Curzon

Overview

Curzon is a vertically integrated UK film company that distributes 25 to 40 films per year, operates 10 owned cinemas across England, and runs a streaming platform called Curzon Home Cinema. The company acquires international arthouse, European cinema, prestige documentary, and awards-season titles for UK and Ireland distribution. If you are a filmmaker with a director-driven feature that premiered at a major festival, Curzon is one of the first UK distributors your sales agent will approach.

Curzon is owned by Cohen Media Group, the US indie distributor and exhibitor that acquired the company in 2019. CEO Ed Fletcher took over in November 2023, replacing long-time chief Philip Knatchbull. Louisa Dent serves as managing director of both Curzon Film and the revived Artificial Eye label, overseeing all acquisitions. The company reported a 44% year-on-year increase in cinema admissions in 2024.

In May 2024, Curzon relaunched the Artificial Eye label after a 10-year hiatus. Artificial Eye, originally founded in 1976 by Andi and Pam Engel, had been part of the Curzon group since 2006 and built a library of over 400 arthouse titles from directors including Wim Wenders, Michael Haneke, and Claire Denis. Fletcher described the two-label strategy plainly: "Curzon is Sainsbury's, Artificial Eye is the more curated Taste the Difference arthouse range." The first Artificial Eye release was My Favourite Cake from Iranian directors Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, a Berlinale Competition selection.

Distribution Model

Curzon distributes theatrically in the UK and Ireland through two channels: its own cinema chain and partnerships with independent arthouse venues nationwide. The owned cinemas guarantee a theatrical footprint in London and key regional markets without requiring third-party exhibitor negotiations. The company's cinema chain includes Curzon Mayfair, Soho, Bloomsbury, Victoria, Wimbledon, Hoxton, Oxford, Brighton, Canterbury, and Sheffield.

Under Fletcher, Curzon has moved away from day-and-date theatrical and streaming releases as a default strategy. The last day-and-date release was The Teachers' Lounge in April 2024. Fletcher stated that day-and-date is now "an option rather than a default" and that most films will follow a traditional theatrical window before reaching Curzon Home Cinema. This shift aligns with the broader UK independent sector's return to windowed releases post-pandemic.

Curzon Home Cinema operates as both an SVOD and TVOD platform, offering the company's catalog and new releases to audiences outside its cinema footprint. The platform gives Curzon a digital revenue stream that does not depend on licensing deals with third-party streamers. However, Curzon does not have an output deal with any major streaming platform, which means individual streaming deals are negotiated title by title. Fletcher noted that all major UK independents (Picturehouse, Altitude, Curzon, Vertigo) operate without streamer output deals, making partnership essential for six-figure MG commitments.

Acquisition Behavior and Deal Structures

Curzon acquires at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, and TIFF, and is active at the European Film Market and AFM. The acquisitions team consists of CEO Ed Fletcher, MD Louisa Dent, and acquisitions manager Eleonora Pesci. Recent acquisitions include Francois Ozon's The Stranger (Venice Competition 2025), Hlynur Palmason's The Love That Remains (Cannes Premiere 2025), and Carmen Emmi's Plainclothes starring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey (Sundance/SXSW London 2025).

MG ranges for Curzon acquisitions are typically in the six-figure range for competitive festival titles. The company partners with other distributors and streamers on individual deals to share risk. For European co-productions, UK pre-sales to Curzon are a realistic financing mechanism, particularly for films targeting the arthouse audience.

Curzon also operates a development fund headed by Kristian Brodie, in partnership with Cineart (Benelux) and Madman (Australia). The fund has developed a dozen films, including Merkel, Swimming Home, and Bad Apples. Some developed projects are flipped to studios and streamers rather than distributed by Curzon directly, functioning as a talent development pipeline.

Notable Releases

Curzon's catalog includes Parasite (2019), the highest-grossing foreign-language film ever at the UK and Ireland box office. Other key releases include Drive My Car (2021), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Cold War (2018), Toni Erdmann (2016), Son of Saul (2015), Carol (2015), Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013), Ida (2013), and The Artist (2011). The catalog reflects a consistent identity: formally ambitious, director-driven international cinema with crossover audience potential.

Recent releases include Kneecap (2024, Sundance sensation and one of the first Curzon Film titles under the new structure), Kidnapped by Marco Bellocchio (2024, acquired at Cannes 2023), and Godland by Hlynur Palmason (2023). The company also released the Merchant Ivory documentary that played at BFI Flare, co-releasing with Cohen Media in the US.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Curzon does not operate an open submission portal. Access runs through sales agents and festival premieres. The company acquires finished films at major festivals and through relationships with international sales agents. For filmmakers whose films premiere at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, or TIFF, Curzon is one of the primary UK distribution conversations your sales agent will initiate.

The BFI Film Fund and other UK public funding bodies have working relationships with Curzon. UK-funded productions with arthouse potential may find co-distribution opportunities through these channels. Filmmakers applying to UK public funds should identify Curzon alongside MUBI, BFI Distribution, and StudioCanal UK as potential distribution partners.

For international filmmakers whose films have already secured distribution in their home territory, Curzon is the UK partner most commonly associated with European arthouse and prestige documentary. The company's owned cinema chain provides a guaranteed London and regional theatrical presence that most UK distributors cannot offer.

Cohen Media Group's expansion plans include a cinema opening in Paris, though branding has not been confirmed. This expansion could create cross-territory opportunities for films distributed within the Cohen stable, which also includes HanWay Films (based next door to Curzon's London office).

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See Also

For how UK theatrical distribution deals are structured relative to US specialty deals, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the revenue from a combined UK theatrical and streaming release through an integrated distributor like Curzon, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For comparison with other UK arthouse distributors, see MUBI and BFI Distribution in this directory.