VANCOUVER, Nov. 23, 2018 /CNW/ – Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company“), a global multiplatform entertainment company with offices in Los Angeles, London, Vancouver, Ottawaand Toronto, is pleased to announce that its UK subsidiary, Thunderbird Releasing Limited, has secured the rights to distribute Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or-winning film Shoplifters across the UK and Ireland. Following its international premier at the Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters debuts Friday, November 23, 2018 at key venues in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin and throughout the UK.
Shoplifters was awarded the Palme d’Or at Cannes amidst fierce competition from films by Spike Lee and Jean-Luc Godard among others – marking the second time that an Asian film has won the prestigious award this century. The film follows a Tokyo family who relies on shoplifting to cope with a life of poverty, as they adopt an abused young girl found abandoned in the street. Shoplifters features the final performance of veteran Japanese actress Kirin Kiki, who passed away earlier this year, as well as Kore-eda regular Lily Franky (Our Little Sister; Like Father, Like Son).
“Thunderbird is honoured to distribute Shoplifters in the UK, not only because it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but because it is a deeply impacting story that urgently needs to be told,” says Edward Fletcher, Managing Director of Thunderbird Releasing. “Early reviews are praising Shoplifters, and we know that audiences across the UK and Irelandwill be moved by the journey of the Shibata family.”
Initial reviews for the film are overwhelmingly positive, with the Daily Telegraph calling it a “thrilling beautiful tale of Tokyo’s down-and-outs,” Maggie Lee of Variety writing: “At once charming and heart-wrenching, this exquisitely performed film will steal the hearts of both art-house and mainstream audiences,” and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian declaring it “a rich, satisfying and deeply intelligent film.”
Beyond Shoplifters, upcoming releases from Thunderbird include Burning, The Kindergarten Teacher and Vita & Virginia. Recent releases include The Heiresses, Redoubtable, Sweet Country, Toni Erdmann, A Quiet Passion, My Lifeas a Courgette, A Man Called Ove, Land of Mine and Brimstone.
About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a Vancouver-based global multiplatform entertainment company with offices in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Ottawa and London. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and International broadcasters. Thunderbird’s vision is to produce high quality, socially responsible content that makes the world a better place. The Company develops, produces and distributes animated, factual and scripted content through its various divisions, including Atomic Cartoons, Great Pacific Television, Thunderbird Productions and Thunderbird Releasing Limited.
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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release includes certain “forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities legislation that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company’s objectives, goals or future plans and the business and operations of the Company, and the likelihood of completion of upcoming releases. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; those additional risks set out in the Company’s Filing Statement and other public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com; and other matters discussed in this news release. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except where required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.