Kino Lorber picks up 'The Challenge'

Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani’s documentary focused on a group of super-wealthy, Qatari sheikhs who moonlight as amateur falconers.

The Challenge offers a rare window into a group of ultra-privileged men who spare no expense in the pursuit of their idiosyncratic wishes.

The film will screen in New York on September 8, followed by a nationwide roll-out in the autumn. VOD and home video releases are scheduled for 2018.

“Yuri Ancarani is the type of visionary and ambitious filmmaker that we love to introduce to American audiences,” Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber said. “And his feature debut The Challenge is an unforgettable cinematic experience that’s going to both charm and astound audiences everywhere.”

“We are excited to work with Kino Lorber on the North American release of The Challenge,” Slingshot Films’ Manuela Buono said. “We always admired the company that distributed Fire At Sea and Le Quattro Volte in the US, and we think that Yuri Ancarani’s visionary work fits perfectly in this line-up.”

Lorber and Buono negotiated the deal.

Kino Lorber’s upcoming theatrical releases include Stephane Brizé’s A Woman’s Life, and Lav Diaz’s The Woman Who Left.