MUBI, the global distributor, streaming service and production company, has acquired Queer (based on the novel by William S. Burroughs) directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name), following its World Premiere in Competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival and North American premiere at TIFF. MUBI has taken all rights in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Austria, Benelux, Spain, Turkey and India and additionally all rights excluding theatrical in Italy.

This month Queer will have its US Premiere in the Spotlight Gala slot at the New York Film Festival and its UK Premiere as a Special Presentation at the BFI London Film Festival.

MUBI will announce their release plans shortly.

The film stars Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Academy-Award® nominee Lesley Manville, Jason Schwartzman, Henrique Zaga, Omar Apollo, Andra Ursuta, Andres Duprat, Ariel Shulman, Drew Droege, Michael Borremans, David Lowery, Lisandro Alonso and Colin Bates.

Queer is written by Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers), with music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Challengers, The Killer, Bones and All, Mank), cinematography from Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Challengers, Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria), edited by Marco Costa (Challengers, Bones and All) and costume design from J.W. Anderson (Challengers).

1950. William Lee, an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the small American community. His encounter with Eugene Allerton, an expat former soldier, new to the city, shows him, for the first time, that it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.

Queer was produced by Fremantle, Fremantle North America, Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment, a Fremantle Group Company, and Luca Guadagnino for his Frenesy Film Company, in collaboration with Cinecittà and Frame by Frame. Fremantle Group financed the film.

The Veterans brokered the deal with MUBI.

Recent and upcoming MUBI Releases include Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle, Levan Akin’s Crossing, Chris Andrews’ Bring Them Down, Mati Diop’s Dahomey, Kevin Macdonald’s High & Low – John Galliano, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days, Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex, Ira Sachs’ Passages, Pedro Almodovar’s Strange Way of Life, Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun, Lukas Dhont’s Close, Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World and Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman.

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Luca Guadagnino returns to TIFF with this beautiful tale of how desire and love can become addictive and lead to obsession in this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novel of the same name.

Burroughs’ work is known to be unadaptable. So rather than do a straight adaptation, Queer is a film about the man himself. We’re first introduced to Lee (Daniel Craig) in Mexico while searching for men to take to bed. But his repeated flings come to a halt when he meets Allerton (Drew Starkey). He quickly finds himself enamoured by Allerton and wants to always have him by his side.

Queer is a mesmerizing journey through love, addiction, and obsession. These heavy, beautiful themes are executed with precision thanks to Guadagnino’s excellent pacing and steady direction, along with the insurmountable performances from Craig and Starkey. The two have vibrant chemistry and give everything they have to their characters. Craig revels in Lee’s addictive personality that leads to a need to control. And Starkey delivers a star-making performance.

The Film’s hypnotic music by legendary musicians Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and the dreamy Cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is the icing on top of these indelible performances. In the third chapter, Guadagnino brings surrealist imagery to finalize this love affair. This will work for some and not others. But none can deny the beauty of it all.

Queer screens at TIFF ’24:

Mon, Sept 9 at 9:45 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Tues, Sept 10 at 3 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Fri, Sept 13 at 9:15 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sat, Sept 14 at 4 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sun, Sept 15 at 5:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Canada x Mr. Will are thrilled to give Readers a chance to win a copy of CHALLENGERS on Blu-ray!

Description
From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

Specifications:

Run time ‎2 hours and 11 minutes
Media Format : Blu-ray, Subtitled, NTSC
Language ‎Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist
Dubbed: ‎French

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK, MR. WILL ON X or MR. WILL ON INSTAGRAM. Leave a comment whether you are Team Patrick or Team Art! Enter as many times as you wish!

Rules and regulations here.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Canada release CHALLENGERS now in stores!

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Canada)

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Montreal a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of Luca Guadagnino‘s CHALLENGERS!

Screening takes place Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

SYNOPSIS

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, “Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor)—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?

Oscar and BAFTA nominee Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name,” “I Am Love”) directs from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. The film is produced by Amy Pascal, Guadagnino, Zendaya and Rachel O’Connor, with Bernard Bellew serving as executive producer.

Golden Globe winner Zendaya (the “Dune” films, “Euphoria”) stars alongside Golden Globe and SAG Award winner and BAFTA nominee Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) and BAFTA nominee Mike Faist (“West Side Story”).

Guadagnino’s creative team includes such frequent collaborators as director of photography Sayonbhu Mukdeeprom, production designer Merissa Lombardo and editor Marco Costa, as well as costume designer Jonathan Anderson. The film’s score is by Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Soul,” “The Social Network,” “Bones and All”). 

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Presents a Why Are You Acting? / Frenesy Films / Pascal Pictures Production, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” The film opens in theatres April 26, 2024 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK.

Rules and regulations here.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release CHALLENGERS April 26, 2024.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, “Challengers” stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor)—his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?

Oscar and BAFTA nominee Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name,” “I Am Love”) directs from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. The film is produced by Amy Pascal, Guadagnino, Zendaya and Rachel O’Connor, with Bernard Bellew serving as executive producer. Golden Globe winner Zendaya (the “Dune” films, “Euphoria”) stars alongside Golden Globe and SAG Award winner and BAFTA nominee Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) and BAFTA nominee Mike Faist (“West Side Story”). Guadagnino’s creative team includes such frequent collaborators as director of photography Sayonbhu Mukdeeprom, production designer Merissa Lombardo and editor Marco Costa, as well as costume designer Jonathan Anderson. The film’s score is by Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Soul,” “The Social Network,” “Bones and All”). Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Presents a Why Are You Acting? / Frenesy Films / Pascal Pictures Production, Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”

The film opens in theaters April 26, 2024 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist – West Side Story), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor – The Crown) – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release CHALLENGERS September 15, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

The internet is lit afire! See Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell in Luca Guadagnino‘s BONES AND ALL, which is coming out of Venice and New York Film Festival with all the acclaim! Here is a first look at the Canadian Trailer.

