MAY 2011

MAY PRESS ROOM BULLETIN

Welcome to your May Press Room Bulletin! In this Autumnal month we have an abundance of films, television shows and documentaries sure to keep you and your readers entertained, informed and engaged through the chillier weather.

Whether your interests lie in touching dramas starring Kristin Scott Thomas (SARAH’S KEY), real-life rags to riches stories (DESERT FLOWER), esoteric horror stories about killer tires (RUBBER) or kitschy-cute classic comedies from the 60s (WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?) then our films will surely satisfy. But if you prefer your drama and comedy in short-form, Madman’s television offerings include the latest series of award-winning SBS crime drama (EAST WEST 101 SERIES 3), journeys with the lovely Joanna Lumley (JOANNA LUMLEY’S NILE) and investigations with the irrepressible Stephen Fry (STEPHEN FRY AND THE GUTENBERG PRESS). There’s so much happening – just see for yourself… 

SARAH’S KEY

When journalist Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas) is commissioned to write an article about the notorious 1942 Vel d’Hiv roundup, she stumbles on an appalling family secret – the apartment she and her French husband plan to move into was once occupied by the Jewish Starzynski family, who were sent to the camps in the roundup. Horrified, Julia becomes embroiled in investigating the family’s fate, and especially that of their daughter Sarah, who she is sure escaped from the camps. As Julia’s investigations reveal more and more shocking secrets, her obsession with discovering the truth also threatens to tear her family apart.

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

DESERT FLOWER

Based on her best-selling autobiography, DESERT FLOWER follows the life of supermodel Waris Dirie. Raised a nomad in Somalia, Waris flees her clan when she is betrothed to an elder at 13. Finding herself an illegal immigrant in London, Waris finds work in a takeaway until she is discovered by an international photographer, which catapults her to global fame and fortune. But she harbours a dark and painful secret… 

Starring the exquisitely beautiful supermodel Liya Kebede in her very first starring role along with a terrific cast of British stars including Sally Hawkins (HAPPY-GO-LUCKY), Timothy Spall (HARRY POTTER) and Juliet Stevenson (BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM), DESERT FLOWER is a touching story about the triumph of the human spirit.

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

RUBBER

RUBBER is the story of Robert, an inanimate tire who suddenly and inexplicably springs to life after being abandoned in the desert. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes. Leaving a swathe of destruction across the desert landscape, Robert becomes a chaotic force to be reckoned with, and truly, a quirky movie villain for the ages! 

RUBBER marks the directorial debut by Quentin Dupieux – AKA eclectic French DJ, Mr. Oizo – also the co-creator of Flat Eric, the Muppet star of Oizo’s 1999 Flat Beat film clip and numerous ad campaigns for Levis in the U.K.

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

TWO IN THE WAVE

Jean-Luc Godard was born in 1930; François Truffaut, in 1932. They watched the same films, wrote for the same magazines, and when Truffaut stormed the international cinema scene at Cannes in 1959, he helped his pal move into filmmaking. The pair become the ‘enfants terribles’ of the film world, influencing generations around the globe, until the events of 1968 drove a wedge between them politically. TWO IN THE WAVE is the definitive story of one of the most important movements in cinema’s history – the French New Wave.

Release Date: 18th May, 2011

WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER?

Directors Suite gets a dose of good ol’ kitschy-cute comedy with the release of WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER and MR HOBBS TAKES A VACATION! With a combined cast of some of Hollywood’s greatest stars (including Jayne Mansfield, Tony Randall and James Stewart), these two comedy capers are sure to put a smile on your dial! 

Starring sex-pot Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall, WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER is a kooky and colourful comedy treat! Rock Hunter is an advertising copywriter whose job is on the line. By chance he comes across perky starlet Rita and persuades her to be the face of Stay Put Lipstick. She agrees and not only is the campaign a massive success, the papers declare the pair a couple – much to the annoyance of Rock’s girlfriend!

