ZOE LYMPERIS
After the world premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ new film “Bugonia” at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which received an almost seven-minute standing ovation at the iconic Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema, the countdown begins for its theatrical release.
“Bugonia” will hit Greek cinemas on November 6 and follows the story of two young conspiracy theorists who kidnap the powerful CEO of a major corporation, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
To mark the premiere, the official poster was unveiled, featuring Emma Stone with a shaved head, blood and honey dripping onto her skin, alongside the release of the official trailer.
This marks Lanthimos’ tenth feature film, a dark sci-fi comedy and a remake of the 2003 South Korean cult classic “Save the Green Planet”, written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan. Interestingly, for this film, Lanthimos had requested to shoot at the Acropolis last April, but his application was rejected by Greece’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS).
With “Bugonia”, Lanthimos and Stone complete their fifth collaboration after “The Favourite”, “Bleat”, “Poor Things”, and “Kinds of Kindness”. Now, all eyes are on whether the film will join the ranks of awards-season contenders, following the Golden Lion won by “Poor Things” in 2023 and Emma Stone’s Oscar win for the same film, which also received four Academy Awards in total.
Regarding the film’s title, “Bugonia” derives from the Greek words “βοῦς” (bous, ox) and “γόνος” (gonos, offspring), and refers to an ancient belief or ritual—also mentioned in Virgil’s writings—that bees are reborn from the carcasses of oxen.
The film will first be released in the U.S. by Focus Features on October 24 in limited theaters, followed by a wider release on October 31, before reaching Greek cinemas via Tanweer on November 6.
Cast
Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
Credits
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay: Will Tracy
Producers: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Miky Lee, Jerry Kyoungboum Ko
Executive Producer: Nigel Marchant
Cover photo: Facebook / Tanweer
