Drafthouse Films announces that Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award-nominee Bullhead will open Friday, February 17 in New York, Los Angeles and Austin in the following theaters and will expand to new markets following its initial limited release.
Bullhead, the feature film debut of writer/director Michael R. Roskam, was acquired by Drafthouse Films following its US premiere at Fantastic Fest, where it won “Best Picture” in the AMD/Dell Next Wave Competition, which highlights first-time feature filmmakers.
Bullhead, an underdog pick for Best Foreign Language Film, surprised everyone with its Academy Award nomination. Its journey to the coveted nomination began as an unexpected submission for the category from its home country Belgium, earning its deserved accolades by being a bold, original story. Bullhead is just the second film released by Drafthouse Films, following the critically acclaimed FOUR LIONS, and it marks the first Academy Award nomination for the young distributor.
Bullhead has gathered international acclaim, winning 25 awards to date including the “Best Actor” prize at Palm Springs IFF 2012, going to Matthias Schoenaerts, who packed on 60 pounds of muscle for the role and was honored for his “superb portrayal of an innocent and sensitive man trapped in a truculent body.” Schoenaerts is next scheduled to headline RUST AND BONE with Marion Cottilard from director Jacques Audiard (A PROPHET).
The film also won the “New Auteurs Audience Award” and “New Auteurs Critic's Prize For Best Actor” at 2011 AFI festival and Roskam was named one of Variety's “10 Directors to Watch.”
Michael R. Roskamʼs Bullhead is an emotionally driven tale of revenge, redemption and fate set against the backdrop of the Belgian bovine hormone mafia. It is an exciting tragedy about fate, lost innocence and friendship, about crime and punishment, but also about conflicting desires and the irreversibility of a man's destiny. Domineering cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts in a ferocious breakout performance), constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, initiates a shady deal with a notorious mafioso meat trader. When an investigating federal agent is assassinated and a woman from his traumatic past resurfaces, Jacky must confront his demons and face the far-reaching consequences of his decisions.
Bullhead is distributed domestically by Drafthouse Films.
International Trailer:
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