Kino Lorber has picked up U.S. rights to Johan Grimonprez’s Sundance-winning documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which traces how the U.S. used “Jazz Ambassadors” like Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Duke Ellington, to build goodwill during the Cold War all while orchestrating clandestine operations to destabilize the Congo.
Kino Lorber will partner with specialist streamer Kanopy on the U.S. release of the film. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat marks Lorber’s second collaboration with Grimonprez following their 2010 release of his hybrid doc-drama Double Take, which stitches together clips from Alfred Hitchcock’s films and TV work, together with 50s news footage and commercials, to tell a fictional story of Cold War paranoia.
“Johan Grimonprez is a master of making political history feel newly alive and utterly fascinating, and he’s done it again with his latest film Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” said Richard Lorber,...
Kino Lorber will partner with specialist streamer Kanopy on the U.S. release of the film. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat marks Lorber’s second collaboration with Grimonprez following their 2010 release of his hybrid doc-drama Double Take, which stitches together clips from Alfred Hitchcock’s films and TV work, together with 50s news footage and commercials, to tell a fictional story of Cold War paranoia.
“Johan Grimonprez is a master of making political history feel newly alive and utterly fascinating, and he’s done it again with his latest film Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat,” said Richard Lorber,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Independent distributor Kino Lorber is expanding its Kino Film Collection US streaming business as a direct-to-consumer service and standalone app on Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.
The service was launched last November as one of Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, where it will continue to be available. Subscription to the standalone service will cost $5.99 a month.
The Kino collection features hundreds of films from Kino Lorber’s 4,000-title library as well as new releases fresh from theatres and festivals.
To mark its expansion, the service will this month offer a curated assortment of films originally seen at the Cannes festival,...
The service was launched last November as one of Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, where it will continue to be available. Subscription to the standalone service will cost $5.99 a month.
The Kino collection features hundreds of films from Kino Lorber’s 4,000-title library as well as new releases fresh from theatres and festivals.
To mark its expansion, the service will this month offer a curated assortment of films originally seen at the Cannes festival,...
- 5/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber is expanding its streaming footprint. The boutique art-house distributor just launched its own SVOD platform, the Kino Film Collection.
The new app is available now as a standalone service on Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku, and it will feature hundreds of movies from Kino Lorber’s film library of more than 4,000 titles. Subscriptions will begin at $5.99 per month.
In November 2023, Kino Lorber launched an Amazon Prime Video channel; you can still access its titles there. But having its own service puts the company in the race alongside other niche streaming options in the space, like the Criterion Channel ($10.99/month) or Mubi ($14.99/month).
As part of the launch, Kino Film Collection curated a selection of titles that showcase auteurs who have played at Cannes; the 2024 film festival is currently ongoing. The collection includes early movies from Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, and Ken Loach, as well as...
The new app is available now as a standalone service on Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku, and it will feature hundreds of movies from Kino Lorber’s film library of more than 4,000 titles. Subscriptions will begin at $5.99 per month.
In November 2023, Kino Lorber launched an Amazon Prime Video channel; you can still access its titles there. But having its own service puts the company in the race alongside other niche streaming options in the space, like the Criterion Channel ($10.99/month) or Mubi ($14.99/month).
As part of the launch, Kino Film Collection curated a selection of titles that showcase auteurs who have played at Cannes; the 2024 film festival is currently ongoing. The collection includes early movies from Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, and Ken Loach, as well as...
- 5/17/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
New York arthouse distributor Kino Lorber is expanding its streaming service, Kino Film Collection, currently available on Amazon Prime, to include a stand-alone SVOD which will feature hundreds of titles from its extensive back catalog, including features from the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, and Ken Loach.
Kino Lorber announced the new service timed to start of this year’s Cannes film festival. The stand-alone SVOD, available to subscribers for $5.99 a month, includes several Cannes highlights from years past, including Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated documentary Four Daughters and Thien An Pham-directed drama Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, both winners of the Camera d’Or prize on the Croisette last year; Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, a 2019 competition title; and Palme d’Or winners Winter Sleep (2014) from Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Underground (1995) from Emir Kusturica.
“Cannes and the Kino Film Collection are so intertwined because we share a...
Kino Lorber announced the new service timed to start of this year’s Cannes film festival. The stand-alone SVOD, available to subscribers for $5.99 a month, includes several Cannes highlights from years past, including Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated documentary Four Daughters and Thien An Pham-directed drama Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, both winners of the Camera d’Or prize on the Croisette last year; Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, a 2019 competition title; and Palme d’Or winners Winter Sleep (2014) from Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Underground (1995) from Emir Kusturica.
“Cannes and the Kino Film Collection are so intertwined because we share a...
- 5/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When it comes to the indie movie business, you don’t get more old-school than Kino Lorber. The New York outfit, founded as Kino International in 1977, has been the first source of independent cinema for U.S. audiences. It was the first to distribute films from Yorgos Lanthimos, Aki Kaurismäki, Wong Kar-wai, Andrei Tarkovsky and Michelangelo Antonioni in U.S. theaters and the first to restore and rerelease silent classics like Metropolis, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, and the films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
In 2009, when Richard Lorber’s home entertainment company Lorber Ht Digital acquired and merged with Kino International, physical media got added to the mix, and the newly minted Kino Lorber became known for its home entertainment releases, ranging from classic (Nosferatu, The Sacrifice) to cult (Mad Max, Emmanuelle). The Kino Lorber library now counts more than 4,000 titles and the company is continually adding to the list,...
In 2009, when Richard Lorber’s home entertainment company Lorber Ht Digital acquired and merged with Kino International, physical media got added to the mix, and the newly minted Kino Lorber became known for its home entertainment releases, ranging from classic (Nosferatu, The Sacrifice) to cult (Mad Max, Emmanuelle). The Kino Lorber library now counts more than 4,000 titles and the company is continually adding to the list,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber have picked up all rights in North America to Bruno Dumont’s sci-fi farce The Empire after its triumphant debut at the Berlin Film Festival last month, where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize.
Anamaria Vartolomei, Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri, and Fabrice Luchini star in the French-language feature, which re-imagines the world of George Lucas’ Star Wars with its epic sci-fi battle of good vs. evil, relocating the action to a sleepy northern France town and filtering the story through the frankly bonkers mind of the director of Slack Bay, Li’l Quinquin and Coincoin and the Extra-Humans. There are plenty of VFX spaceships and lightsaber battles and only a few gratuitous sex scenes (this is a French film after all).
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for L’Empire later this year 2024, followed by a home video, educational, and digital release across all major platforms.
Anamaria Vartolomei, Camille Cottin, Lyna Khoudri, and Fabrice Luchini star in the French-language feature, which re-imagines the world of George Lucas’ Star Wars with its epic sci-fi battle of good vs. evil, relocating the action to a sleepy northern France town and filtering the story through the frankly bonkers mind of the director of Slack Bay, Li’l Quinquin and Coincoin and the Extra-Humans. There are plenty of VFX spaceships and lightsaber battles and only a few gratuitous sex scenes (this is a French film after all).
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for L’Empire later this year 2024, followed by a home video, educational, and digital release across all major platforms.
- 3/7/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber Chief Strategy Officer Ed Carroll has been named President, Kino Lorber Media Group, reporting to chairman-ceo Richard Lorber.
