Curzon Film

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.

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

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.

In 2016, Curzon Artificial Eye renamed to Curzon Film.

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

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.

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.

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.

References

References

1. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/andi-engel-430679.html The Independent, 4 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel] Retrieved 2012-10-25
2. [https://archive.today/20121224000559/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/520583 BFI database: Engel, Pamela] Retrieved 2012-10-25
3. {{cite EPD. 18
4. {{cite LPD. 3
5. Powster. "Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases".
6. [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''] Retrieved 2012-10-25
7. [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/15/guardianobituaries.filmnews The Guardian, 15 January 2007: Obituary, Andi Engel] Retrieved 2012-10-25
8. [http://www.curzoncinemas.com/cinemas/ Curzon: Our cinemas] {{webarchive. link. (20 January 2013 Retrieved 2012-10-25)
9. [http://corporate.curzon.com Curzon group website] Retrieved 2015-10-27
10. Powster. "Curzon Film - Find The Latest Curzon Film Releases".
11. Andreas Wiseman. (23 December 2019). "Curzon Cinemas & Artificial Eye, UK’s Flagship Arthouse Film Group, Acquired By Cohen Media Group".
12. Powster. "About - Curzon Film".
13. Goldsmith, Jill. (November 10, 2024). "Landmark Theatres Gets No Offers At Charles Cohen Foreclosure Auction But Lender Fortress Bid $5 Million For Curzon".
14. Ramachandran, Naman. (November 11, 2024). "Curzon Cinema Chain Acquired by Fortress in U.K. Arthouse Deal".
15. Ritman, Alex. (30 April 2024). "U.K.’s Curzon Relaunching Arthouse Distribution Label Artificial Eye".