While Ryûhei Kitamura may not be a household name, among genre heads he made a splash with "The Midnight Meat Train" a few years back and in September, he's heading to Toronto hoping to wow Midnight Madness crowds with his latest, "No One Lives."
Starring Luke Evans and the quickly rising Adelaide Clemens ("Parade's End"), Kitamura's upcoming film goes to the backwoods for its bloodletting. Here's the official synopsis: From the director of Versus and The Midnight Meat Train, No One Lives is a smart and original horror movie with, at its heart, a killer in the grip of a dark and twisted love affair. A ruthless criminal gang takes a young couple hostage and goes to ground in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. When the captive girl is killed, the tables are unexpectedly turned. The gang finds itself outsmarted by an urbane and seasoned killer determined to ensure that no one lives.
"No One Lives" is currently seeking distribution.
On an entirely different note, Toronto audiences will be treated to one of the biggest sensations of Cannes this year — even though it didn't play the festival proper — Pablo Larrain's "No."
Wining the top prize at the Cannes Director's Fortnight, the latest from Pablo Larrain takes the story of the ousting of Augusto Pinochet and turns it into a big crowd pleaser. Here's the official synopsis: In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote "Yes" or "No" to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the NO persuade a brash, young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and under the scrutiny of the despot’s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.
Sony Pictures Classics will (hopefully) release the film later this year. Check out our rave review from the Croisette right here. [Kinopoisk]