Hi everyone! We've got an exciting post for you today! As you all know, we've been to Weekend of Hell a while ago. We already wrote a few posts about it. We also want to give you guys some more background on conventions and movies.
At conventions, we all love to buy merch and DVDs! There are some vendors we love in particular. For DVDs, that's the stand of Zeno Pictures. We decided to ask them if they would do an interview with us to tell us more about Zeno Pictures and the DVDs they sell. Gino van Hecke immediately agreed.
I'll start with our view on Zeno Pictures! Zeno Pictures buys, releases and distributes almost forgotten cult movies, cult hits and unique movies. Sig always knows where to find Zeno Pictures at a convention. Liv and I both love the movies as well. As you all might already know, I like lots of types of movies. I love some big Hollywood movies, but what I truly find interesting is discovering new movies. It's fun to find something different and extraordinary, something that can surprise me. And what I love about Zeno Pictures is that they have a lot of these movies in their collection.
A few examples of the movies I already own are: "A Serbian Film", "Eat" (bought at Weekend of Hell) & "Rabid Grannies". At Weekend of Hell, Liv bought the movie "Rubber".
The beginning of Zeno Pictures
So, we talked to Gino van Hecke from Zeno Pictures! Gino has loved movies since he was a little kid. He studied film in Brussels and specialized in a more technical direction: image and sound editing. He had the intention to work as a cameraman or editor. Movies were his passion, so Gino knew for sure he wanted to do something related to movies. He chose the technical specialization because it gave him the best career prospects. The day after he graduated, he started working in a video rental shop. This was supposed to be a temporary job because it was quite hard to find work in the movie / television industry. Seven years later, he was still working in the shop. He got a lot of responsibility and was able to do the purchases for movies and to attend meetings.
Because of this Gino met many people in the industry. He always wanted to do something else with movies. He got a job at Moviemax in the Netherlands. He worked there for one year and trained people to work in a video rental store. Because this had less to do with movies specifically, he decided to go and work for Videoland Belgium. He went to fairs abroad to pick movies. He screened them and decided whether to buy them or not. He did this for all the connected movie rental stores (there were 135 connected shops). His boss was a great friend, so it was fun to do this work. He wound up doing it for 12 years.
In 2003 he attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time. The thing he wanted to do the most was to distribute movies himself. In Cannes, he learned a lot about buying the rights to movies. This first year, he just learned and networked a lot. Later, Gino's job became to screen movies. He made a screening schedule and gave advice on whether to buy the rights for the movie or not.
In 2006, there was a movie that the company he worked for didn't want to buy. Gino was interested though. It was a Thai martial arts movie. He spoke with his boss about buying the rights of it and Zeno Pictures was founded. He founded it together with his boss from Videoland.
Movies from Zeno Pictures
Gino looks at movies in a different way than most people do. Because of his background in movies and studies, he notices a lot of technical aspects. He likes to watch every type of movies. But in his job he focuses on movies that are different, because those are the movies that people keep on wanting to buy. Nowadays, you don't earn money from putting your DVDs in video rental stores anymore. It's merely from Netflix and Video on Demand. This is not his full-time job at the moment.
There are two movies he is especially proud of owning the rights:
Gino distributed the most controversial movie of all times: "A Serbian Film". He's proud to be the one, who released such a controversial movie in the Benelux. He thought about it for a long time. He didn't just release the movie because of the content of it, but also because it would be a movie that people would still be talking about years from now; whether you like it or not. Let us know in the comments, have you seen "A Serbian Film" and what did you think about it? Sig and I have seen the movie.
He's also really proud of the movie "Rubber". It's the biggest cult film of all times. “Rubber” is about a tire that has destructive powers and kills people. He bought the rights for it seven years ago and it just keeps selling. Of course, Gino is proud of all the movies he's distributing. He has a great catalog. And behind every one of the movies, there is a great story to tell.
Zeno Pictures at conventions
Gino has been attending conventions for over 20 years (so that's even before Zeno Pictures was founded). He started at F.A.C.T.S Convention in Ghent when he was still working for Videoland. His dream was to distribute movies himself. And it's great he's still attending so many conventions. How often do you get the chance to buy a movie directly from the distributor? We prefer this above just buying it in a huge store. You can talk about the movie, ask questions and get insights in the movies. I love to buy my DVDs at conventions. This time I bought the movie "Eat" and Liv bought "Rubber"! So, when you're at a convention: Check out the Zeno Pictures stand and have chat. And don't forget to check out the DVD / Blu-Ray collection. There are some great titles you don't want to miss! You can also check out Zeno Pictures online (And order DVDs online)! You can also find Zeno Pictures on Facebook and Twitter.
Write a comment
KT Nielsen (Wednesday, 23 November 2016 17:56)
Oh I see the DVD of the movie you reviewed a few days ago. I remember commenting on it too. Those films are all gory yet I feel so strangely drawn to it. I wanna watch all of the 4 movies.
Michelle (Wednesday, 23 November 2016 19:30)
I think it's always a pleasure to meet people and know their humble beginnings in whichever industry their thriving, right? Based on the photo you shared above, the movies from Zeno pictures are falling into the gory category which I am not very fond of. But I have friends who love this category of films! I could maybe recommend these to them for I am so sure they'll be curious about these fimls. Unless they've already watched it. Haha
Laveena Sengar (Thursday, 24 November 2016 07:22)
Zeno pictures seem really fabulous. Their collection seem great and I would love to explore more amongst their collection.
blair villanueva (Thursday, 24 November 2016 11:07)
I'm not sure if I've already watched some of their films, but I admire your dedication to interview high-profile people in the industry. Thumbs up dear!!!
Helen (Thursday, 24 November 2016 11:35)
I really did not enjoy Rubber. It feels like the director was trying way too hard to be unique. Give me Sharknado any day over that.
Ana (Thursday, 24 November 2016 12:40)
Zeno's life is an inspiration. He is a real example that dreams do come true. He followed his passion for movies and he is now reaping what he sow. I hope that he will be more successful in his life and will be able to produce more movies that many will enjoy. :)
mr.M (Thursday, 24 November 2016 13:46)
It's nice to know that movie from my country: A Serbian Movie, is distributed in Benelux. Yes that is very interesting movie and also people here talking mich about that movie. I like your post, thank you for sharing this with us.
ROBERT LEE (Thursday, 24 November 2016 16:09)
That is interesting. Cult movies. So after reading, I have a fairer understanding of what's behind some of the older titles. To be honest, the titles you mentioned, I have not even seen. But I can see how it works. For Gino, he is an example of someone who made a business out of his passion, so more blessings for him!
Kristine (Thursday, 24 November 2016 16:41)
Thank you for sharing this post and giving me a look into the industry. I'm not really a fan of movies like these, but I respect the people who work on them and the creative work behind it all :)
Queen B's diary (Thursday, 24 November 2016 17:14)
I just googled Serbian film, since I'm from Serbia. And, I'm in shock. The trailer is horrible. I can only imagine how the movie looks like. It's completely sick and even though I remember most of the actors for some great movies, I don't think I will ever forget the role they played in here. Just awful.
Me-An Clemente (Thursday, 24 November 2016 19:10)
I think I've heard about The Serbian Film before. It's a gory film if I'm not mistaken. Not exactly my cup of tea maybe that's why I haven't watched any single movie from Zeno pictures. It's pretty interesting to know though the humble beginnings from that industry.
Ed Escueta (Thursday, 24 November 2016 19:24)
I'm always a huge fan of filmmakers! I envy them! lol. Well, I am also in a creative field but I'm on the print and web media. When time permits in my lifetime, I wanted to create an independent film, even if nobody watches, lol :)
Tamshuk (Thursday, 24 November 2016 20:26)
A Serbian Film is not just controversial but to me it was just downright sick.
But it is good to have a distribution company that focuses on unusual movies.
Quite interesting to know about their origin too.
ganiru (Thursday, 24 November 2016 20:31)
You have peaked my interest in these types of movies which ordinarily I wouldn't consider. I am more interested now.
Gilian (Thursday, 24 November 2016 23:24)
Great interview. Perseverance truly gives way to good results in his case. :)
Sara Fergie (Friday, 25 November 2016 05:58)
I love watching movies but I have no guts no watch gory or cult or any horror movies at all. Although, I've always been curious of the behind-the-scenes to find out how they make them.
Mommy Queenelizabeth (Friday, 25 November 2016 06:43)
Im not sire if these films are available here. Not a fan of dvds coz i have a broken player and i dont have a penny to replace it for another one! Lol! Kidding aside, their films seems to be interesting!
Indrani (Friday, 25 November 2016 13:58)
I haven't heard of these movies yet.
I admire your knowledge and interest in movies. I very rarely go to movie halls.
Your posts inspire me to watch at least some of the local movies here.
The Side Hustle Stories (Friday, 25 November 2016 17:53)
Hey! My nephew's name is Zeno! I wonder how Zeno pictures got their name... let me know if you find out!
Jimmy & Tina Durham (Friday, 25 November 2016 20:10)
I've not actually seen any of Zeno Pictures but the history behind his films. Good information.
Fenrile (Saturday, 26 November 2016 16:03)
I didn't know Zen Pictures until now. But I love any kind of movies in general and I'd be curious to watch some of theirs. I really like the cover of Eat. I love those kind of covers, simple and straightforward. I'd be curious to watch this one and A Serbian Film soon. Very interesting interview, those personalities bring so much knowledge, anyone working in the industry of comics or movies. It's amazing all the people you can meet at conventions :)
Mitesh (Sunday, 27 November 2016 12:50)
Great! you have added 1 new movie in my collection "EAT". Haven't watched it yet but will surely going to watch it.
Teresa (Monday, 28 November 2016 01:06)
I like watching films on DVD at home. But I'm not fond of horror or bloody movies. I'm more into drama and inspirational, comedy and romance. I'm happy for you that you got hold of merchandise and DVDs that you like.