Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros., itself a division of WarnerMedia, which then was known as Time Warner. Established in August 2003, its first release was 2004's Before Sunset. The division financed, produced, acquired and distributed feature films largely budgeted under $20 million.
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| Type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Fate | Closed |
| Successor | New Line Cinema |
| Founded | August 7, 2003 |
| Founder | Polly Cohen Johnsen |
| Defunct | November 12, 2008 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Warner Bros. (WarnerMedia) |
| Website | wip.warnerbros.com |
The use of "independent" in its name was not literal, as it was a division of Warner Bros., itself a division of media conglomerate Time Warner. 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
| Title | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Before Sunset | July 2, 2004 | |
| A Home at the End of the World | July 23, 2004 | |
| 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 | |
| Eros | April 8, 2005 | |
| March of the Penguins | July 22, 2005 | multiple award winner, including an Academy Award for Documentary Feature |
| Everything Is Illuminated | September 16, 2005 | |
| Good Night, and Good Luck | October 14, 2005 | multiple Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (logo appeared in black and white) |
| 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 | |
| Duck Season | March 10, 2006 | |
| The Promise | May 5, 2006 | |
| A Scanner Darkly | July 7, 2006 | |
| 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 | |
| The Astronaut Farmer | February 23, 2007 | The film was supposed to be released under the label but Warner Bros Pictures distributed it. |
| Introducing the Dwights | August 3, 2007 | known as "Clubland" in Australia |
| The 11th Hour | August 17, 2007 | |
| December Boys | September 14, 2007 | |
| In the Valley of Elah | September 28, 2007 | co-production with Summit Entertainment |
| Rails & Ties | October 26, 2007 | |
| Darfur Now | November 2, 2007 | |
| Snow Angels | March 7, 2008 | |
| Funny Games | March 14, 2008 | co-production with Tartan Films, Celluloid Dreams and FilmFour |
| Towelhead | September 26, 2008 | |
| 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 logo, which is not the Independent one appears at the beginning of the film after the Fox Searchlight logo, and Warner retained distribution rights in some countries outside North America. However, Fox Searchlight is its distributor in North America, and FoxStar handles 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. |