Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights to Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada, starring Richard Gere in his first collaboration with Schrader since American Gigolo. The film premiered in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and will continue to screen on the festival circuit at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival this fall. Kino Lorber is planning an awards season theatrical release this December, followed by a home video, educational, and digital release on all major platforms.
Oh, Canada is written and directed by Paul Schrader and based on the novel Foregone by the late Russell Banks, whose novel Affliction provided the source material for Schrader’s 1997 film of the same title. Oh, Canada stars Richard Gere in one of the finest performances of his career as documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife, who sits down for a final interview to reveal the unvarnished facts of his life, reflecting on his relationships, regrets, and mortality. The film co-stars Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, and Michael Imperioli.
Fiery but feeling his years and his illness, ailing filmmaker Leonard Fife (Gere) wants to tell his life story, unfiltered, before it’s too late. As the director of lauded documentary exposés, he has much to be proud of, but his avoidance of the Vietnam War draft and his past relationships harbor thorny truths. Finally choosing to reveal the truth and lies in his life and career, Leonard sits for an extended filmed interview with his former student Malcolm (Michael Imperioli), charging ahead with candid stories about his younger self (Jacob Elordi) in the fractious 1960s and beyond. At Leonard’s insistence, his wife and indispensable partner, Emma (Uma Thurman), hears it all. Leonard’s successes are held up against his failings—the fibs held up against the facts—and as the man in full is cleansed of the myth, Leonard must confront what is left.
The deal for Oh, Canada was negotiated by Kino Lorber Head of Theatrical Acquisitions and Distribution Lisa Schwartz and David Gonzales and WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
“Oh, Canada is a stunning artistic achievement by the great Paul Schrader, a poignant, formally daring rumination on aging, memory, and mortality anchored by a commanding performance from Richard Gere,” said Kino Lorber’s Lisa Schwartz. “Schrader and Gere are true icons of American cinema, and we couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to bring their reunion to audiences across North America.”
“I’ve been tracking Kino Lorber’s films for years, and I’m happy to become part of the family,” said Schrader.
Oh, Canada is an Arclight Films International presentation of a Northern Lights, Vested Interest, Ottocento, Left Home Prods. production, in association with Exemplary Films, Carte Blanche Entertainment, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Sipur Studios. The film is produced by David Gonzales, Tiffany Boyle, Luisa Law, Meghan Hanlon, and Scott Lastaiti.
About Paul Schrader
Screenwriter and director Paul Schrader was born on July 22, 1946, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He earned his B.A. from Calvin College, then his M.A. from UCLA, while working as a film critic and writing Transcendental Style in Film. He attended the inaugural class at AFI. He has written or directed over thirty films, including four collaborations with Martin Scorsese. The first, Taxi Driver, won the Palme D’Or at Cannes Film Festival. In 1978, he directed his first film, Blue Collar. Schrader’s catalog of film includes American Gigolo, Cat People, Mishima and Affliction. In 2019, Schrader was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for First Reformed, which he also directed. Following First Reformed, Schrader wrote and directed The Card Counter and Master Gardener. Schrader’s latest film, Oh, Canada, based on the novel Foregone by Russell Banks, premiered in competition at Cannes this year.
About Kino Lorber
With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber has been a leader in independent art house distribution for over 45 years, releasing 35 films per year theatrically and garnering 12 Academy Award® nominations in the past 20 years, including 2024 Best Documentary Feature nominee Four Daughters. Most recently, the company has expanded its own direct digital platforms through the acquisition of leading international series streamers MHz Choice and Topic and the launch of Kino Film Collection, a subscription service for film lovers showcasing new releases direct from theaters plus curated international, indie, and documentary films and newly restored classics from the Kino Lorber library. Additionally, the company brings hundreds of titles annually to the home entertainment and educational markets through digital and physical media releases.
The Nerds Templar 