires a nude scene, she must confront her body image issues and a complicated relationship with her mother, a former Blaxploitation star.

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“Naked Acts” was restored by Milestone and Lightbox Philadelphia from the negative held at the Indiana University Black Film Center & Archive.

Kino Lorber’s newly established international division is committed to the global distribution of the company’s library and freshly restored classics. It began as a boutique department dedicated to distributing the company’s in-house restorations and expanded in 2020 with the incorporation of Milestone Films’ library into its catalogue.

“Over time more people came to us, other rights holders, directors who were seeking out distribution for their films, other rights holders, and we came to take on an unusual role of sales agent for classic films,” says Yaël Halbron, who oversees the department.

Kino Lorber handles 10 to 15 acquisitions and new restorations a year, she adds.

In addition to the 4K restoration of “Fear and Desire,” Kubrick’s first feature film — currently screening in Lyon as part of the festival’s Lumiére Classics label and also currently in theaters — Kino Lorber is presenting 4K restorations of Nancy Savoca’s 1993 drama “Household Saints” and Kavery Kaul’s 1988 calypso music documentary “One Hand Don’t Clap.”

“Household Saints” stars Tracey Ullman, Vincent D’Onofrio and Lili Taylor in a chronicle of a spirited Italian-American New York family. Kino Lorber is releasing it this winter.

“One Hand Don’t Clap,” which explores calypso music and its Caribbean roots and features legends Calypso Rose and Lord Kitchener, is scheduled for release in 2024.

Kino Lorber’s recent restorations and acquisitions include a restoration of Bette Gordon’s “Variety,” which catapulted the film back onto the cultural radar as an underground cult classic, underseen 1980s American-Japanese indie “Tokyo Pop,” directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), and a collection of seven films by Yvonne Rainer, newly restored by MoMA, which premiered in the Berlinale’s Forum Expanded sidebar this year.

“We specialize in restoring and bringing to light American indie cinema gems that have to date remained outside of mainstream recognition,” says Halbron. “Our focus lies on rescuing forgotten and overlooked works from earlier decades, primarily those created by women directors and directors of color.”

Milestone Films is renowned for its restorations of films by African-American directors that have long been sidelined, such as

Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep,” which made a noted entrance in Sight & Sound’s most recent list of the 100 greatest films of all time, Halbron points out.

“Our films hold a unique appeal for foreign distributors and festivals that are interested in what falls beyond the prescribed canon,” she adds. “While we maintain valuable relationships with established companies in the world of repertory film distribution, the most exciting part for me is to establish new ones with emerging distribution companies and collectives, who bring their energy and fresh perspectives to the table.

“As the underdog themselves, they are sometimes our best allies to help champion films that have yet to attain classic status – they are more adventurous, marketing-savvy and know how to appeal to younger audiences.”

Halbron stresses that festivals “are invaluable partners in this model. We’re happy that our films are not limited to classic film festivals but are regularly booked in festivals large and small, which are eager for discoveries and seek to amplify voices of the past that went largely unheard and put them in dialogue with new works and contemporary directors.”

Halbron points to 1982’s “Losing Ground,” by Kathleen Collins, which she describes as “one of the pioneering narrative feature films directed by a Black woman.” It was among a number of films showcased by French director Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”) at this year’s Amiens Film Festival in France.

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