American independent film division of Warner Bros
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| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | August 7, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-08-07) |
| Founder | Mark Gill |
| Defunct | November 12, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-11-12) |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successors | Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Castle Rock Entertainment Library: Warner Bros. |
| Headquarters | Burbank, California, United States |
| Parent | Warner Bros. |
| Website | wip.warnerbros.com at the Wayback Machine (archived November 7, 2008) (now redirects to www |
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.
Mark Gill was the division's first president. After a controversial departure, Gill was replaced by former Warner Bros. production executive Polly Cohen, 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. In 2013 however, Picturehouse was relaunched under separate ownership.
Films
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| 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 | North American and UK distribution only; produced by Front Street Pictures; co-distributed in the UK by Redbus Film Distribution |
| Criminal | September 10, 2004 | |
| Around the Bend | October 8, 2004 | |
| A Very Long Engagement | December 17, 2004 | |
| The Jacket | March 4, 2005 | North American, UK and Filipino distribution only; co-production with Mandalay Pictures |
| Eros | April 8, 2005 | North American distribution only |
| March of the Penguins | July 22, 2005 | multiple award winner, including an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature US and UK co-distribution with National Geographic Films only; produced by 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 North American and UK distribution only |
| Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World | January 20, 2006 | North American distribution only; produced by Shangri-La Entertainment |
| Duck Season | March 10, 2006 | North American co-distribution with Esperanto Filmoj only |
| The Promise | May 5, 2006 | North American distribution only |
| A Scanner Darkly | July 7, 2006 | co-production with Thousand Words and Section Eight |
| The Science of Sleep | September 22, 2006 | North American and UK distribution only; produced by Gaumont, France 3 Cinéma and Canal+ |
| Infamous | October 13, 2006 | |
| For Your Consideration | November 22, 2006 | North American and UK distribution only; co-production with Castle Rock Entertainment and Shangri-La Entertainment |
| The Painted Veil | January 19, 2007 | North American distribution only; co-production with Bob Yari Productions and The Mark Gordon Company |
| The Astronaut Farmer | February 23, 2007 | original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; produced by Polish Brothers Construction and Spring Creek Pictures |
| In the Land of Women | April 20, 2007 | original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Anonymous Content |
| Introducing the Dwights | August 3, 2007 | North American, UK and German distribution only; known as Clubland in Australia |
| The 11th Hour | August 17, 2007 | distribution only |
| December Boys | September 14, 2007 | distribution outside Australia and New Zealand only; produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Film Finance Corporation Australia |
| In the Valley of Elah | September 28, 2007 | North American distribution only; co-production with Summit Entertainment, NALA Films, Samuels Media and Blackfriars Bridge |
| Rails & Ties | October 26, 2007 | original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; produced by Malpaso Productions |
| Darfur Now | November 2, 2007 | co-production with Participant Productions |
| Mama's Boy | December 21, 2007 | original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. pictures; produced by Carr/Santelli Productions |
| Snow Angels | March 7, 2008 | distribution outside Latin America, Spain and select other territories only; produced by Crossroads Films |
| Funny Games | March 14, 2008 | US, Australian, French and Spanish distribution only; co-production with Tartan Films, Celluloid Dreams and FilmFour |
| Chaos Theory | April 11, 2008 | original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures; produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Lone Star Film Group |
| Towelhead | September 26, 2008 | distribution in North American and an Eastern European territory with Red Envelope Entertainment (uncredited) only; produced by Indian Paintbrush, This is that Corporation and Your Face Goes Here Productions |
| Slumdog Millionaire | November 12, 2008 | multiple award winner, including an Academy Award for Best Picture original distributor; ultimately distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and Fox Searchlight Pictures; Pathé UK, Celador Films and FilmFour |
References
- "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.
External links
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- Warner Independent Pictures films
- Defunct film and television production companies of the United States
- American companies established in 2003
- Mass media companies established in 2003
- Mass media companies disestablished in 2008
- Warner Bros. divisions
- Film production companies of the United States
- American independent film studios