Kino Lorber Opens Yuri Ancarani’s THE CHALLENGE Opens September 8, 2017

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Kino Lorber is proud to announce the New York theatrical premiere of Yuri Ancarani’s award-winning documentary THE CHALLENGE, now set to open Friday, September 8, 2017, at Film Society of Lincoln Center with a national expansion to follow.


 
After a world premiere at last year’s Locarno Film Festival, THE CHALLENGE went on to play at New Directors / New Films 2017, SXSW, Sarasota, and Edinburgh film festivals, to name a few. It is set to expand to major theatrical markets during the fall, before a VOD and physical media release in mid 2018.

Focused on the world of wealthy Qatari sheikhs with a passion for amateur falconry, THE CHALLENGE combines cinematic beauty with rare access and trailblazing form. Here, the opulence of Qatar is on full display, as the men race SUVs up and down sand dunes, fly their prized falcons around on private jets, and take their pet cheetahs out for desert spins in their souped-up Ferraris.


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The result is jaw-dropping film, not only for its displays of wealth, but for the original, cinematic approach that won Ancarani the Filmmaker of the Present award at the 2016 Locarno Film Festival.

THE CHALLENGE runs 70 minutes and is filmed in color, showcasing the magnificent golden desert sands of Qatar, life of the ultra wealthy, and the bling uber oil wealth considers common.


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The New York Times has called THE CHALLENGE "Ravishing." See full quote below.
 
"There’s an exquisite visual luxury at play in this loose trip across the Arabian gulf to a falconry competition in Qatar."
– Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily

"Ravishing ...
Despite all the feathery swooping and gunning motors, the flashing gold and pounding sun, these immaculately framed, balanced and photographed images have a tableaulike quality, characterized by a stillness (perhaps cultural or situational) that suggests a memento mori."
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times