Carroll, the 30+-year veteran and former COO of AMC Networks left the company in 2021, and joined Kino Lorber a year ago as chief strategy officer helping oversee its expansion into digital, including the acquisition of MHz Choice SVOD and creating a joint venture that includes the Topic streaming service. Last fall, Kino launched a new SVOD service, Kino Film Collection, on Amazon Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber has been layering streaming and digital alongside its core theatrical and home entertainment releases. Two from 2023 were shortlisted for Academy Awards – Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters in both the Best International Feature and Best Documentary Feature; and Nancy Buirski’s Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy in Best Documentary Feature. Recent theatrical acquisitions include Agnieszka Holland’s Venice award-winner Green Border,...
Carroll, the 30+-year veteran and former COO of AMC Networks left the company in 2021, and joined Kino Lorber a year ago as chief strategy officer helping oversee its expansion into digital, including the acquisition of MHz Choice SVOD and creating a joint venture that includes the Topic streaming service. Last fall, Kino launched a new SVOD service, Kino Film Collection, on Amazon Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber has been layering streaming and digital alongside its core theatrical and home entertainment releases. Two from 2023 were shortlisted for Academy Awards – Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters in both the Best International Feature and Best Documentary Feature; and Nancy Buirski’s Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy in Best Documentary Feature. Recent theatrical acquisitions include Agnieszka Holland’s Venice award-winner Green Border,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive joined as Chief Strategy Officer one year ago.
Kino Lorber Chief Strategy Officer Ed Carroll has been appointed to president of Kino Lorber Media Group.
Richard Lorber, who remains chairman and CEO and to whom Carroll will report, made the announcement on Thursday.
Reporting to Carroll will be COO Martha Benyam, who will oversee the MHz Choice and Topic SVoDs and the home entertainment group; chief revenue officer Lisa Schwartz, formerly president of IFC Films, who will oversee content sales and platform distribution as well as Kino Lorber’s film division, which includes the Kino Film Collection SVoD; and Judy Silverman,...
Kino Lorber Chief Strategy Officer Ed Carroll has been appointed to president of Kino Lorber Media Group.
Richard Lorber, who remains chairman and CEO and to whom Carroll will report, made the announcement on Thursday.
Reporting to Carroll will be COO Martha Benyam, who will oversee the MHz Choice and Topic SVoDs and the home entertainment group; chief revenue officer Lisa Schwartz, formerly president of IFC Films, who will oversee content sales and platform distribution as well as Kino Lorber’s film division, which includes the Kino Film Collection SVoD; and Judy Silverman,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“Green Border,” Agnieszka Holland’s Venice Special Jury Prize-winning refugee drama, has been acquired by Kino Lorber in the U.S. (“Scrapper”) and Modern Films in the U.K. (“Drive My Car”).
An empathetic tale of migrants caught in Europe’s refugee crisis, “Green Border” has earned widespread critical acclaim, winning several prizes at Venice and playing at key North American festivals such as Toronto, New York Film Festival and AFI Fest. Most recently, “Green Border” was nominated for three European Film Awards, including best film.
Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights and is planning a theatrical release in 2024, followed by a home video, educational and digital rollout on all major platforms. Modern Films, meanwhile, has snapped up U.K. rights and will also back “Green Border” for the European Film Awards and the BAFTAs.
The film explores the injustice and terror perpetrated at the Polish-Belarusian border from the perspective of refugees,...
An empathetic tale of migrants caught in Europe’s refugee crisis, “Green Border” has earned widespread critical acclaim, winning several prizes at Venice and playing at key North American festivals such as Toronto, New York Film Festival and AFI Fest. Most recently, “Green Border” was nominated for three European Film Awards, including best film.
Kino Lorber has acquired North American distribution rights and is planning a theatrical release in 2024, followed by a home video, educational and digital rollout on all major platforms. Modern Films, meanwhile, has snapped up U.K. rights and will also back “Green Border” for the European Film Awards and the BAFTAs.
The film explores the injustice and terror perpetrated at the Polish-Belarusian border from the perspective of refugees,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Film geeks, rejoice. Leading indie label Kino Lorber is entering the world of streaming. The company has launched Kino Film Collection, a new subscription video service available in the U.S. via’s Amazon’s Prime Video Channels. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, many now streaming for the first time. It will cost users $5.99 per month.
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
Films available at launch include award-winning theatrical releases and critically acclaimed festival favorites and classics from around the globe, such as The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci), Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos), Taxi (Jafar Panahi), Poison (Todd Haynes), Ganja & Hess (Bill Gunn), The Scent of Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung), A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour), Computer Chess (Andrew Bujalski), Portrait of Jason (Shirley Clarke), and A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke).
Joining them are entries...
- 11/2/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber, a leading name in the indie film scene for over 45 years, just launched the Kino Film Collection. This new streaming service is available in the U.S. on Amazon via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The platform will feature new Kino films fresh from their theatrical release along with hundreds of catalog titles. Many of these films will be available to stream for the first time.
Among the films available will be a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist” and key titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” and Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”
Among the older titles available to stream will be classics like Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin.” The Kino Film Collection will be...
Among the films available will be a new 4K restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist” and key titles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” and Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night.”
Among the older titles available to stream will be classics like Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” and Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin.” The Kino Film Collection will be...
- 11/1/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Kino Lorber has launched a new subscription streaming outlet, Kino Film Collection.
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
The $6-a-month destination for recent theatrical releases and hundreds of other films drawn from the company’s vast library will be available in the U.S. on Prime Video Channels.
Kino Lorber also operates Kino Now, a platform for rentals and purchases of arthouse and specialty films. The company has made several streaming moves of late. In 2022, it acquired MHz Choice and installed AMC Networks veteran Ed Carroll and former IFC Films head Lisa Schwartz in key management roles. Schwartz, Kino Lorber’s Chief Revenue Officer, will oversee Kino Film Collection. Last spring, Kino Lorber also formed a joint venture with First Look Media to operate both MHz Choice and First Look’s streaming service Topic.
Films available on Kino Film Collection at launch include new 4K restorations of The Conformist as well as key works by contemporary...
- 11/1/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Film Collection will offer recent theatrical releases and library titles.
Independent distributor Kino Lorber has launched Kino Film Collection, a US streaming service offering new Kino releases fresh from theatrical runs as well as films from the company’s 4,000-title library of classic, international and cult features.
The service, which will be available through Amazon’s Prime Video Channels for $5.99 a month, extends Kino Lorber’s growing digital operation. The distributor has recently acquired North American streaming services MHz Choice and Topic and launched TVoD service Kino Now.
Films from the company’s 4,000-title library already on the service...
Independent distributor Kino Lorber has launched Kino Film Collection, a US streaming service offering new Kino releases fresh from theatrical runs as well as films from the company’s 4,000-title library of classic, international and cult features.
The service, which will be available through Amazon’s Prime Video Channels for $5.99 a month, extends Kino Lorber’s growing digital operation. The distributor has recently acquired North American streaming services MHz Choice and Topic and launched TVoD service Kino Now.
Films from the company’s 4,000-title library already on the service...
- 11/1/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Independent film distributor Kino Lorber has officially unveiled streaming service Kino Film Collection, available via Prime Video here.
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
The Kino Film Collection will be launched in the U.S. on the Amazon Service via Prime Video Channels for $5.99 per month. The Collection will feature new Kino releases fresh from theaters, along with hundreds of films from its expansive library of more than 4,000 titles, with many now streaming for the first time.
New 4K restorations of films like Bernardo Bertolucci’s “The Conformist,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Dogtooth,” Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi,” Todd Haynes’ “Poison,” Tran Anh Hung’s “The Scent of Green Papaya,” Ana Lily Amirpour’s “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and Jia Zhangke’s “A Touch of Sin” are among highlights of the first offerings from Kino Film Collection.
