Curzon Film Explained

Curzon Film
Former Name:Curzon Artificial Eye
Foundation:1976
Founder:Andi Engel[1]
Pamela Balfry[2]
Location City:London
Location Country:England
Industry:Film distribution
Products:Film
Parent:Curzon (Cohen Media Group)
Divisions:Artificial Eye
Curzon Film World

Curzon Film, formerly known as Artificial Eye or Curzon Artificial Eye,[3] is a British film distributor, specialising in independent, foreign-language and art house films for cinema and home entertainment.[4]

History

Artificial Eye was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel (11 November 1942 – 26 December 2006), a German-born film enthusiast, and his then wife, Pamela Balfry, who had a background working with Richard Roud at the London Film Festival. She became the company's first managing director.[1] [5]

In 2006 Artificial Eye became a part of Curzon World, a group of companies in the film entertainment industry which also includes the Curzon chain of 13 cinemas plus eight joint venture cinemas,[6] video on demand service Curzon Home Cinema, the retail DVD distributor Fusion Media Sales, and horror film distributor Chelsea Films (launched in 2010).[7]

Curzon Artificial Eye releases some 20 new theatrical films and 30 DVD and Blu-ray titles in the UK each year, as well as digital releases via several platforms, such as iTunes and in-house Curzon Home Cinema.[7]

In 2016, Curzon Artificial Eye renamed to Curzon Film.[8]

On 23 December 2019, Curzon Artificial Eye, along with parent company Curzon, was acquired by American film distributor Cohen Media Group.[9]

In 2020, Curzon Film, in association with StudioCanal UK, released Parasite to UK audiences, which would become UK's highest grossing foreign language film of all time.[10]

In April 2024, Curzon announced that it would revive the storied Artificial Eye label, dormant for nearly a decade, for arthouse and indie films curated by Curzon's acquisitions team with a special focus on world cinema. The first release under the relaunched banner will be the Berlinale title My Favourite Cake, with a rebranded look debuting with the film.[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/andi-engel-430679.html The Independent, 4 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel
  2. https://archive.today/20121224000559/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/520583 BFI database: Engel, Pamela
  3. Web site: Powster . Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases . 2022-10-13 . Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases . en.
  4. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/artificial-eye-scores-more-european-258239 Hollywood Reporter, 7 November 2011: Artificial Eye Scores With More Than Half European Film Academy Nominations On Its Release Roster
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/15/guardianobituaries.filmnews The Guardian, 15 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel
  6. http://www.curzoncinemas.com/cinemas/ Curzon: Our cinemas
  7. http://corporate.curzon.com Curzon group website
  8. Web site: Powster . Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases . 2022-10-13 . Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases . en.
  9. Web site: Curzon Cinemas & Artificial Eye, UK’s Flagship Arthouse Film Group, Acquired By Cohen Media Group. Deadline. Andreas Wiseman. 23 December 2019. 21 April 2020.
  10. Web site: Powster . About - Curzon Film . 2022-10-13 . Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases . en.
  11. Web site: U.K.’s Curzon Relaunching Arthouse Distribution Label Artificial Eye. Variety. Alex. Ritman. 30 April 2024. 30 April 2024.