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Curzon Film

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curzon Film
FormerlyCurzon Artificial Eye
IndustryFilm distribution
Founded1976
FounderAndi Engel[1]
Pamela Balfry[2]
Headquarters,
England
Key people
  • Louisa Dent (MD, Artificial Eye)
  • Philip Knatchbull (CEO, CAE)
  • Tony Tabatznik (Chairman and majority owner, Curzon World)
ProductsFilm
ParentCurzon (Fortress Investment Group)[3]
DivisionsArtificial Eye
Curzon Film World
Websitefilm.curzon.com

Curzon Film (/ˈkɜːrzən/),[4][5] formerly known as Artificial Eye or Curzon Artificial Eye,[6] is a British film distributor, specialising in independent, foreign-language and art house films for cinema and home entertainment.[7]

History

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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][8]

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,[9] video on demand service Curzon Home Cinema, the retail DVD distributor Fusion Media Sales, and horror film distributor Chelsea Films (launched in 2010).[10]

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.[10]

In 2016, Curzon Artificial Eye renamed to Curzon Film.[11]

On 23 December 2019, Curzon Artificial Eye, along with parent company Curzon, was acquired by American film distributor Cohen Media Group.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

In February 2024, American investment firm Fortress Investment Group sued Cohen Realty Enterprises for defaulting on loans amounting to $534 million. Fortress then requested the New York Supreme Court to grant a motion for a foreclosure sale, which was later set for November 8 that year. Fortress was reportedly the only bidder for Curzon and related entities, initially offering $5 million to acquire the company. A few days later, it was announced that Fortress had acquired Curzon for an undisclosed sum.[15][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b The Independent, 4 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel Retrieved 2012-10-25
  2. ^ BFI database: Engel, Pamela Retrieved 2012-10-25
  3. ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (11 November 2024). "Curzon Cinema Chain Acquired by Fortress in U.K. Arthouse Deal". Variety. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  4. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  5. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  6. ^ Powster. "Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases". Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  7. ^ Hollywood Reporter, 7 November 2011: Artificial Eye Scores With More Than Half European Film Academy Nominations On Its Release Roster Retrieved 2012-10-25
  8. ^ The Guardian, 15 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel Retrieved 2012-10-25
  9. ^ Curzon: Our cinemas Archived 20 January 2013 at archive.today Retrieved 2012-10-25
  10. ^ a b Curzon group website Retrieved 2015-10-27
  11. ^ Powster. "Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases". Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  12. ^ Andreas Wiseman (23 December 2019). "Curzon Cinemas & Artificial Eye, UK's Flagship Arthouse Film Group, Acquired By Cohen Media Group". Deadline. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  13. ^ Powster. "About - Curzon Film". Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  14. ^ Ritman, Alex (30 April 2024). "U.K.'s Curzon Relaunching Arthouse Distribution Label Artificial Eye". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  15. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (10 November 2024). "Landmark Theatres Gets No Offers At Charles Cohen Foreclosure Auction But Lender Fortress Bid $5 Million For Curzon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
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