The latest offering from acclaimed indie director Richard Linklater has not received much media attention. Bernie, which reteams Linklater with School of Rock star Jack Black, opened at the LAFF and received generally favorable reviews. Back in July, it was announced that Millenium Pictures were close to securing a deal for US distribution rights for the film.

Now, finally, that rumour has been confirmed and Bernie is set to open in US theaters in March 2012. The film, which also stars Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey, shall hopefully be a welcome return to form from the filmmaker who brought us such gems as Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Waking Life.

Synopsis:

Black plays Bernie, the beloved mortician in a small Texas town. MacLaine is the town’s richest, meanest widow, and even she adores him. No one will say a bad word about Bernie—even after he commits a very nasty crime.

In other distribution news, the Lebanese film Where Do We Go Now?, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics and Pathe Pictures for US release. The movie won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF, and considering previous winners include such films as Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech, Eastern Promises and American Beauty, this accolade was no small feat. It would not be preemptive to say it is one of the frontrunners for the best foreign picture oscar now. No word on the release date yet.

Synopsis:

Set in a remote village where a church and a mosque stand side by side, the film “follows the antics of the town’s women to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war. Women heartsick over sons, husbands and fathers lost to previous flare-ups unite to distract their men with clever ruses, from faking a miracle to hiring a troop of Ukrainian strippers.”

Are you looking forward to Richard Linklater’s latest film? How about Nadine Labaki’s comedy?

[Sources: Deadline, ThePlaylist]