Synopsis:

From Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures comes “Bones and All,” a movie about love, directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”), who recently won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2022 Venice Film Festival for the film.

“Bones and All” is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter… as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.

“Bones and All” stars Taylor Russell (“Waves,” “The Heart Still Hums,”), who won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at this year’s Venice Film Festival; Timothée Chalamet (Oscar-nominated for “Call Me by Your Name,” “Dune”); Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me by Your Name,” “The Shape of Water”); André Holland (“Passing,” “Moonlight”); Chloë Sevigny (“We Are Who We Are,” “American Horror Story”); David Gordon Green (“Halloween Ends,” “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”); Jessica Harper (“Suspiria,” “Minority Report”); Jake Horowitz (“Adam Bloom,” “The Vast of Night”); and Mark Rylance (Oscar winner for “Bridge of Spies,” “Wolf Hall”). The screenplay is by David Kajganich (“Suspiria,” “A Bigger Splash”), based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis. It is produced by Luca Guadagnino, Theresa Park, Marco Morabito, David Kajganich, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Lorenzo Mieli, Gabriele Moratti, Peter Spears and Timothée  Chalamet. The executive producers are Giovanni Corrado, Raffaella Viscardi, Moreno Zani, Marco Colombo and Jonathan Montepare.

Guadagnino is joined behind the camera by director of photography Arseni Khatchaturan (“Eyimofe (This Is My Desire),” “The Idol”), production designer Elliot Hostetter (“Beckett,” “Waves”), editor Marco Costa (“We Are Who We Are,” “Suspiria”),  costume designer Giulia Piersanti (“Suspiria,” “Call Me by Your Name”) and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Soul,” “Mank”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release BONES AND ALL November 23, 2022.

(Photo/video credit: MGM)

SUSPIRIA already is one of our favourite Films of 2018. We just know it without having seen it.

Synopsis:
Susie Bannion travels to Markos Dance Academy in Berlin, after which the artistic director, Madame Blanc, becomes fascinated with her dancing skills. After a series of mysterious disappearances among the students, Susie, her new friend Sara, and the elderly psychologist Jozef Klemperer find out the school may harbor dark secrets that could kill them all.

For now we can savour this haunting Trailer for the Horror-Thriller Remake starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson!

Watch it below:

Check-out Thom Yorke‘s (Radiohead) SUSPIRIUM from the Film below:

AMBO Films release Suspiria is in theatres Friday, November 2, 2018 in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. It expands November 9, 2018 in other cities.

(Photo/video credit: Amazon Studios)

Mongrel Media x Mr. Will want to take you to see acclaimed TIFF ’17 selection CALL ME BE YOUR NAME! This was one of our favourites this year. Up for grabs is a Prize Pack which includes a Run-of-Engagement Pass for two to see it and also a copy of the Novel on which it is based, plus a digital download for Director Luca Guadagnino‘s stellar Film, I AM LOVE.

Synopsis:

Teenager Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) is spending the summer of 1983 at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. His days are filled with a variety of cultural activities, including transcribing classical music, reading books, and hanging out with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).

Things change for Elio when a charming American named Oliver (Armie Hammer) arrives to intern for Elio‘s father (Michael Stuhlbarg), who is an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture. Elio develops feelings for Oliver, and is pleased when those feelings are returned.

Based on the Novel by André Aciman.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Canadian Readers only, please.

Mongrel Media release CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Friday, December 15, 2017.

(Photo/video credit: Mongrel Media)

Review by Siobhán Rich for Mr. Will Wong

Coming-of-age stories are hardly anything new. Neither are stories about young men learning to accept their sexuality. What makes Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name unique is its dedication to expressing its young protagonist’s story in a way that is no way exploitative while still being completely honest about the struggles of the 17-year-old.

Elio (Timothée Chalamet) lives “somewhere in Northern Italy” with his parents (Amira Casar and Michael Stuhlbarg, whose emotional Third Act soliloquy is a highlight of the Film). Every year the Perlmans invite an American university student to study with them for the summer. This year’s guest, Oliver (Armie Hammer), has caught the attention of all the girls in the village. Stuck on the sidelines, Elio isn’t sure if he’s jealous of Oliver or the girls. As the summer draws to a close, Elio makes the first move and changes the power dynamic in his relationship with Oliver leaving both emotionally vulnerable.

Standing as a servant to the Film but never overtaking the action, the music, highlighted with original songs by Sufjan Stevens, is nothing short of perfection. Perhaps the least well known of the cast, Chalamet’s performance is astonishing even in scenes where Guadagnino’s imagery leans toward becoming too heavy-handed. Call Me By Your Name is an absolute must-see during the Festival.

Mongrel Media will screen Call Me By Your Name at TIFF ’17 at the following times:

Thursday, September 7 7:15 p.m. Ryerson Theatre
Friday, September 8 9:30 a.m. TIFF Bell Lightbox