Recommendations for Second Run

[Langland]

Oh, I see there is. So null points for me but I'll just say I got mine in the little cinema shop in the arcade in Prague where the Kino Lucerna is. They have lots of interesting stuff and of course stock the Second Run Czech films. Also great in Prague is the Karel Zeman museum just beside the Charles Bridge. They also stock the relevant Second Run releases.

[Langland]

Aha! I have got a reasonable suggestion. Among so many outstanding films on dvd from SR, Raya Martin's 'independencia' had a big impact on me. Another great film I saw from him, with a hypnotic mix of the everyday and dreamlike sequences, is available from France on dvd with French subtitling. It is called 'Now Showing'. Either that or a BD of 'Independencia' would not be unworthy of SR.

[Langland]

I am assuming that MichaelB is Michael Brooke and as he has been the source for me of many a tip and author of impeccable guides and introductions to films in booklets I hoped it wouldn't be too presumptuous to ask for some advice. Having got hold of Telewizja Kinopolska's Horrory collection a couple of other Polish directors unknown to me are in their promotional pullout and obtainable: Filip Bajon and Radosław Piwowarski. Krystyna Janda is in one of the latter's films (star of SR's Interrogation and much else besides). Any comments/advice? I seem to remember a Top Ten of Polish cinema on your BFI page but don't recall these directors.

[Langland]

I don't suppose SR would consider THE END OF AUGUST AT THE HOTEL OZONE written by Pável Juráček who wrote the two classics on SR, DAISIES and A CASE FOR A ROOKIE HANGMAN. I would very much like to see this film which I believe does have a US dvd release but it doesn't appeal in that format. There is also a documentary written by him about the Prague Spring and directed by Martin Šulik (wonderful TENDERNESS on SR) reflecting on his own difficult life - who knows?

[TodoModo]

Second Run is mostly busy with the Warsaw pact (polish-czech-hungarian huge cinema tradition), but recently many georgian (soviet era) masterpieces have been restored in 4k waiting for a good samaritan to publish them.
Take for example "Monanieba" (Repentance, 1984) by Tengiz Abuladze which won FIPRESCI prize at Cannes 1987 for its sarcastical and surrealistic take on autoritarianism (one of the best georgian movies of all time). The restored version was recently shown at Cannes in 2021. This new version can only be watched at the moment on global.cavea.plus georgian stream site, unfortunately without any subtitles.
A bluray version with a nice booklet would be sensational!

Despite being overlooked and intrinsically elusive with its exotic style and obscure folk references, georgian cinema has recently received a bit of attention in festivals and stream sites. The british stream site Klassiki has a decent collection of georgian movies but only "Eccentrics" 1973 by Eldar Shengelaia in its restored version. The German "Arsenal" has recently published on DVD the movie "Some interviews on personal matters" by Lana Ghoghoberidze.
On the blu-ray side, there's not much on the market. Criterion has cult movie "Color of Pomegranates" by georgian Parajanov, even though the movie is culturally armenian to be fair (despite the presence of georgian actors).

even if not soon, I hope in the next few years "Monanieba" will get a well-deserved blu-ray edition.

[brundlefly]

Second Run is mostly busy with the Warsaw pact (polish-czech-hungarian huge cinema tradition), but recently many georgian (soviet era) masterpieces have been restored in 4k waiting for a good samaritan to publish them.
Take for example "Monanieba" (Repentance, 1984) by Tengiz Abuladze which won FIPRESCI prize at Cannes 1987 for its sarcastical and surrealistic take on autoritarianism (one of the best georgian movies of all time). The restored version was recently shown at Cannes in 2021. This new version can only be watched at the moment on global.cavea.plus georgian stream site, unfortunately without any subtitles.
A bluray version with a nice booklet would be sensational!

Despite being overlooked and intrinsically elusive with its exotic style and obscure folk references, georgian cinema has recently received a bit of attention in festivals and stream sites. The british stream site Klassiki has a decent collection of georgian movies but only "Eccentrics" 1973 by Eldar Shengelaia in its restored version. The German "Arsenal" has recently published on DVD the movie "Some interviews on personal matters" by Lana Ghoghoberidze.
On the blu-ray side, there's not much on the market. Criterion has cult movie "Color of Pomegranates" by georgian Parajanov, even though the movie is culturally armenian to be fair (despite the presence of georgian actors).

even if not soon, I hope in the next few years "Monanieba" will get a well-deserved blu-ray edition.

