Kino Lorber Unveils July Releases Including International Television, Acclaimed Documentaries, & More

Kino Lorber has unveiled some of the details of their July 2024 Blu-Ray and DVD releases from their Milestone Cinematheque, Zeitgeist Films, MHz Choice, Cohen Media Group, Redemption, and Greenwich Entertainment imprints. Get all the details on this incredibly packed lineup below:

BLESS THEIR LITTLE HEARTS

Street Date: 7/23/24

Synopsis: A key masterpiece of the L.A. Rebellion, Bless Their Little Hearts distills the social concerns and aesthetics of that trailblazing movement in African American cinema. Searching for steady work, Charlie Banks (Nate Hardman) views his chronic unemployment as a kind of spiritual trial. But selling a few catfish can’t sustain a family of five while his wife, Andais (Kaycee Moore), works to support them with dignity. Unable to face his own failures, Charlie finds solace in an affair that threatens his marriage, children, and everything he holds dear. Bless Their Little Hearts showcases director Billy Woodberry’s attentive eye and sensitivity to real-life issues, making for an agonizingly beautiful film that ranks as “one of the great domestic cataclysms of modern movies” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker). Film restoration by Ross Lipman with Billy Woodberry at UCLA Film & Television Archive. 2K Digital restoration by Re-Kino, Warsaw.

Bonus Features: Audio commentary by film scholar Ed Guererro | The Pocketbook (1980, Billy Woodberry’s first film) | Workshop with Billy Woodberry (courtesy of Indiana University Black Film Center/Archive) | Billy and Charles: Ross Lipman’s interview | Interview with Ed Guererro | Bless Their Little Hearts behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Billy Woodberry | Booklet with essays by filmmaker Allison Anders and Cornell University professor Samantha N. Sheppard.

TAKING VENICE

Street Date: 7/16/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. government is determined to fight Communism with culture. The Venice Biennale, the world’s most influential art exhibition, becomes a proving ground in 1964. Alice Denney, Washington insider and friend of the Kennedys, recommends Alan Solomon, an ambitious curator making waves with trailblazing art, to organize the U.S. entry. Together with Leo Castelli, a powerful New York art dealer, they embark on a daring plan to make Robert Rauschenberg the winner of the Grand Prize. The artist is yet to be taken seriously with his combinations of junk off the street and images from pop culture, but he has the potential to dazzle. Deftly pulling off maneuvers that could have come from a Hollywood thriller, the American team leaves the international press crying foul and Rauschenberg questioning the politics of nationalism that sent him there.

Bonus Features: Theatrical Trailer

UNIT ONE: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Street Date: 7/30/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: Winner of the 2002 international Emmy award for best drama and inspired by actual police cases, the Danish TV crime drama Unit One reveals an unvarnished perspective on criminal casework and the people who spend their lives doing it. Charlotte Fich (The Killing, Wallander Season 1) stars as the ambitious detective Ingrid Dahl who’s been promoted to lead Unit One, the elite mobile task force created to support law enforcement across Denmark. Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Casino Royale) plays Detective Alan Fisher, the bad boy of the team whose disregard for rules and hot temper often lead to trouble for him and the team. The cerebral and intuitive Thomas Lacour, played by Lars Brygmann (The Spider, Borgen), has the uncanny ability to visualize what really happened at crime scenes and veteran detective IP Sørenson is the glue that holds the team together. Johnny Olson, the former Danish national soccer star, drives Unit One’s mobile HQ and has struck up a relationship with logistics specialist Gabby Levin. As a group they tackle cases involving murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, and extortion. The job challenges everything they know about the criminal mind and takes a heavy toll on their personal lives.

KIDNAPPED: THE ABDUCTION OF EDGARDO MORTARA

Street Date: 7/2/24

Synopsis: From one of Italy’s most revered directors, Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor), comes Kidnapped, the true story of Edgardo Mortara. Mortara was a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, when in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family by the Pope, to be raised Catholic. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.

Bonus Features: Introduction by director Marco Bellocchio | Interview with director Marco Bellocchio | Theatrical Trailer

UNCLE’S PARADISE

Street Date: 7/9/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: A really bizarre and wonderful pink film in which uncle Takashi unexpectedly visits his nephew Harou who lives a simple life in a fishing village. The problem for Harou is that his uncle has a few personal issues… when he’s asleep he has noisy nightmares and when he’s awake he’s a sex maniac! A wild, campy and comedic adventure featuring giant squid, killer spiders, penis biting snakes, and the king of Hell!

Bonus Features: Stills Gallery | Original Trailer | Salvation Trailer Selection

REVIVAL 69: THE CONCERT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD

Street Date: 7/2/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Little Richard, The Doors, Chuck Berry, Alice Cooper, and other legendary musicians performed at the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival music festival. This behind-the-scenes look at “the second most important event in rock and roll history” culminates in John Lennon’s first public performance with The Plastic Ono Band, triggering his decision to leave the Beatles.

Bonus Features:  Trailers

QUEENDOM

Street Date: 7/30/24 (DVD Only)

Synopsis: In defiance of Russia’s anti-LGTBQ laws, a queer, 21-year-old artist risks her life performing in surreal costumes throughout Moscow. Jenna Marvin’s radical public performances blend artistry and activism in this SXSW documentary.

Bonus Features: Trailers