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Out today from Dark Star Pictures and director Jean-Baptiste Saurel is Zenithal, a kung fu horror comedy with a wicked sense of humor and even cooler sense of style. In honor of the film’s release, we have an exclusive taste of what to expect from the new film!

But first, read the full synopsis:

When famed kung-fu master Ti-Kong is found dead, suspicion falls on the sinister and manipulative Dr. Sweeper. Caught in the middle is insecure Francis, who becomes a pawn in Sweeper’s plot to maintain global male domination. But Francis’s girlfriend Sonia may be the only one who can stop the madness, save their relationship, and restore balance between the sexes.

In our exclusive clip from the French kung-fu action comedy, Ti-Kong’s students formulate a plan for revenge.

Watch now:

Franc Bruneau, Vanessa Guide (The Flip Side), Marcus Cyril Guei (Hitman), and Bruno Gouery...

French cinema often operates with a casual frankness about the body that can feel startling to outside audiences. Zenithal takes this tradition and pushes it into the realm of high farce. The film introduces us to Francis, a dry cleaner living a life of quiet desperation. His glory days, which bizarrely involved being the on-screen nemesis to a martial arts master with a supernaturally large penis, are long past.

His relationship with his partner, Sonia, a self-defense instructor, has stalled. To fix things, she has imposed a strict six-month period of sexual abstinence, a project meant to force them to connect on a higher plane. Francis, feeling useless and adrift, is ill-equipped for this challenge.

The film immediately establishes a world where the anxieties of modern masculinity are not just discussed but given literal, absurd physical form. It’s a strange and provocative setup, a uniquely Gallic satire that uses...

"He's a monster who creates monsters." Dark Star Pictures has revealed the US trailer for a totally bonkers action comedy from France titled Zénithal, made by genre filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Saurel. This initially premiered at Fantastic Fest last year and played at other genre fests - ready for a spectacular big D release in the US this summer. A well-endowed adult film star turned Kung Fu master is maniacally murdered by an evil villain in his destructive quest for power and male domination, leaving the students to avenge him and restore peace. While they try to save their relationship, Francis finds himself accused of the murder of his former rival Ti-Kong. Fleeing from the police, Francis falls into the clutches of a rogue surgeon, determined to defend male domination at any cost. His girlfriend Sonia then takes action to rescue Francis, save their relationship, and restore peace between the sexes. Starring Vanessa Guide,...

“Stalk,” Simon Bouisson’s timely French show tackling cyber spying and bullying, has lured a flurry of top TV channels across the world.

Produced by Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora at Silex Films, the half-hour psychological thriller series was a big hit on France Televisions’s platform Slash and later aired on the broadcaster’s linear channel France 2 in the slot following “Call My Agent! The second season, which won best half-hour series and best music (for Paul Sabin) at La Rochelle TV Festival, recently premiered.

FranceTV Distribution, the commercial arm of the broadcaster, has sold the first two seasons to HB0 Latin America, Gsn in Russia and Shahid in the Middle East. South Korea’s Navel picked up season one, while the second season has been picked up by Wdr and Sony in Germany, Rai Play in Italy and Ici tou.tv in Canada.

Bouisson, who previously helmed the...

Charming Australian ‘Visitors from Hell’ Comedy Starring Eddie Izzard Debuts on DVD and North American VOD Platforms on June 9th

Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, has acquired U.S. rights to the independent Australian ‘Visitors from Hell’ Comedy The Flip Side. The Flip Side will be available to rent and own on DVD and North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms through Freestyle Digital Media on June 9, 2020.

Set in Adelaide, South Australia, The Flip Side tells the story of Ronnie, a struggling restaurateur who has her life thrown into chaos when former lover, British movie star Henry, goes on a promotional tour across Australia. Arriving in Adelaide with his French girlfriend in tow, Henry meets up with Ronnie and her good-hearted boyfriend Jeff who invites them to crash at their house, unwittingly creating the perfect storm for Henry to seduce Ronnie all over again.

The Motion Picture & Television Fund has met its goal of $750,000 from its May 15 fundraiser event, thanks to matching contributions to double the $250,000 pledged by the John and Marilyn Wells Family Foundation.

The funds are being used to help reduce the cost of personal protective equipment and food for caregivers at its skilled nursing home in Woodland Hills, Calif., where six residents died of Covid-19 last month. John Wells, the writer-producer of “ER” and “The West Wing,” is a member of the MPTF Board of Governors.

The event was hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown and Tom Bergeron, which streamed live on MPTF ’s YouTube page. It include pre-recorded segments from stars like George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan,...

Eddie Izzard in ‘The Flip Side.’

Five Australian films have been invited to the 73rd edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which runs from June 19–30.

Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding, Thomas M Wright’s Acute Misfortune, Marion Pilowsky’s The Flip Side and Miranda Nation’s Undertow will screen in the World Perspectives strand.

Tony D’Aquino’s debut feature The Furies, a female-driven survival thriller, will be showcased in the Night Moves strand.

The festival describes D’Aquino’s film, which stars Airlie Dodds, Danielle Horvat, Linda Ngo and Taylor Ferguson, as a “gripping modern take on the 1980s slasher film, full of gore.”

Acute Misfortune is a “striking, brilliant and unconventional portrait” of one of Australia’s most acclaimed and idiosyncratic painters Adam Cullen; The Flip Side is a breezy rom-com about a budding chef and a British actor; Undertow is a tense and moving female-led...

British actor and comedian Eddie Izzard has signed on to star in The Call Back, the feature debut of producer turned writer/director Marion Pilowsky.

Fresh from his turn as Bertie, Prince of Wales  in Stephen Frears Victoria & Abdul, Izzard will play British actor Henry, who is romantically entangled with struggling restaurateur Ronnie, who will be played by Australian Emily Taheny. Also joining the cast of The Call Back are French actress Vanessa Guide (The New Adventures of Aladdin), Luke McKenzie (Wentworth), Hugh Sheridan (Packed to the Rafters), Tina Bursill (Wish You Were Here), Susie Youssef (How Not To Behave) and Tiriel Mora (Happy Feet).

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The New Adventures Of Aladdin opens on VOD Nationwide on Tuesday, May 16 on all major platforms including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Microsoft, Vudu, Comcast, Charter, Cox, Verizon, Vimeo, and various other cable operators. The film will be released in both English-dubbed and French language versions (With English Subtitles).

On Christmas Eve, Sam and his best friend Khalid both dress up as Santa Claus to steal everything they can at their local department store. Quickly, Sam is stopped by a group of children asking for a story… the story of Aladdin. Or his own version of it. In Aladdin’s shoes, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him to the heart of the city of Baghdad, a place of infinite wonders.

Unfortunately, behind the picture-perfect setting, people are suffering from the tyranny of the terrible Vizir, known for his ferocity and questionable breath. Helped by his Genie, will the...

Exclusive: Indie Sales unveils first image of female soccer comedy.

Paris-based Indie Sales has unveiled a first image of French director Julien Hallard’s comedy Let The Girls Play inspired by the creation of France’s first official all-female soccer squad in the 1960s.

Described as social comedy in the vein of Bend It Like Beckham, the film revolves around the early days of a real-life, all-women squad set up almost by chance on the fringes of France’s Stade de Reims football club at the end of the 1960s.

Although women have played soccer for centuries, female teams only started to be recognised by official football bodies in countries such as France and the UK in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Rising French actors Vanessa Guide and Max Boublil [pictured] are co-stars in the mainly female cast.

Frédéric Jouve of Paris-based Les Films Velvet – the long-time producer of Rebecca Zlotowski (Planetarium, Grand Central, Belle...