Kino Lorber announced today that it has acquired all U.S. rights to legendary director Alain Resnais' (
Last Year at Marienbad) final film,
The Life of Riley a.k.a.
Aimer, boire et chanter (2014), starring Sabine Azéma, Hippolyte Girardot, Caroline Sihol, Sandrine Kiberlain, and André Dussollier.
Kino Lorber expects to premiere the film late summer or early fall at a major U.S. festival and open it theatrically shortly after in NYC followed later in the fall with a national theatrical run in over 30 major American cities. In winter of 2015, the film will also be released on all digital platforms and on home video including a special Blu-ray Collectors Edition.
Last year, Kino Lorber nationally released Resnais' prior film You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet to major critical acclaim and audience appreciation, with that work of a then 90-year-old filmmaker turning up on many of the year's 10 best lists of major U.S. critics.
Richard Lorber, CEO of Kino Lorber, who negotiated the deal with Le Pacte's head of sales, Camille Neel, commented: "Though we were deeply saddened by the sudden death of the great Alain Resnais, Kino Lorber is greatly honored to be able to bring to U.S. audiences his delightful and ebullient final work...as fresh in vision and ideas as the best work of his youth...this Life of Riley, whether we call it that, or something closer to its French title, truly leaves us with deep affection, a glass raised and a cherished melody...we will love, drink and sing to his memory with our planned release of Aimer, Boire et Chanter..."
Camille Neel, of Le Pacte added: "It's wonderful to be working with a leading art house label such as Kino Lorber. We know they revere M. Resnais and will work effectively to connect his final film with appreciative American audiences, as they've done before with other key works of world cinema."