Kino canon films like Fritz Lang’s historic “Metropolis,” F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Wiene’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Kino Lorber has snatched up North American rights to Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, the mesmerizing first feature from Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes this year, where it won the Camera d’Or for best directorial debut.
The film fulfills the promise shown in Pham’s acclaimed shorts, including 2019 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winner Stay Awake, Be Ready, which was the inspiration for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The film follows Thien (Le Phong Vu), a prodigal son with little direction in his life who, after his sister-in-law dies in a freak motorcycle accident, is tasked with delivering her body, and his 5-year-old nephew Dao, who miraculously survived the crash, back to their countryside hometown. Thus begins a journey across the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, a journey back into Thien’s own past and a search for his long-missing older brother,...
The film fulfills the promise shown in Pham’s acclaimed shorts, including 2019 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winner Stay Awake, Be Ready, which was the inspiration for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The film follows Thien (Le Phong Vu), a prodigal son with little direction in his life who, after his sister-in-law dies in a freak motorcycle accident, is tasked with delivering her body, and his 5-year-old nephew Dao, who miraculously survived the crash, back to their countryside hometown. Thus begins a journey across the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, a journey back into Thien’s own past and a search for his long-missing older brother,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
SPC’s Tom Bernard calls new requirements a “very small step in what needs to change drastically in the qualification process”.
Members of the US independent and specialty distribution community have welcomed the Academy’s rule change mandating theatrical expansions for best picture contenders next season – but have also signalled concerns over the potential impact on the smallest companies and international films.
The Academy said this week that starting with the 97th Academy Awards films must expand their theatrical footprint after the one-week qualifying run in 2024 with a theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top...
Members of the US independent and specialty distribution community have welcomed the Academy’s rule change mandating theatrical expansions for best picture contenders next season – but have also signalled concerns over the potential impact on the smallest companies and international films.
The Academy said this week that starting with the 97th Academy Awards films must expand their theatrical footprint after the one-week qualifying run in 2024 with a theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top...
- 6/23/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A new Kino Lorber-led joint venture will manage both Topic and international content rival MHz.
US distributor and streamer Kino Lorber has formed a joint venture with First Look Media that will encompass the companies respective North American streaming services MHz Choice and Topic.
Kino Lorber will be the majority owner of the as yet unnamed joint venture and have management oversight of both MHz, which it acquired late last year, and Topic (Topic Studios is not part of the joint venture). Both services offer American audiences access to international television series such as the MHz’s Detective Montalbano and Topic’s The Killing.
US distributor and streamer Kino Lorber has formed a joint venture with First Look Media that will encompass the companies respective North American streaming services MHz Choice and Topic.
Kino Lorber will be the majority owner of the as yet unnamed joint venture and have management oversight of both MHz, which it acquired late last year, and Topic (Topic Studios is not part of the joint venture). Both services offer American audiences access to international television series such as the MHz’s Detective Montalbano and Topic’s The Killing.
- 5/22/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber and First Look Media have formed a joint venture to operate their respective streaming services, MHz Choice and Topic.
The new entity will be run by Kino Lorber, which will also take a majority stake. Programming, marketing and technology will be handled by MHz Networks founder Frederick Thomas. Topic Gm Ryan Chanatry and Jennifer Liang, who oversaw acquisitions for the streaming service, will consult through the transition period. Kino Lorber’s streaming services are overseen by Chief Strategy Officer Ed Carroll, the former longtime AMC Networks exec who joined the company earlier this year.
Programming for both Topic streaming and MHz Choice will be overseen by Lance Schwulst, SVP of Content Strategy for MHz Networks. Monica Bloom, VP of Marketing for Topic, will join the Jv as Chief Marketing Officer for both services.
Topic, which launched as an effort to showcase high-caliber international series and eventually focused in on the crime genre,...
The new entity will be run by Kino Lorber, which will also take a majority stake. Programming, marketing and technology will be handled by MHz Networks founder Frederick Thomas. Topic Gm Ryan Chanatry and Jennifer Liang, who oversaw acquisitions for the streaming service, will consult through the transition period. Kino Lorber’s streaming services are overseen by Chief Strategy Officer Ed Carroll, the former longtime AMC Networks exec who joined the company earlier this year.
Programming for both Topic streaming and MHz Choice will be overseen by Lance Schwulst, SVP of Content Strategy for MHz Networks. Monica Bloom, VP of Marketing for Topic, will join the Jv as Chief Marketing Officer for both services.
Topic, which launched as an effort to showcase high-caliber international series and eventually focused in on the crime genre,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
DVD is dead. Long live the DVD. The writing was on the wall for many years, but Netflix’s Tuesday announcement that it will end its DVD-by-mail business still came as a surprise. Just last year, that business made $146 million. Still, Netflix is nothing if not relentlessly focused on the future, so DVDs no longer pass what’s widely known as their “keeper test.” And they’re out. It’s the end of an era for Netflix. Some will undoubtedly also see it as another death knell for the DVD itself.
We’ve read the obituaries before: Blockbuster, Columbia House, and just about every mom-and-pop video store you once pored over each Friday night. At its peak in 2005, the DVD industry was worth more than $16 billion. But between 2008 and 2019, as consumers struggled through the Great Recession and streaming took off, DVD sales plunged more than 86%. In 2022, the market was around $1.5 billion.
We’ve read the obituaries before: Blockbuster, Columbia House, and just about every mom-and-pop video store you once pored over each Friday night. At its peak in 2005, the DVD industry was worth more than $16 billion. But between 2008 and 2019, as consumers struggled through the Great Recession and streaming took off, DVD sales plunged more than 86%. In 2022, the market was around $1.5 billion.
- 4/23/2023
- by Richard Lorber
- Indiewire
April is the cruelest month, but evidently not for one-man shows starring Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes.
The “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter” star’s sister Sophie Fiennes directs a film version of “T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets,” the stage production he brought to London and throughout the UK back in 2021. During the lockdown, Fiennes committed to memory the “Wasteland” poet’s four epic poems written during World War II about man’s relationship to time and the divine. His performance, praised as “magnetic” by The Telegraph, was filmed at the end of his run.
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film version, opening April 28 at the IFC Center in New York City, courtesy of Kino Lorber. An expansion in theaters nationally will follow.
Fiennes’ filmed performance of Eliot’s masterworks is a co-production between The Bath Theatre Royal and Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Lone Star Productions, Amoeba Film and Lonely Dragon Films.
The “Schindler’s List” and “Harry Potter” star’s sister Sophie Fiennes directs a film version of “T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets,” the stage production he brought to London and throughout the UK back in 2021. During the lockdown, Fiennes committed to memory the “Wasteland” poet’s four epic poems written during World War II about man’s relationship to time and the divine. His performance, praised as “magnetic” by The Telegraph, was filmed at the end of his run.
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film version, opening April 28 at the IFC Center in New York City, courtesy of Kino Lorber. An expansion in theaters nationally will follow.
Fiennes’ filmed performance of Eliot’s masterworks is a co-production between The Bath Theatre Royal and Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Lone Star Productions, Amoeba Film and Lonely Dragon Films.
- 4/5/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Charades has secured a further raft of international deals, including to Italy, Japan and South Korea.
Kino Lorber has taken North American rights to Charlotte Regan’s diretorial debut Scrapper, one of a number of new sales confirmed on the Sundance World Cinema grand jury prize-winner that will open Sundance London this summer.
