Kino Lorber Unveils January Releases Including Oscar Shortlisted Docs, International Wartime Pictures & More

Kino Lorber has unveiled some of the details of their January 2024 Blu-Ray and DVD releases from their Kino Lorber, Kino Classics, Redemption, Cohen Film Collection, Greenwich Entertainment, Cinephobia Releasing, and Raro Video imprints. Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:

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EVER DEADLY

Street Date: 1/2/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: Throughout her ground-breaking career, Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq has always had an intimate relationship with the Nuna—the Land—a living, breathing organism present in her improvised performances. Hers is a voice that, according to the New York Times, “demands full attention, whether she’s whispering in her softest register or howling at the sky.” Ever Deadly weaves together intimate concert footage of Tagaq alongside moving personal reflections, stunning sequences filmed in Nunavut, and hand-drawn animation by Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona to seamlessly bridge history, landscapes, stories, and songs with pain, anger, and triumph—all through the expressions of one of the most innovative musical performers of our time.

Bonus Features: Trailer

FOUR DAUGHTERS

Street Date: 1/16/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: This riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a complex family history through intimate interviews and performance to examine how the Tunisian woman’s two eldest were radicalized by Islamic extremists. Casting professional actresses as the missing daughters, along with acclaimed Egyptian-Tunisian actress Hend Sabri as Olfa, award-winning director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) restages pivotal moments in the family’s life. These scenes are interwoven with confessions and reflections from Olfa and her younger daughters, offering the women agency to tell their own story and capturing moments of joy, loss, violence, and heartache. Winner of four prizes including L’Oeil d’Or (Best Documentary) when it screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Four Daughters is a compelling portrait of five women and a unique and ambitious work of nonfiction cinema that explores the nature of memory, the weight of inherited trauma, and the ties that bind mothers and daughters.

Bonus Features: Interview with Director Kaouther Ben Hania | Trailer

PLEASE, NOT NOW!

Street Date: 1/2/24

Synopsis: Brigitte Bardot, playful sex kitten of the 1960s French cinema, stars in this madcap romantic comedy, seen through the fetishizing lens of Roger Vadim (Barbarella, …And God Created Woman). When Sophie, a photographer’s model (Bardot), is jilted by her boyfriend (Jacques Riberolles), she becomes convinced she is the victim of a family curse, and takes shotgun in hand to eliminate her romantic rival (Joséphine James). Meanwhile, a young bachelor (Michel Subor) attempts to defuse Sophie’s rage, and win the slightly demented blonde for himself. Borrowing from the commedia all’italiana and nouvelle vague, Please, Not Now! (La bride sur le cou) is a cinematic delight, flavored with clever sight gags, exotic locations, and laced with sexual innuendo.

Bonus Features: Audio commentary by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas | Theatrical trailer

S&M HUNTER BEGINS

Street Date: 1/9/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: The story behind the legend! This is the prequel and origin story behind the cult film S&M Hunter (1986), and tells how an average “salaryman” became the world’s first sadomasochistic superhero! Now for the first time, we learn how the Roper lost his eye and gained a whip! Never before available on DVD – S&M Hunter Begins is a sleaze masterpiece!

Bonus Features: Stills Gallery | Trailer

THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM AND ALBERT R.N.

TWO BRITISH WARTIME CLASSICS DIRECTED BY LEWIS GILBERT

Street Date: 1/23/24

Synopsis: Two gripping and suspenseful WWII dramas directed by Lewis Gilbert (ALFIE, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME)! In THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM, Lewis Gilbert’s memorable and gripping WWII saga, four Allied men struggle to survive in a lifeboat on the North Sea after their plane is shot down. One of the men carries secret documents that can save London from Nazi destruction. In a daring race against time, will their rescuers save them before Nazi U-boats, stormy seas, exposure, and enemy-mined waters kill them?
In this World War II drama based on true events, a group of British POWs suspects that there is a German spy in its midst after several escape attempts are foiled. Deftly directed by Lewis Gilbert and supported by Jack Asher’s moody cinematography, ALBERT R.N. stands beside paragons of the genre such as STALAG 17 and THE GREAT ESCAPE.

LOADED GUNS

Street Date: 1/30/24

Synopsis: Action movie maestro Fernando Di Leo (Caliber 9) directs another wildly entertaining crime film with Loaded Guns (Colpo in canna), starring the incomparable Ursula Andress (Dr. No, Casino Royale). Andress plays Nora, a stewardess who finds herself in the center of a gang war in Naples. If anyone can undermine an ancient mob blood feud and come out on top, it’s the effortlessly clever, sexy and downright devious Nora, played with verve by the stunning Andress. More of an action-comedy than the gritty cop films Di Leo was known for, Loaded Guns shows that Di Leo was more than a one-trick pony.

Bonus Features: Alternate English Audio Track | Audio Commentary by film historian Rachael Nisbet | Fernando Di Leo: Parody of a Genre

FIREWORKS

Street Date: 1/16/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: 1982, in the heat of a Sicilian summer, two teenage boys, Gianni and Nino, meet and fall in love. The relationship soon becomes a topic of gossip in the small town and despite their families’ objections the two dream of living together, something the community is determined to stop.

PIANOFORTE

Street Date: 1/9/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: The world’s most talented young pianists compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. A rare behind the scenes look at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, Pianoforte is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.

Bonus Features: Trailers

SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD

Street Date: 1/23/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: Women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences inside an Estonian smoke sauna. Cleansing their bodies and baring their souls, they embrace the healing power of sisterhood. Anna Hints’ Sundance-winning documentary celebrates the centuries-old smoke sauna tradition, recognized on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.