Formerly known as Freaks Out is the latest WWII fantasy action adventure Freaks VS. The Reich, from director Gabriele Mainetti (They Call Me Jeeg). VMI Releasing will release the film theatrically in six markets (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Orlando) and via VOD & Digital platforms on April 28.
The film, which Mainetti wrote with Nicola Gualianone, stars Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto, Giancarlo Martini, Giorgio Tirabassi, Max Mazzotta, Franz Rogowski, Sebastian Hülk, and Anna Tenta. The film took off into the festival scene in late 2021 before its Italian release that October, and subsequent releases in other European territories and festival screenings, earning as many as nominated for 16 David di Donatello Award nominations and winning 6, including Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography among its numerous accolades.
The official trailer is now here for Freaks VS. The Reich along with a clip, both which you can check out beneath the following announcement.
FOUR SUPERNATURALLY GIFTED CIRCUS PERFORMERS BAND TOGETHER TO FIGHT THE OPPRESSIVE NAZI REGIME’S OCCUPATION OF ITALY IN DIRECTOR GABRIELE MAINETTI’S
EPIC GENRE MASH-UP SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF WWII
THE FANTASTICAL INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNER PREMIERES THEATRICALLY & DAY-AND-DATE ON VOD/DIGITAL ON APRIL 28, 2023
“[it] will have you crying, laughing, wincing, and smiling
as it tells its epic story of belonging and embracing your weirdness”
— Kat Hughes, THN
“A Shoah-reversing fantasy of liberation and revenge,
like a superheroic spin on Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds”
– Anton Bitel, Projected Figured
“Delightful and spectacular, a deserved crowd pleaser”
— Ard Vijn, Screen Anarchy
“A gutsy mix of historical drama and off-kilter science fiction thriller…
[that] feels like a superior X-Men film without the costumes and
with a much stronger narrative.”
— Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia
SYNOPSIS
During World War II in occupied Rome a group of circus performers endowed with supernatural powers band together to fight the oppressive Nazi regime’s occupation of Italy in FREAKS VS. THE REICH, a fantastical historical action-adventure, the sophomore effort from They Call Me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti.
Looking to flee the Nazi menace for the shores of America are four super-powered circus performers: there’s beautiful, young, electrically-charged Matilde, Cencio, an albino with the ability to control insects, Mario, a dwarf graced with magnetic powers, and Fulvio, a strongman covered from head to toe with hair. On their heels is the psychotic Franz, an ether-addicted, six-fingered Nazi who runs the nearby circus and believes that the supernaturally gifted quartet will help him turn the tide of the war, delivering the ultimate victory for Hitler and the Reich. Will the “freaks” be able to escape the grasp of the brutal Nazis or will their incredible powers be harnessed in a way that could change both their destinies and the entire course of history forever?
At the recent 2022 David di Donatello Awards, the film, the sophomore effort from They Call Me Jeeg director Gabriele Mainetti, was nominated for 16 Awards, winning 6, including Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Make-Up, Best Hair Design/Styling and Best Producer. It also captured three Silver Ribbon Awards for Best Production Design, Best Costumes and Best Editing. FREAKS VS. THE REICH was entered in the main competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival and garnered numerous awards including the Leoncino d’Oro Award, The Pasinetti Prize (awarded by the National Union of Italian Film Journalists SNGCI) and the Bisato d’Oro to Franz Rogowski for Best Actor. The lavishly appointed epic also won the Audience Award at the 2022 Rotterdam Film Festival.
SELECT FILM FESTIVALS
Venice Film Festival (2021)
Fantastic Fest (2021)
Busan International Film Festival (2021)
Sitges Film Festival (2021)
Rotterdam International Film Festival (2022)
Göteborg Film Festival (2022)
Palm Springs International Film Festival (2023)