Sales agent Charades has also closed a raft of new deals on the father-daughter story, selling to Italy (Lucky Red), Scandinavia (Angel Films), Japan (King Records), South Korea (Green Narae), Adriatics (Megacom), Israel (Lev Cinema), Turkey (Mars), Taiwan (Filmware) and India (Pictureworks). Aardwolf has taken airlines rights.
Kino Lorber has taken North American rights to Charlotte Regan’s diretorial debut Scrapper, one of a number of new sales confirmed on the Sundance World Cinema grand jury prize-winner that will open Sundance London this summer.
Sales agent Charades has also closed a raft of new deals on the father-daughter story, selling to Italy (Lucky Red), Scandinavia (Angel Films), Japan (King Records), South Korea (Green Narae), Adriatics (Megacom), Israel (Lev Cinema), Turkey (Mars), Taiwan (Filmware) and India (Pictureworks). Aardwolf has taken airlines rights.
- 3/7/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber has picked up all rights in the U.S. to a trilogy of stylish Italian crime movies — Diabolik, Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! and Diabolik – Who Are You? — based on the popular Italian comic book of the same name.
The series follows the adventures of Diabolik, an infallible, ruthless master thief. All three films are directed by Italian brothers Marco and Antonio Manetti (Love and Bullets). The first film, released in 2021, features The Old Guard and The Eight Mountains star Luca Marinelli as Diabolik. Italian-Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy) plays the master thief in the 2022 sequel Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! Monica Bellucci (The Matrix, The Apartment), Eva Kant (The Invisible Witness) and Valerio Mastandrea (Perfect Strangers) are among the European ensemble cast. Diabolik – Who Are You? is currently in post-production.
“Diabolik is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who...
The series follows the adventures of Diabolik, an infallible, ruthless master thief. All three films are directed by Italian brothers Marco and Antonio Manetti (Love and Bullets). The first film, released in 2021, features The Old Guard and The Eight Mountains star Luca Marinelli as Diabolik. Italian-Canadian actor Giacomo Gianniotti (Grey’s Anatomy) plays the master thief in the 2022 sequel Diabolik – Ginko Attacks! Monica Bellucci (The Matrix, The Apartment), Eva Kant (The Invisible Witness) and Valerio Mastandrea (Perfect Strangers) are among the European ensemble cast. Diabolik – Who Are You? is currently in post-production.
“Diabolik is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who...
- 2/18/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber has acquired all rights in the U.S. to “Diabolik,” “Diabolik – Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?” from Beta Cinema at the European Film Market in Berlin. The movies are based on the smash-hit Italian comic-book series about a ruthless master thief, which has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.
The stylish crime-comic adaptations are written and directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Marvel’s Avengers” actor Giacomo Gianniotti stars in “Diabolik — Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?,” and Luca Marinelli (“The Old Guard”) in the first installment, “Diabolik.” Monica Bellucci stars in the role of Altea, Miriam Leone as Eva Kant, and Valerio Mastandrea as Inspector Ginko.
Richard Lorber, president and CEO of Kino Lorber, said: “’Diabolik’ is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who has entertained audiences since his comic book...
The stylish crime-comic adaptations are written and directed by Marco and Antonio Manetti. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Marvel’s Avengers” actor Giacomo Gianniotti stars in “Diabolik — Ginko Attacks!” and “Diabolik — Who Are You?,” and Luca Marinelli (“The Old Guard”) in the first installment, “Diabolik.” Monica Bellucci stars in the role of Altea, Miriam Leone as Eva Kant, and Valerio Mastandrea as Inspector Ginko.
Richard Lorber, president and CEO of Kino Lorber, said: “’Diabolik’ is one of the most beloved characters in Italian pop culture, a sharp and stylish master thief who has entertained audiences since his comic book...
- 2/18/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired all North American distribution rights to Four Quartets, the film version of the Ralph Fiennes-starring stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s seminal poem.
Directed by Sophie Fiennes, the film will get its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival later this week followed by a theatrical release this spring.
One of the giants of modern literature, the poet, playwright, critic, and editor T.S. Eliot is best known as one of the central figures of the Modernist movement in poetry. Consisting of four poems published over a six-year period – Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding, each titled after the landscape that inspired their writing – Four Quartets is widely considered Eliot’s masterpiece and the culminating achievement of his career as a poet, offering four interwoven meditations on the nature of time and the quest for spiritual enlightenment.
Directed by Sophie Fiennes, the film will get its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival later this week followed by a theatrical release this spring.
One of the giants of modern literature, the poet, playwright, critic, and editor T.S. Eliot is best known as one of the central figures of the Modernist movement in poetry. Consisting of four poems published over a six-year period – Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding, each titled after the landscape that inspired their writing – Four Quartets is widely considered Eliot’s masterpiece and the culminating achievement of his career as a poet, offering four interwoven meditations on the nature of time and the quest for spiritual enlightenment.
- 2/8/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber hired former AMC Networks execs Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz to bolster its executive suite.
Carroll becomes chief strategy officer at the New York-based arthouse film group after three decades at AMC Networks, which included a stint as COO and overseeing series like The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Schwartz, who worked for two decades at the premium cable channel, most recently ran IFC Films and becomes chief revenue officer at Kino Lorber.
The departures of Carroll and Schwartz from AMC Networks coincided with the recent exit of CEO Christina Spade and company-wife layoffs as chairman James Dolan assumed control of the restructuring media player on an interim basis.
In their new roles, Carroll and Schwartz will work with Kino Lorber chairman and CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to shape the film group’s content and distribution strategies and push further into digital spaces.
Carroll becomes chief strategy officer at the New York-based arthouse film group after three decades at AMC Networks, which included a stint as COO and overseeing series like The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Schwartz, who worked for two decades at the premium cable channel, most recently ran IFC Films and becomes chief revenue officer at Kino Lorber.
The departures of Carroll and Schwartz from AMC Networks coincided with the recent exit of CEO Christina Spade and company-wife layoffs as chairman James Dolan assumed control of the restructuring media player on an interim basis.
In their new roles, Carroll and Schwartz will work with Kino Lorber chairman and CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to shape the film group’s content and distribution strategies and push further into digital spaces.
- 1/9/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Independent film distributor Kino Lorber has recruited former AMC Networks executives Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz to respectively serve as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, the company announced Monday.
The news comes just two months after Kino Lorber acquired North American streaming service MHz Choice. The distributor said that both Carroll and Schwartz will help shape the company’s content and distribution strategies, including an “accelerated expansion into digital spaces.”
Before joining Kino Lorber, Carroll had a three-decades-long career at AMC Networks, where he oversaw the development of many successful television series, including “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead,” “Portlandia,” “Killing Eve” and “Inside the Actors Studio.” Previously, he was President at Bravo and COO of AMC Networks, where he was in charge of all programming, marketing, ad sales and international distribution. He also helped launch AMC Networks’ streaming channels, including Acorn, Sundance Now and Shudder, and...
The news comes just two months after Kino Lorber acquired North American streaming service MHz Choice. The distributor said that both Carroll and Schwartz will help shape the company’s content and distribution strategies, including an “accelerated expansion into digital spaces.”
Before joining Kino Lorber, Carroll had a three-decades-long career at AMC Networks, where he oversaw the development of many successful television series, including “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Walking Dead,” “Portlandia,” “Killing Eve” and “Inside the Actors Studio.” Previously, he was President at Bravo and COO of AMC Networks, where he was in charge of all programming, marketing, ad sales and international distribution. He also helped launch AMC Networks’ streaming channels, including Acorn, Sundance Now and Shudder, and...
