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Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros. Entertainment. Established on August 7, 2003, its first release was 2004's Before Sunset, the sequel to the 1995 film Before Sunrise. The division financed, produced, acquired and distributed feature films largely budgeted under $20 million.
 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | August 7, 2003 |
| Founder | Mark Gill |
| Defunct | November 12, 2008 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successors | Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Castle Rock Entertainment Library: Warner Bros. |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Warner Bros. |
| Website | wip.warnerbros.com at the Wayback Machine (archived November 7, 2008) (now redirects to www |
Mark Gill was the division's first president.[1] After a controversial departure, Gill was replaced by former Warner Bros. production executive Polly Cohen,[2] who served as president of this division until fall 2008, when the division was officially shut down. While well versed in big-budget motion picture production, it was widely believed Cohen did not have strong enough backgrounds in independent film, or in the marketing/publicity aspects of film distribution, to hold that role. This led to a lackluster slate and output, after a successful initial run under Gill.
In February 2008, Time Warner announced that it would merge New Line Cinema into Warner Bros. New Line's "independent" group Picturehouse was expected to be merged into Warner Independent as part of this process. On May 8, 2008, however, it was announced that both of these specialty divisions would be shut down.[3][4] In 2013 however, Picturehouse was relaunched under separate ownership.[5]
Films
edit| Title | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Before Sunset | July 2, 2004 | co-production with Castle Rock Entertainment |
| A Home at the End of the World | July 23, 2004 | co-production with Hart-Sharp Entertainment |
| We Don't Live Here Anymore | August 13, 2004 | |
| Criminal | September 10, 2004 | |
| Around the Bend | October 8, 2004 | |
| A Very Long Engagement | December 17, 2004 | |
| The Jacket | March 4, 2005 | co-production with Mandalay Pictures |
| Eros | April 8, 2005 | |
| March of the Penguins | July 22, 2005 | multiple award winner, including an Academy Award for Documentary Feature & co-production with National Geographic Films & Bonne Pioche |
| Everything Is Illuminated | September 16, 2005 | co-production with Big Beach |
| Good Night, and Good Luck | October 14, 2005 | multiple Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture & co-production with 2929 Entertainment, Participant Productions and Section Eight |
| Paradise Now | October 28, 2005 | Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film |
| Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World | January 20, 2006 | co-production with Shangri-La Entertainment |
| Duck Season | March 10, 2006 | |
| The Promise | May 5, 2006 | |
| A Scanner Darkly | July 7, 2006 | co-production with Thousand Words and Section Eight |
| The Science of Sleep | September 22, 2006 | co-production with Gaumont, France 3 Cinéma and Canal+ |
| Infamous | October 13, 2006 | |
| For Your Consideration | November 22, 2006 | co-production with Castle Rock Entertainment and Shangri-La Entertainment |
| The Painted Veil | January 19, 2007 | co-production with Bob Yari Productions and The Mark Gordon Company |
| Introducing the Dwights | August 3, 2007 | known as "Clubland" in Australia |
| The 11th Hour | August 17, 2007 | |
| December Boys | September 14, 2007 | co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, Becker Entertainment and Film Finance Corporation Australia |
| In the Valley of Elah | September 28, 2007 | co-production with Summit Entertainment |
| Rails & Ties | October 26, 2007 | The film was supposed to be released under the label but Warner Bros Pictures distributed it. |
| Darfur Now | November 2, 2007 | co-production with Participant Productions |
| Snow Angels | March 7, 2008 | co-production with Crossroads Films |
| Funny Games | March 14, 2008 | co-production with Tartan Films, Celluloid Dreams and FilmFour |
| Towelhead | September 26, 2008 | co-production with Indian Paintbrush |
| Slumdog Millionaire | November 12, 2008 | co-production with Pathé UK, Celador Films and FilmFour, which was sold to Fox Searchlight Pictures after Warner Independent closed. The main Warner Bros. studio retained distribution rights in some countries outside North America and split distribution rights 50-50 for North America with Fox Searchlight, with then-newly founded Fox Star Studios distributing it in India, where the film is set. After Warner Independent closed, the film seemed destined to go straight to DVD before the deal with Fox Searchlight. Slumdog Millionaire would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. |
References
edit- ^ "Warner Bros. Unveils Specialty Division with Mark Gill at the Helm – IndieWire". August 8, 2003. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Polly Cohen Named New President of Warner Independent Pictures – IndieWire". May 8, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ McNary, Dave; Hayes, Dade (May 8, 2008). "Picturehouse, WIP to close shop". Variety. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (May 8, 2008). "End Of Picturehouse Was Predicted; But End Of Warner Independent Not So Much". Deadline. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Bob Berney Relaunching Picturehouse, Signs Output Deal with Netflix". www.hollywoodreporter.com. January 15, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2021.