Indie Film Release Guide: January 22nd [An ONTD Original]

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If you like foreign films, then boy, is this your week! Most of this week’s releases are in a language other than English, and several are International Feature Film submissions for the 2021 Oscars. This week is a little light on new releases from streaming services, but January is typically a slow new release month, so that’s not terribly unusual.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. All films listed will be available at their respective sources on Friday unless otherwise noted. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: January 15th, January 8th, and January 1st.

In & of Itself

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Stars: Derek DelGaudio
Writer: Derek DelGaudio
Director: Frank Oz
Genre: Theater, Live Performance
Plot: Storyteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature of identity and answer the deceptively simple question 'Who am I?'
What you should know: Won the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award at SXSW 2020.
Where to stream: Hulu



You Will Die at 20

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Stars: Islam Mubarak, Mustafa Shehata, Moatasem Rashed, Bonna Khalid
Writer: Amjad Abu Alala, Yousef Ibrahim
Director: Amjad Abu Alala
Genre: Drama
Plot: Shortly after Muzamil was born, the village's holy man predicts that he will die at age 20. Muzamil's father can't stand the curse and leaves home. Sakina raises her son as a single mother, overly protective. One day, Muzamil turns 19.
What you should know: This is Sudan’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2021 Academy Awards; it’s in Arabic.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Identifying Features

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Stars: Mercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela, Ana Laura Rodríguez
Writer: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez
Director: Fernanda Valadez
Genre: Drama
Plot: A mother travels across Mexico in search for her son who authorities say died while trying to cross the border into the United States.
What you should know: It’s in Spanish.
Where to watch: In theaters and virtual cinemas

The White Tiger

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Stars: Adarsh Gourav. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao, Mahesh Manjrekar
Writer: Ramin Bahrani, based on the book by Aravind Adiga
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Genre: Crime, Drama
Plot: The ambitious driver of a rich Indian couple uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur.
What you should know: This is one of ARRAY’s many releases via Netflix over the past year.
Where to stream: Netflix

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

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Stars: Natasa Stork, Viktor Bodó, Benett Vilmányi, Zsolt Nagy
Writer/Director: Lili Horvát
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: Márta, a 40-year-old neurosurgeon, falls in love. She leaves her shining American career behind and returns to Budapest to start a new life with the man. But the love of her life claims that they have never met before.
What you should know: The official submission of Hungary for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021; it’s in Hungarian and English.
Where to watch: In theaters, and via virtual cinemas

Spoor

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Stars: Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Jakub Gierszal, Patricia Volny
Writer: Olga Tokarczuk, Agnieszka Holland
Director: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Plot: Retired civil engineer Duszejko lives a secluded life in a mountain village close to the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. One day her beloved dogs disappear. On a snowy winter’s night shortly afterwards she discovers the dead body of her neighbour and, next to it, deer tracks. Has someone been provoked to pursue a bloody vendetta?
What you should know: This was initially released in 2017, but didn’t have an American distributor until now. It’s in Polish and English.
Where to stream: Available VOD

Notturno

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Writer/Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Shot over the past three years along the borders of Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria, and Lebanon, a region where tyranny, invasions and terrorism have fed off each other in a vicious circle, to the detriment of the civilian populations. All around signs of violence and destruction: but in the foreground is the humanity that reawakens every day from a nocturne that seems infinite.
What you should know: Official submission of Italy for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021; it’s in Arabic and Kurdish.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Atlantis

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Stars: Andriy Rymaruk, Liudmyla Bileka, Vasyl Antoniak , Lily Hyde
Writer/Director: Valentyn Vasyanovych
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Plot: A soldier suffering from PTSD befriends a young volunteer hoping to restore peaceful energy to a war-torn society.
What you should know: Official submission of Ukraine for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021. It’s in Ukranian and English.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Psycho Goreman

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Stars: Matthew Ninaber, Kristen MacCulloch, Rick Amsbury, Adam Brooks
Writer/Director: Steven Kostanski
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Plot: After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.
What you should know: Writer and director Steven Kostanski most recently directed on the upcoming Day of the Dead series.
Where to stream: Available VOD

The Salt of Tears

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Stars: Logann Antuofermo, Oulaya Amamra, André Wilms, Louise Chevillotte
Writer: Jean-Claude Carrière, Philippe Garrel, Arlette Langmann
Director: Philippe Garrel
Genre: Drama
Plot: A provincial youngster who travels up to Paris to sit an entrance exam for a "grande école". His path crosses that of a young woman and they strike up a short-lived relationship.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

New to Digital

Our Friend (Trailer)
News of the World (Trailer)
No Man's Land (Trailer)

New to Streaming

So My Grandma’s a Lesbian! (Trailer) on Netflix
Don’t Let Go (Trailer) on HBO
Terra Willy (Trailer) on Hulu

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?