- 1/9/2023
- by Aarohi Sheth
- The Wrap
An expanding Kino Lorber has brought in two former AMC Networks veterans in key exec roles, installing Ed Carroll as Chief Strategy Officer and Lisa Schwartz as Chief Revenue Officer.
The pair will work with CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to help shape the company’s content and distribution efforts. Along with its longtime presence in specialty film, Kino Lorber last year made a significant streaming acquisition, buying international TV specialist MHz Networks.
Carroll left AMC Networks in 2021 after 34 years at the company, including a lengthy stint as COO. Along with helping to orchestrate M&a deals such as the acquisition of Rlj/Acorn and its equity stake in BBC America, he shepherded shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Portlandia and Killing Eve. AMC Networks’ niche streaming push, via outlets like Acorn, Sundance Now, IFC Unlimited and Shudder, was another Carroll initiative. And when Bravo was...
The pair will work with CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to help shape the company’s content and distribution efforts. Along with its longtime presence in specialty film, Kino Lorber last year made a significant streaming acquisition, buying international TV specialist MHz Networks.
Carroll left AMC Networks in 2021 after 34 years at the company, including a lengthy stint as COO. Along with helping to orchestrate M&a deals such as the acquisition of Rlj/Acorn and its equity stake in BBC America, he shepherded shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Portlandia and Killing Eve. AMC Networks’ niche streaming push, via outlets like Acorn, Sundance Now, IFC Unlimited and Shudder, was another Carroll initiative. And when Bravo was...
- 1/9/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Longtime top AMC Networks execs Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz have found their new C-suite home: The former cable channel leaders have joined Kino Lorber, with Carroll set as chief strategy officer and Lisa Schwartz as chief revenue officer.
The former colleagues will be working close with Kino Lorber chairman and CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to focus the company’s content and distribution strategies on expanding into digital spaces, an area Kino Lorber has been ramping up on with the recent acquisition of streamer MHz Choice’s parent company MHz Networks.
“Ed and Lisa are a powerful combination and I’m thrilled to welcome them both to the Kino Lorber C-suite,” Lorber said. “Following our acquisition of the MHz Choice streaming service, it’s the perfect time for them to join, as we further innovate our distribution strategies to make prestige international film and TV content accessible to audiences throughout North America.
The former colleagues will be working close with Kino Lorber chairman and CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to focus the company’s content and distribution strategies on expanding into digital spaces, an area Kino Lorber has been ramping up on with the recent acquisition of streamer MHz Choice’s parent company MHz Networks.
“Ed and Lisa are a powerful combination and I’m thrilled to welcome them both to the Kino Lorber C-suite,” Lorber said. “Following our acquisition of the MHz Choice streaming service, it’s the perfect time for them to join, as we further innovate our distribution strategies to make prestige international film and TV content accessible to audiences throughout North America.
- 1/9/2023
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz join after Kino Lorber’s acquisition of MHz Choice streamer.
US arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has recruited former AMC Networks executives Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz as, respectively, chief strategy officer and chief revenue officer.
The appointments come two months after Kino Lorber acquired North American streaming service MHz Choice. The company said Carroll and Schwartz will work with Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to shape content and distribution strategies “including an accelerated expansion into digital spaces.”
Carroll spent three decades at AMC Networks, in roles including COO and president of the Bravo network.
US arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has recruited former AMC Networks executives Ed Carroll and Lisa Schwartz as, respectively, chief strategy officer and chief revenue officer.
The appointments come two months after Kino Lorber acquired North American streaming service MHz Choice. The company said Carroll and Schwartz will work with Kino Lorber CEO Richard Lorber and COO Martha Benyam to shape content and distribution strategies “including an accelerated expansion into digital spaces.”
Carroll spent three decades at AMC Networks, in roles including COO and president of the Bravo network.
- 1/9/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
French author and now filmmaker Annie Ernaux is having a year. She was just awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize for literature. Her autobiographical L’Événement was adapted by director Audrey Diwan into the critically acclaimed Happening, released last spring. And this weekend, Kino Lorber presents her directorial debut, The Super 8 Years, at Film at Lincoln Center and Dctv Firehouse in NYC, expanding to LA and select markets through January.
The Super 8 Years, a visual extension of Ernaux’s decades-long literary quest to distill the past and future, is culled from home movies taken between 1972 and 1981, after her husband Philippe acquired an 8mm camera that became a family fixture. The film, a collaboration with her son David Ernaux-Briot, had its world premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and screened at Busan, Rome, New York and Zurich Film Festivals. It’s a range of times and places, from holidays and family events in suburban France to trips in Albania,...
The Super 8 Years, a visual extension of Ernaux’s decades-long literary quest to distill the past and future, is culled from home movies taken between 1972 and 1981, after her husband Philippe acquired an 8mm camera that became a family fixture. The film, a collaboration with her son David Ernaux-Briot, had its world premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and screened at Busan, Rome, New York and Zurich Film Festivals. It’s a range of times and places, from holidays and family events in suburban France to trips in Albania,...
- 12/16/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The streamer specialises in international series.
US arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired MHz Networks, parent of streamer MHz Choice, a North American SVOD service that screens international television series.
With the acquisition, Kino Lorber Media Group will have more than 10,000 hours of international series and films under license, the company said.
MHz Networks CEO Frederick Thomas and senior vice president of content strategy Lance Schwulst will continue to lead MHz Networks within Kino Lorber Media Group.
MHz Networks was an early entrant into the boutique streaming market, launching MHz Choice in 2015. The service has screened series including Wallander, Detective Montalbano and Paris Police 1900.
US arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired MHz Networks, parent of streamer MHz Choice, a North American SVOD service that screens international television series.
With the acquisition, Kino Lorber Media Group will have more than 10,000 hours of international series and films under license, the company said.
MHz Networks CEO Frederick Thomas and senior vice president of content strategy Lance Schwulst will continue to lead MHz Networks within Kino Lorber Media Group.
MHz Networks was an early entrant into the boutique streaming market, launching MHz Choice in 2015. The service has screened series including Wallander, Detective Montalbano and Paris Police 1900.
- 11/3/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
New York-based arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired MHz Networks, the parent company of MHz Choice, an online streaming service dedicated to international television series.
Under the deal, announced Thursday, Kino Lorber will add its library of more than 5,000 titles to MHz Choice, which specializes in non-u.S. TV series, streaming such shows as Scandinavian crime dramas Wallander and Beck, or French period procedural Paris Police 1900. The entire staff of both MHz Networks and Kino Lorber will remain in place, with CEO Frederick Thomas and SVP of Content Strategy Lance Schwulst continuing to lead MHz Networks within Kino Lorber Media Group.
“MHz’s track record of curating best-in-class series from around the world has helped it build one of the most loyal subscriber audiences in streaming,” said Kino Lorber president and CEO Richard Lorber in a statement. “At a time when Hollywood...
New York-based arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired MHz Networks, the parent company of MHz Choice, an online streaming service dedicated to international television series.
Under the deal, announced Thursday, Kino Lorber will add its library of more than 5,000 titles to MHz Choice, which specializes in non-u.S. TV series, streaming such shows as Scandinavian crime dramas Wallander and Beck, or French period procedural Paris Police 1900. The entire staff of both MHz Networks and Kino Lorber will remain in place, with CEO Frederick Thomas and SVP of Content Strategy Lance Schwulst continuing to lead MHz Networks within Kino Lorber Media Group.
“MHz’s track record of curating best-in-class series from around the world has helped it build one of the most loyal subscriber audiences in streaming,” said Kino Lorber president and CEO Richard Lorber in a statement. “At a time when Hollywood...