Would love a blu release of Abuladze's whole trilogy, though I understand them to be very different films. Recently saw The Wishing Tree (on an old but watchable dvd) and, after initial resistance, was totally taken with it and left wanting more. I'm in if they go there.

And if someone wants to get early Otar Iosseliani back in print I would be there for those as well.

[TodoModo]

Second Run is mostly busy with the Warsaw pact (polish-czech-hungarian huge cinema tradition), but recently many georgian (soviet era) masterpieces have been restored in 4k waiting for a good samaritan to publish them.
Take for example "Monanieba" (Repentance, 1984) by Tengiz Abuladze which won FIPRESCI prize at Cannes 1987 for its sarcastical and surrealistic take on autoritarianism (one of the best georgian movies of all time). The restored version was recently shown at Cannes in 2021. This new version can only be watched at the moment on global.cavea.plus georgian stream site, unfortunately without any subtitles.
A bluray version with a nice booklet would be sensational!

Despite being overlooked and intrinsically elusive with its exotic style and obscure folk references, georgian cinema has recently received a bit of attention in festivals and stream sites. The british stream site Klassiki has a decent collection of georgian movies but only "Eccentrics" 1973 by Eldar Shengelaia in its restored version. The German "Arsenal" has recently published on DVD the movie "Some interviews on personal matters" by Lana Ghoghoberidze.
On the blu-ray side, there's not much on the market. Criterion has cult movie "Color of Pomegranates" by georgian Parajanov, even though the movie is culturally armenian to be fair (despite the presence of georgian actors).

even if not soon, I hope in the next few years "Monanieba" will get a well-deserved blu-ray edition.

Would love a blu release of Abuladze's whole trilogy, though I understand them to be very different films. Recently saw The Wishing Tree (on an old but watchable dvd) and, after initial resistance, was totally taken with it and left wanting more. I'm in if they go there.

And if someone wants to get early Otar Iosseliani back in print I would be there for those as well.

yes Iosseliani is a good choice as well. So many great directors.
In regards to "The Wishing Tree", well its' one of my favourite movie ever. Haunting horror. It still needs digital restoration as far as i know, along with "Vedreba"(The Plea) which I've only watched thanks to a Ruscico DVD. This last one only exists in horrid conditions, anywhere I looked.

The georgia film institute has been busy with this huge work of recovering silent era films stuck in Moscow's Gosfilmofond lately. A diplomatic job as well.
other notable already restored which could draw interest from international companies:
- The Eccentrics 1973 Eldar Shengelaia
- White Caravan 1963 Eldar Shengelaia
- A Strange Exhibition 1968 Eldar Shengelaia
- at least 6-7 by Lana Ghoghoberidze (one of the first to deal with women's POV in the USSR)
- Big Green Valley/Didi Mtsvane Veli, 1967, by Merab Kokochashvili (2k digital rest.).................this one is very interesting but not famous outside Georgia

other notable georgian classics still to be restored:
- Iosseliani's georgian-phase movies.
- Pirosmani 1969 by Giorgi Shengelaia (those who like Parajanov will find this fascinating as well)
- Aleqsandre Rekhviashvili 80s entire work.
- The Legend of the Suram Fortress 1985 by Parajanov (visually stunning)
- Blue Mountains 1983 Eldar Shengelaia (not sure if already done but the old DVD version looks good imo)
- The Sun of the sleepless 1992 Temur Babluani
- Iavnana/Lullaby 1994 by Nana Janelidze

[knives]

Does SR have any interest in releasing more Longinotto films? I recognize they might not be the best sellers in the world, but she always impresses me and at the very least her other two films with Jano Williams are among the best documentaries I’ve seen.

[Stefan Andersson]

This might be of interest to Second Run:

Kawalerowicz´Mother Joan of the Angels is up for re-release in France:
https://www.tamasa-cinema.com/film/mere ... des-anges/ (the online clip looks restored)

Sorry if the film is already out on English-friendly BD/DVD.


The Lady from Constantinople, plus five other films by Judit Élek, are now restored and showing at Cinématheque Francaise this month:
https://www.cinematheque.fr/cycle/festi ... -1223.html

Checking out online sites for French distributors is often rewarding, there are quite often online film clips and detailed press kits for individual films or groups of films.