Criterion Signs IFC Deal; 10 Titles on Tap, So Far

A trio of recent IFC Films releases, including Arnaud Desplechin’s “A Christmas Tale,” Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorrah,” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Che,” are the first titles coming to DVD via a company deal with Criterion.

The first three films are due later this year with seven more already on tap for the partnership.

Special editions of Alfonso Cuaron’s “Y Tu Mama Tambien” and Christopher Nolan’s first feature, “Following,” are in the works, while a number of films will hit Criterion next year.

Titles on tap for 2010 will include a handful of recent IFC releases: Jan Troell’s “Everlasting Moments,” Olivier Assayas’ “Summer Hours,” Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s “Still Walking,” and Abdellatif Kechiche’s “The Secret of the Grain.”

Criterion will release select IFC films on an ongoing basis, in special edition formats, on both DVD and Blu-ray, the companies said tonight. “A Christmas Tale” is coming November 10th and “Gomorrah” on November 24th, while “Che” will also be released this year.

“IFC Films has been on an incredible roll, hunting down daring international films and spotting filmmakers whose work will stand the test of time,” said Criterion’s Peter Becker, in a statement, “Criterion has always presented a mix of international classics and director-approved editions of important contemporary films, so this new slate of releases fits our mission perfectly. These films are future classics, and we’re very excited about the opportunity to work with the filmmakers to present them in great editions right from the start.”

IFC and Criterion last worked together on a DVD release of Alfonso Cuaron’s early feature, “Solo Con Tu Pareja.”