- 11/3/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kino Lorber has acquired MHz Networks, the owner and operator of subscription streaming outlet MHz Choice and a specialist in bringing international TV series to North American audiences.
After the transaction, Kino Lorber Media Group has more than 5,000 titles and 10,000 hours of programming, much of it prestige and arthouse fare. It is the biggest push yet into streaming for Kino Lorber, which was formed in 2009 after Lorber Ht Digital acquired and merged with Kino International, though it has has had a presence in streaming with transactional VOD purveyor Kino Now and virtual cinema hub Kino Marquee. The company has been a fixture of the festival circuit and Oscar season in recent years, releasing films like Martin Eden, Bacurau and Taxi.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Kino Lorber President & CEO Richard Lorber said the sensibilities and business strategy of MHz are a fit with his company. “MHz’s track...
After the transaction, Kino Lorber Media Group has more than 5,000 titles and 10,000 hours of programming, much of it prestige and arthouse fare. It is the biggest push yet into streaming for Kino Lorber, which was formed in 2009 after Lorber Ht Digital acquired and merged with Kino International, though it has has had a presence in streaming with transactional VOD purveyor Kino Now and virtual cinema hub Kino Marquee. The company has been a fixture of the festival circuit and Oscar season in recent years, releasing films like Martin Eden, Bacurau and Taxi.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Kino Lorber President & CEO Richard Lorber said the sensibilities and business strategy of MHz are a fit with his company. “MHz’s track...
- 11/3/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kino Lorber today announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to Rob Nilsson’s latest film Faultline, as well as his near complete filmography, including his 1979 feature Northern Lights, co-directed with John Hanson.
The Nilsson catalog will be available on Kino Now in 2023. Select titles will also be released theatrically. The deal for Faultline and the Rob Nilsson catalog was negotiated by Kino Lorber President & CEO Richard Lorber.
Faultline debuted at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 11 and will receive a theatrical and digital release from Kino Lorber in 2023. Billed as a hypnotic experience about the raw, messy intimacy of family and the global impact of today’s conflicted society, Faultline is the third and final installment of Nilsson’s Nomad Trilogy, following Arid Cut and Divide. Faultline is written and directed by Nilsson. He also produced the pic with Zhan Petrov, Michelle Allen, Rusty Murphy, and John Stout.
The Nilsson catalog will be available on Kino Now in 2023. Select titles will also be released theatrically. The deal for Faultline and the Rob Nilsson catalog was negotiated by Kino Lorber President & CEO Richard Lorber.
Faultline debuted at the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 11 and will receive a theatrical and digital release from Kino Lorber in 2023. Billed as a hypnotic experience about the raw, messy intimacy of family and the global impact of today’s conflicted society, Faultline is the third and final installment of Nilsson’s Nomad Trilogy, following Arid Cut and Divide. Faultline is written and directed by Nilsson. He also produced the pic with Zhan Petrov, Michelle Allen, Rusty Murphy, and John Stout.
- 10/13/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Montreal-based film sales and marketing consultancy Film Associates International has unveiled a slew of international deals on new 4K restorations of the work of celebrated Canadian director Patricia Rozema.
New York-based arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired North America for her second and third features White Room (1990) and When Night Is Falling (1995) and U.S. rights for more recent work Mouthpiece (2018).
Regarded as a classic in the LGBTQ+ cinema canon, the lesbian love story When Night Is Falling revolves around a literature professor in a religious college, in a relationship with a male colleague, who embarks on a passionate affair with a female circus performer.
Following its debut at the Berlinale in 1995, its North American release prompted unexpected controversy after Canada’s ‘The Globe and Mail’ dropped an advertisement for the film showing two women kissing, and in the U.S. the Motion Picture Assn. of America applied an Nc-17 rating.
New York-based arthouse distributor Kino Lorber has acquired North America for her second and third features White Room (1990) and When Night Is Falling (1995) and U.S. rights for more recent work Mouthpiece (2018).
Regarded as a classic in the LGBTQ+ cinema canon, the lesbian love story When Night Is Falling revolves around a literature professor in a religious college, in a relationship with a male colleague, who embarks on a passionate affair with a female circus performer.
Following its debut at the Berlinale in 1995, its North American release prompted unexpected controversy after Canada’s ‘The Globe and Mail’ dropped an advertisement for the film showing two women kissing, and in the U.S. the Motion Picture Assn. of America applied an Nc-17 rating.
- 8/23/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired all rights in U.S. and anglophone Canada to Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s drama The Worst Ones, which was awarded the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and will make its North American premiere at TIFF.
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, the feature captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a movie whose director turns to the local housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones”. As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise.
Written by Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey, pic...
Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, the feature captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a movie whose director turns to the local housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones”. As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise.
Written by Akoka, Gueret, and Eleonore Gurrey, pic...
- 8/17/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release in North America for late 2022.
German sales powerhouse Beta Cinema has announced multiple deals on its Second World War drama The Forger, which will be screening in the Cannes Marché following its Berlinale premiere last February.
The film has sold to North America (Kino Lorber), Australia and New Zealand (Palace Films), China (Huanxi Media Group), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Spain (Vercine), Former Yugoslavia (Discovery) and Scandinavia (Future Film).
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for late 2022, followed by a digital rollout on all platforms including Kino Now.
The Forger is written and directed by Maggie Peren,...
German sales powerhouse Beta Cinema has announced multiple deals on its Second World War drama The Forger, which will be screening in the Cannes Marché following its Berlinale premiere last February.
The film has sold to North America (Kino Lorber), Australia and New Zealand (Palace Films), China (Huanxi Media Group), Hong Kong (Edko), Taiwan (Moviecloud), Spain (Vercine), Former Yugoslavia (Discovery) and Scandinavia (Future Film).
Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release for late 2022, followed by a digital rollout on all platforms including Kino Now.
The Forger is written and directed by Maggie Peren,...
- 5/5/2022
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Indie distributor Kino Lorber has hired Kate Patterson as its new Director of Press & Publicity. She joins from Metrograph, where she headed publicity and communications.
Patterson will lead multi-pronged PR efforts to support Kino Lorber’s continued growth in the digital space and manage campaigns for its 25+ yearly theatrical releases. She reports jointly to Wendy Lidell, SVP of Theatrical Distribution & Acquisitions, and Nicholas Kemp, recently promoted to VP of Marketing & Communications. She’ll work directly with Richard Lorber, president and CEO, on special projects.
Before Metrograph, Patterson worked as a publicist at Film at Lincoln Center, where she promoted repertory programming and secured institutional press for the organization, including publicity efforts surrounding Film at Lincoln Center’s rebrand. She managed publicity for the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films and year-round Flc events.
Previously she worked in agency publicity at Brigade Marketing and held positions at Cinedigm and Fork Films.
Patterson will lead multi-pronged PR efforts to support Kino Lorber’s continued growth in the digital space and manage campaigns for its 25+ yearly theatrical releases. She reports jointly to Wendy Lidell, SVP of Theatrical Distribution & Acquisitions, and Nicholas Kemp, recently promoted to VP of Marketing & Communications. She’ll work directly with Richard Lorber, president and CEO, on special projects.
Before Metrograph, Patterson worked as a publicist at Film at Lincoln Center, where she promoted repertory programming and secured institutional press for the organization, including publicity efforts surrounding Film at Lincoln Center’s rebrand. She managed publicity for the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films and year-round Flc events.
Previously she worked in agency publicity at Brigade Marketing and held positions at Cinedigm and Fork Films.
