A film we’ve been following since its 2011 premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, but none of us has seen yet – although it’s a film I’ve been intrigued by and interested in seeing in – will now finally be released in the USA!
Titled The Invader, the film stars Burkinabé actor Issaka Sawadogo and Italian actress Stefania Rocca, as pair who meet, get involved against all expectations, and have an intense but brief love affair, that seemingly ends in tragedy.
I’ve just been informed by
Vyer Films (
www.vyerfilms.com), a new curation-oriented film streaming service, that the company has acquired U.S. VOD rights for the stylish, moody, and provocative feature film debut from Belgian artist
Nicolas Provost.
The newly-launched Vyer Films, whose stated goal is to bring the best films from the international festival circuit that never come to a local theater or get lost in the catalogs of traditional streaming services, will release The Invader starting on August 8 – just over a week from today, meaning, all who’ve been curious, will now be able to see the film for yourselves.
Its full synopsis reads:
Amadou, a strong and charismatic African man, is washed up on a beach in southern Europe. Fate leads him to Brussels where, full of optimism, he tries to make a better life for himself. Exploited by traffickers, his daily life is slowly drained of hope, until he meets Agnès, a beautiful and brilliant businesswoman. She is seduced by his charm and force of character, while he projects all his hopes and dreams onto her. The illusion quickly shatters, and Agnès breaks all contact with Amadou, who little by little sinks into destructive violence, struggling with his inner demons.
“From its opening frame, it’s obvious The Invader is a different kind of film. For those who have seen it, that shot also suggests why traditional distributors might be hesitant to acquire this film,” said Vyer Films’ founder and CEO, K.C. McLeod. “We may be a streaming service, but we have a high opinion of our audience; we trust they are not going to give up on something complex in the first few minutes, but rather, are going to watch and engage with what they’re seeing. In turn, we want to curate the kind of films that reward this commitment. There is such a rich well of themes present in The Invader, questions of race, immigration, sexual politics, urban disenchantment, and more, and this is coming from a film that premiered alongside Shame at the Venice Film Festival. There is art out there that audiences deserve to see, and for us, The Invader embodies that.”
The Invader’s international film festival travels include stops at the Toronto Film Festival 2011, the Hamburg Film Festival, the AFI Film Festival, and over a dozen more.
It won Ensors for Best Director, Cinematography, Music, Costume Design, and the Film Industry Award at the Flemish Film Awards, the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Director at the Seattle Film Festival, and Best Actor for Issaka Sawadogo at the Ghent Film Festival.
The film was reviewed well during its festival circuit travels, with words like “seductive,” “bold,” “assured” and more used to describe it, as well as praise for its strong performances.
No English-language subtitled trailer to be found, but the images tell some of the story in the trailer embedded below:
