The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani’s acclaimed documentary focused on a group of super-wealthy, Qatari sheikhs who moonlight as amateur falconers, will be released in the US by Kino Lorber. The film is scheduled for an exclusive New York engagement at September 8, 2017, before expanding nationwide during the fall. A VOD and home media release is scheduled for 2018.
A rigorous and beautifully photographed look at the rituals that define these men’s lives (driving a Ferrari with a pet cheetah being one of them), The Challenge offers a rare window into a group of ultra-privileged men who spare no expense in the pursuit of their own idiosyncratic wishes.
The Challenge premiered last August at the Locarno Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award at the festival’s Cineasti del Presente section. In 2017, the film played at True/False, SXSW and New Directors/New Films in New York – and it is now having its Canadian premiere at HotDocs.
“Yuri Ancarani is the type of visionary and ambitious filmmaker that we love to introduce to American audiences,” wrote Richard Lorber in a prepared statement. “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,” wrote Manuela Buono. “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.”
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