- 4/14/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Mathieu Amalric’s “Hold Me Tight,” an engrossing family drama starring “Phantom Thread” actor Vicky Krieps. Co-produced and sold by Gaumont, the movie world premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Adapted from Claudine Galea’s stage play, “Hold Me Tight” follows Clarisse (Krieps), a mother who has abandoned her family for mysterious reasons and is coping with great emotional upheaval. The movie alternates between Clarisse’s adventures on the road and scenes of her husband Marc (Arieh Worthalter) struggling to care for their children at home.
Laetitia Gonzalez and Yaël Fogiel at Les Films du Poisson produced the movie with Gaumont, Arte France Cinéma and Lupa Film serving as co-producers.
Following Cannes, the movie went on to play at Rotterdam and Busan, as well as earned a pair of Cesar nominations for Krieps and best adapted screenplay for Amalric. Krieps...
Adapted from Claudine Galea’s stage play, “Hold Me Tight” follows Clarisse (Krieps), a mother who has abandoned her family for mysterious reasons and is coping with great emotional upheaval. The movie alternates between Clarisse’s adventures on the road and scenes of her husband Marc (Arieh Worthalter) struggling to care for their children at home.
Laetitia Gonzalez and Yaël Fogiel at Les Films du Poisson produced the movie with Gaumont, Arte France Cinéma and Lupa Film serving as co-producers.
Following Cannes, the movie went on to play at Rotterdam and Busan, as well as earned a pair of Cesar nominations for Krieps and best adapted screenplay for Amalric. Krieps...
- 3/17/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to “On the Edge,” a Belgian crime thriller by Giordano Gederlini (“Les Miserables”) from Le Pacte.
The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior VP Wendy Lidell and Le Pacte’s head of sales Camille Neel out of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema market. The event, which runs from March 3-13, is hosted by Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center.
“On The Edge” marks the sophomore outing of Gederlini, who co-wrote Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated film “Les Miserables.”
The gritty, twisty noir is set in Brussels, where Leo, a Spanish metro driver, sees his estranged son right before he falls onto the rails and dies. After discovering that his son was involved in a bloody heist, Leo sets off to track down the criminals responsible for the murder under the watchful eye of the police.
The film stars Antonio de la Torre (“A Twelve-Year Night...
The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior VP Wendy Lidell and Le Pacte’s head of sales Camille Neel out of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema market. The event, which runs from March 3-13, is hosted by Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center.
“On The Edge” marks the sophomore outing of Gederlini, who co-wrote Ladj Ly’s Oscar-nominated film “Les Miserables.”
The gritty, twisty noir is set in Brussels, where Leo, a Spanish metro driver, sees his estranged son right before he falls onto the rails and dies. After discovering that his son was involved in a bloody heist, Leo sets off to track down the criminals responsible for the murder under the watchful eye of the police.
The film stars Antonio de la Torre (“A Twelve-Year Night...
- 3/11/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature, “Fire in the Mountains,” which premiered in the World Dramatic Competition of the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.
A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta. Jar previously produced Busan title “Children of the Sun” and Toronto title “The Elder One.”
Kino Lorber will open the film at Film Forum in New York this spring, followed by a theatrical rollout in the U.S. and...
A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta. Jar previously produced Busan title “Children of the Sun” and Toronto title “The Elder One.”
Kino Lorber will open the film at Film Forum in New York this spring, followed by a theatrical rollout in the U.S. and...
- 2/12/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Martha Benyam has joined Kino Lorber as the new chief operating officer of the film distribution company.
A veteran of the film, television and digital industries, Benyam most recently served as a consultant to various media startups, where she launched Amazon video channels and led programming strategy, content acquisitions, and business development initiatives. She previously served as VP of strategy and business development at Starz, where she helped scale its original programming and launched StarzPlay Arabia. Before that, Benyam worked at AOL, where she held various roles leading content acquisition and distribution deal teams, supporting original productions, and working with the senior executive team on programming strategy and new ventures.
In her new role, Benyam will spearhead Kino Lorber’s continued push into digital distribution, building on the company’s recent launch of its AVOD channel Kino Cult, Tvod platform Kino Now, and its virtual cinema initiative Kino Marquee. Benyam...
A veteran of the film, television and digital industries, Benyam most recently served as a consultant to various media startups, where she launched Amazon video channels and led programming strategy, content acquisitions, and business development initiatives. She previously served as VP of strategy and business development at Starz, where she helped scale its original programming and launched StarzPlay Arabia. Before that, Benyam worked at AOL, where she held various roles leading content acquisition and distribution deal teams, supporting original productions, and working with the senior executive team on programming strategy and new ventures.
In her new role, Benyam will spearhead Kino Lorber’s continued push into digital distribution, building on the company’s recent launch of its AVOD channel Kino Cult, Tvod platform Kino Now, and its virtual cinema initiative Kino Marquee. Benyam...
- 1/10/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Kino Lorber has acquired worldwide rights to Afrofuturist sci-fi punk musical Neptune Frost, co-directed by poet, musician and actor Saul Williams and playwright-director Anisia Uzeyman.
The film had its world premiere last summer in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival before screening at Toronto and NYFF during the fall. Neptune Frost was recently invited to screen in Sundance’s selective Spotlight section. Actor Ezra Miller, theater producer Stephen Hendel and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among the film’s producers.
The film takes place amid the hilltops of Burundi, where a collective of computer hackers emerges from a mining community, the result of a romance between a miner and an intersex runaway. Set between states of being—past and present, dream and waking life, colonized and free, male and female, memory and prescience—Neptune Frost is a call to reclaim technology for progressive political ends.
The music offers...
The film had its world premiere last summer in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival before screening at Toronto and NYFF during the fall. Neptune Frost was recently invited to screen in Sundance’s selective Spotlight section. Actor Ezra Miller, theater producer Stephen Hendel and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among the film’s producers.
The film takes place amid the hilltops of Burundi, where a collective of computer hackers emerges from a mining community, the result of a romance between a miner and an intersex runaway. Set between states of being—past and present, dream and waking life, colonized and free, male and female, memory and prescience—Neptune Frost is a call to reclaim technology for progressive political ends.
The music offers...
- 12/17/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jeff Goldblum-narrated documentary Fiddler’s Journey To The Big Screen, about Norman Jewison classic Fiddler On The Roof, is getting U.S. distribution via Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber.
The movie charts the story behind director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic.
Daniel Raim (Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story) directs the film, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol, composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actresses Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small.
The deal was negotiated by producers Daniel Raim and Sasha Berman, and Richard Lorber on behalf of Zeitgeist, which is planning a spring 2022 release.
The acquisition comes exactly 50 years since Jewison’s musical was released in the U.
The movie charts the story behind director Norman Jewison’s quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic.
Daniel Raim (Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story) directs the film, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol, composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actresses Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small.
The deal was negotiated by producers Daniel Raim and Sasha Berman, and Richard Lorber on behalf of Zeitgeist, which is planning a spring 2022 release.
The acquisition comes exactly 50 years since Jewison’s musical was released in the U.
- 11/4/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber And Giant Pictures Melt Minds With New Free Streaming AVOD Channel “Kino Cult” Bringing The Midnight Movie Experience Home: "Kino Lorber is excited to announce that they have partnered with Giant Pictures to launch Kino Cult, the new free ad-supported streaming destination for genre lovers of horror and cult films. Featuring hundreds of hours of curated, theatrically released films all in High Definition, with new titles added monthly, Kino Cult launches widely in the U.S. and Canada on October 1, 2021 across web, mobile devices and connected TVs, with VOD apps on all major devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, Android, and more. From the art house to the haunted house, the channel will dive deep into unapologetically weird genre cinema, blending recent art house discoveries fresh from cinemas with high quality restorations of notorious grindhouse gems.
