Press Release - Zeitgeist Films

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
247 centre street floor 2 nyc ny 10013
p 212.274.1989 x14 • f 212.274.1644 • http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/DVDpressroom
For home media requests contact Shannon Attaway at [email protected]
CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG IN THE OUTBACK:
ZEITGEIST BOWS STUNNING FAMILY DRAMA
“THE TREE” ON DVD NOV 15TH
New York (October 5, 2011) — Zeitgeist Films is proud to announce the DVD release of THE TREE.
Featured as the prestigious Closing Night Film of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, this emotionally rich
family drama stars the luminous indie sensation Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist, Iʼm Not There, 21
Grams, Melancholia) and up-and-coming New Zealand actor Marton Csokas, who is currently costarring with Helen Mirren in the action thriller The Debt.
A mystical tale of loss and rebirth in the Australian countryside, THE TREE is Julie Bertuccelliʼs
achingly beautiful follow-up to her sleeper hit Since Otar Left. Not since classic 1970s works Picnic at
Hanging Rock and Walkabout has the harshly gorgeous outback landscape been such a lyrical yet
foreboding metaphor for grief and coming of age.
Blindsided with anguish after her husbandʼs sudden death, Dawn (Gainsbourg)—along with her four
young children—struggles to make sense of life without him. Then, eight-year-old Simone
(unforgettable newcomer Morgana Davies) becomes convinced that her father is whispering to her
through the leaves of the gargantuan fig tree that towers over their house.
* * *
Zeitgeistʼs DVD edition of THE TREE is available in the U.S. only with an SRP of $29.95. Special
features include a new HD transfer, enhanced for widescreen viewing. Extras: “In the Shadow of The
Tree, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary; nine deleted scenes; the U.S. theatrical trailer; and
English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired.
The Tree streets November 15, 2011, day and date with iTunes and Netflix Instant.
Film/DVD info: 2011 • 100 mins • Australia/France • Color • In English • 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio
• Not Rated • Cat no. Z1138 • UPC 795975113830
Celebrating more than 20 years as one of Americaʼs preeminent independent distributors, New York-based Zeitgeist Films has built an
impressively diverse catalogue of foreign, documentary and arthouse titles by such renowned directors as Todd Haynes, Jan Svankmajer,
Peter Greenaway, Abbas Kiarostami, Guy Maddin, Kirby Dick, Atom Egoyan, Agnès Varda, François Ozon, Derek Jarman, Yvonne Rainer,
Olivier Assayas, Philippe Garrel, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Carlos Saura and the Quay Brothers. Recent releases include: Vision – From the Life of
Hildegard von Bingen, directed by New German Cinema legend Margarethe von Trotta and starring Barbara Sukowa (Berlin Alexanderplatz);
Bill Cunningham New York, a delicious documentary romp through the world of the eponymous legendary NY Times style photog; The Tree,
an Australian family drama starring Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist) and directed by French filmmaker Julie Bertuccelli (Since Otar Left),
coming this summer. In August 2010, Zeitgeist also became the exclusive home media distributor of KimStim, an eclectic Brooklyn-based
arthouse label with a library of 50+ films from groundbreaking directors including Alain Resnais, Raul Ruiz, André Techiné, Chantal Akerman,
François Ozon, Laurent Cantet, Seijun Suzuki, Jafar Panahi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami and Otar Iosseliani.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
247 centre street floor 2 nyc ny 10013
p 212.274.1989 x14 • f 212.274.1644 • http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/DVDpressroom
For home media requests contact Shannon Attaway at [email protected]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR “THE TREE”
“GORGEOUS! On the edge of the outback, the environment is so luminous that every outdoor shot has
an aura of magical realism.” —Stephen Holden, The New York Times (Criticsʼ Pick)
“CAPTIVATING! Caroline Bottaroʼs tangy comic bonbon…is a lighthearted, grown-up fairy tale.”
—Stephen Holden, The New York Times (Criticsʼ Pick)
“A LYRICAL STORY OF LOSS AND LONGING. Charlotte Gainsbourg brings aching melancholy to the
role of Dawn.” —Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
“GRACEFUL PERFORMANCES! The talented ensemble cast...give full flesh to their characters,
breathing life—and nuance—into their parts.” —Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post
“GAINSBOURG USES HER ELEGANT, ANGULAR BEAUTY to move Dawn from lost to searching to
accepting, never once making a false move.” —Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
“IT'S ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF 2011, a rare family story that justifies every ounce of its warmth
and sincerity, and demonstrates once again the earthy vitality of actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.”
—Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
“GLORY BE TO GAINSBOURG!” —Elina Mishuris, The L Magazine (New York)
“4 STARS! Sometimes a 'small' film eclipses a big one that wins the limelight. As a life statement, The
Tree of Life implodes from its cosmic Texan gas. Far more modestly, The Tree sends out shoots of
life….” —David Elliott, San Diego Reader
“IT'S EXTREMELY TOUCHING AND HEART-FELT. It's a tender family drama you won't soon forget.”
—Jeffrey Lyons, Lyons Den Radio
“BEAUTIFULLY MADE, BEAUTIFULLY ACTED.” —David Stratton, At The Movies
“DAVIES IS AN EAGER TOWHEAD WITH AN ASTOUNDING CAPACITY TO BROOD…. Thereʼs a
wonder in both the character and the performance that meets up nicely with girls her age in movies
such as The Spirit of the Beehive, The Piano, and Panʼs Labyrinth.” —Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
“EXQUISITELY COMPOSED! SO INVOLVING.” —Laura Kern, Film Comment