Release Date: 18th May, 2011

EAST WEST 101 – SERIES 3

OFFSPRING heart-throb Don Hany and the inimitable Susie Porter return in the action-packed third season of this award-winning SBS crime drama. Zane Malik (Hany)is a key detective in Sydney’s Major Crime Squad, led by female boss, Patricia Wright (Porter). Along with newcomer Detective Neil Travis, when the unit begins to investigate a sophisticated robbery executed by military trained men, it raises the question – is this just a random criminal act, or is there something more sinister involved? As the crime unfolds, the investigation becomes increasingly more personal for Malik.

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

JOANNA LUMLEY’S NILE

In this spirited documentary, the hilarious Joanna Lumley embarks on the trip of a lifetime by following the River Nile down its 4000 mile length from sea to source. On her journey, Joanna revisits the romantic history of the world’s longest river, talking with the people who work and live along its banks today. As she travels past pyramids and towards ancient temples, through deserts, jungles and war-torn landscapes, Joanna’s charm, enthusiasm and strength carries us along with her. 

JOANNA LUMLEY’S NILE is but one of several fascinating new documentaries to DVD this month! In JOANNA LUMLEY: CAT WOMAN our humourous heroine explores man’s fascination with felines, seeking to find out why cats conjure such different responses in different cultures. And in VICTORIA’S EMPIRE, U.K. actress Victoria Wood takes us on an epic tour of the globe to every state, city and locale that was given her namesake under the old British Empire. From India to Bendigo, Jamaica to New Zealand – Victoria follows the decayed map of the old empire, surveying the impact of the British abroad.

Release Date: 18th May, 2011

LANDSCAPE MAN

From the creator of smash-hit GRAND DESIGNS comes LANDSCAPE MAN, which follows remarkably artistic people creating breathtaking landscape gardens. Amateur but enthusiastic, these novice gardeners are unafraid to tackle nature on an epic scale as they spend a year molding their land into the most beautiful backyard imaginable. Helping them out is renowned gardening expert Mathew Wilson, who combines his wealth of knowledge with a no-nonsense attitude to help the owners achieve their dreams.

Release Date: 18th May, 2011

STEPHEN FRY AND THE GUTENBERG PRESS

The printing press was the world’s first piece of mass-production technology. Its invention in the 1450s changed the world as dramatically as the splitting of the atom or the ability to send human beings into space, igniting a cultural revolution which shaped the modern age. To learn the processes and challenges of the printing press, the indefatigable Stephen Fry commissions a modern day craftsman to build a working replica of the original machine and investigates its inventor, Johann Gutenberg.

Release Date: 18th May, 2011

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: THE DEVIL’S BIBLE

Weighing in at nearly 75 kilograms, the Codex Gigas is the world’s largest medieval manuscript. Filled with exorcism spells and a large image of Satan himself, according to legend, the bible sprang from a doomed monk’s pact with the devil. Now, National Geographic follows a team of scientists as they embark on an unprecedented quest to unravel the secrets behind the book’s darkened pages and mysterious authorship. Using ultra-violet fluorescence imaging, handwriting analysis and a re-creation of the text, forensic document experts attempt to uncover the cryptic truth behind this ancient Devil’s Bible.

Also includes the bonus feature, THE WITCH HUNTER’S BIBLE.

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

ELMO’S WORLD: PENGUINS AND FRIENDS

Learn all about penguins, frogs and horses with three Elmo’s World episodes full of animal antics. Do you like horses, yay or neigh? Elmo does and he hears straight from a horse’s mouth what it is like to be a horse! Elmo also finds out fun and fascinating facts about frogs, like how they grow and what they eat. And chill out with Elmo and a bunch of penguins! It’s animal fun for everyone!

Release Date: 4th May, 2011

STRIKE WITCHES (SEASON 1)

The year is 1944 and the world lives in fear of unidentified flying objects called Neuroi. With the old-boy guard unable to thwart this deadly menace, humanity turns its desperate eyes to an aerial attack force with much nicer legs… Meet the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, better known as the Strike Witches! These darlings of the great blue yonder may not have standard issue uniforms, but they do have all the right stuff. Where the average flyboy falters, these dolls blast aliens to bits in the bat of an eyelash. With a little magic and a whole lot of leg, the girls of the 501st are winning the war on pants, and aliens!

Release Date: 18th May, 2011