Kino Lorber brings 40 years of experience as...
Kino Lorber brings 40 years of experience as...
- 10/1/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Kino Lorber, the New York-based independent film distributor, is launching a free streaming channel dedicated to all things horror.
The platform, titled Kino Cult, will be ad-supported and will featured hundreds of hours of curated films, with new titles added monthly. It bows in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 1, right in time for spooky season.
The channel will be available on web, mobile devices and connected TVs that have access to Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV and other video-on-demand apps. Kino Cult is being developed in partnership with Giant Pictures, which is responsible for the device apps, channel distribution and ad-tech in the new venture.
From arthouse fare to haunted horror films, Kino Cult is offering a mix of recent releases and classic gems, including Ana Lily Amirpour’s black-and-white vampire film “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” the Yorgos Lanthimos absurdist comedy “Dogtooth” (pictured above), South...
The platform, titled Kino Cult, will be ad-supported and will featured hundreds of hours of curated films, with new titles added monthly. It bows in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 1, right in time for spooky season.
The channel will be available on web, mobile devices and connected TVs that have access to Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV and other video-on-demand apps. Kino Cult is being developed in partnership with Giant Pictures, which is responsible for the device apps, channel distribution and ad-tech in the new venture.
From arthouse fare to haunted horror films, Kino Cult is offering a mix of recent releases and classic gems, including Ana Lily Amirpour’s black-and-white vampire film “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” the Yorgos Lanthimos absurdist comedy “Dogtooth” (pictured above), South...
- 9/30/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Could Another Streaming Service Be the Answer to Having Too Many Choices? This New Platform Hopes So
We’ve all been there: Endlessly scrolling through the hundreds of movies served to you by the Netflix algorithm — only to come to the conclusion that there’s just nothing to watch. Then on to Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video, or any one of the other major streaming services, only to be faced with the same problem.
What if the solution to the paradoxical problem of too many choices but nothing to watch lies in yes, another streaming service? The team behind a newly launched streamer, Curia, hopes that could be the case.
Rather than hundreds of options served up by technology, Curia wants to deliver “only the good stuff” by programming around 80 features a month in a rotating selection of collections like this month’s New York Stories, featuring “King of New York,” “Light Sleeper,” and eight other films that take viewers across the boroughs and through decades. For just $3.99 a month,...
What if the solution to the paradoxical problem of too many choices but nothing to watch lies in yes, another streaming service? The team behind a newly launched streamer, Curia, hopes that could be the case.
Rather than hundreds of options served up by technology, Curia wants to deliver “only the good stuff” by programming around 80 features a month in a rotating selection of collections like this month’s New York Stories, featuring “King of New York,” “Light Sleeper,” and eight other films that take viewers across the boroughs and through decades. For just $3.99 a month,...
- 9/22/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to Ahed’s Knee, with plans to release the Cannes Jury Prize winner in theaters early next year.
The fifth feature film from Israeli director Nadav Lapid will then get a VOD release on Kino Now, also debuting on all other major digital platforms and home video.
Ahed’s Knee (Ha’Berech) tells the story of Y (Avshalom Pollak), a celebrated Israeli filmmaker who arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library.
Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s fatal illness, he is pushed into a spiral of rage when the host of the screening—a government employee—asks him to sign a form placing restrictions on what he can say at the film’s Q&a.
The film told over the course of one day watches as Y...
The fifth feature film from Israeli director Nadav Lapid will then get a VOD release on Kino Now, also debuting on all other major digital platforms and home video.
Ahed’s Knee (Ha’Berech) tells the story of Y (Avshalom Pollak), a celebrated Israeli filmmaker who arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library.
Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s fatal illness, he is pushed into a spiral of rage when the host of the screening—a government employee—asks him to sign a form placing restrictions on what he can say at the film’s Q&a.
The film told over the course of one day watches as Y...
- 8/9/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Nadav Lapid’s thought-provoking film “Ahed’s Knee,” which just world premiered at Cannes and won the jury prize, has been acquired by Kino Lorber for North American distribution.
“Ahed’s Knee” will have its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at Toronto. The film, produced by Judith Lou Levy, nabbed the jury nod at Cannes ex aequo with “Memoria” and marks Lapid’s follow up to his Berlin Golden Bear winning movie “Synonyms” which Kino Lorber also handled. The New York-based distribution banner had previously worked with Lapid on “The Kindergarten Teacher,” which played at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2014.
Represented in international markets by Kinology, “Ahed’s Knee” tells the story of Y, a celebrated Israeli filmmaker who arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library.
Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s fatal illness, he is pushed...
“Ahed’s Knee” will have its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at Toronto. The film, produced by Judith Lou Levy, nabbed the jury nod at Cannes ex aequo with “Memoria” and marks Lapid’s follow up to his Berlin Golden Bear winning movie “Synonyms” which Kino Lorber also handled. The New York-based distribution banner had previously worked with Lapid on “The Kindergarten Teacher,” which played at Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2014.
Represented in international markets by Kinology, “Ahed’s Knee” tells the story of Y, a celebrated Israeli filmmaker who arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library.
Struggling to cope with the recent news of his mother’s fatal illness, he is pushed...
- 8/9/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to the Amos Gitai Film Collection, comprising 22 films by the award-winning bold Israeli director of Cannes’ Palme d’Or contenders “Kippur,” BAFTA-winning “Kadosh,” and “Free Zone” with Natalie Portman. Gitai’s latest film, “Laila in Haifa” (pictured), which featured Israeli and Palestinian actors, world premiered at Venice in 2020.
The collection also includes “Alila” (2003), “Ana Arabia” (2013), “The Arena of Murder” (1996), “Berlin Jerusalem” (1989), “Carmel” (2009), “Disengagement” (2007), “Devarim” (1995), “Eden” (2001), “Esther” (1986), “Golem Spirit of Exile” (1992), “Kedma” (2000), “Lullaby to My Father” (2012), “Petrified Garden” (1993), “Promised Land” (2004), “Roses à crédit” (2010), “Tsili” (2014), and “Yom Yom” (1998).
These films join two of Gitai’s other works distributed by Kino Lorber, including “Rabin: The Last Day,” which played at Venice in 2015, and his thought-provoking documentary “West of the Jordan River” which opened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2017.
Gitai has worked with a flurry international stars besides Portman, notably Rosamund Pike (“Promised Land”), Juliette Binoche...
The collection also includes “Alila” (2003), “Ana Arabia” (2013), “The Arena of Murder” (1996), “Berlin Jerusalem” (1989), “Carmel” (2009), “Disengagement” (2007), “Devarim” (1995), “Eden” (2001), “Esther” (1986), “Golem Spirit of Exile” (1992), “Kedma” (2000), “Lullaby to My Father” (2012), “Petrified Garden” (1993), “Promised Land” (2004), “Roses à crédit” (2010), “Tsili” (2014), and “Yom Yom” (1998).
These films join two of Gitai’s other works distributed by Kino Lorber, including “Rabin: The Last Day,” which played at Venice in 2015, and his thought-provoking documentary “West of the Jordan River” which opened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2017.
Gitai has worked with a flurry international stars besides Portman, notably Rosamund Pike (“Promised Land”), Juliette Binoche...
- 6/15/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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