Kino Lorber

Overview

Kino Lorber is an independent film distribution and home entertainment company based in New York, operating as the Kino Lorber Media Group. Founded in 1977 as Kino International by Donald Krim, the company merged with Lorber HT Digital in 2009 to form Kino Lorber, with Richard Lorber as Chairman and CEO. The company has been a leader in independent arthouse distribution in North America for over 45 years.

The company's library contains over 4,000 titles. Kino Lorber releases 30 films per year theatrically and more than 350 titles annually to the home entertainment market. The company has garnered 16 Academy Award nominations since 2000, including one Oscar win in 2026 for Best Documentary Feature for Mr. Nobody Against Putin. Other recent awards contenders include Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2025 Academy Award nominee) and Soul Patrol (2026 Sundance Directing Award winner, acquired for fall 2026 awards release).

Kino Lorber acquires and presents more international content than any other independent media company in the United States. Its contemporary filmmaker roster includes Jean-Luc Godard, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jia Zhangke, Chloe Zhao, Jafar Panahi, Bruno Dumont, Eliza Hittman, Bi Gan, Abel Ferrara, Paul Schrader, Hong Sang-soo, Guy Maddin, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Taika Waititi.

Leadership and Structure

Richard Lorber is Chairman and CEO. Lisa Schwartz is Chief Distribution and Revenue Officer. Martha Benyam is Chief Operating Officer. Karoliina Dwyer is VP of Acquisitions, negotiating most of the company's contemporary acquisition deals. Lance Schwulst is EVP, Content Strategy. Monica Bloom serves as Chief Marketing Officer.

The company releases films under multiple banners: Kino Lorber, Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, and Kino Lorber Repertory. Kino Lorber Studio Classics, launched in 2014, handles the home video label for classic and catalog titles. The Kino Lorber Media Group now encompasses Kino Lorber, Kino Film Collection, and MHz Choice.

Streaming and Digital Platforms

Kino Lorber has built a multi-platform digital strategy that spans SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD:

Kino Film Collection: A subscription streaming service launched in November 2023, available at $5.99 per month. The service features new releases direct from theaters plus curated international, indie, and documentary films and restored classics from the Kino Lorber library. Available as a standalone app on Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku, as well as on Amazon Prime Video Channels. The service competes with Criterion Channel ($10.99/month) and Mubi ($14.99/month) in the curated arthouse SVOD space.

MHz Choice: Acquired in 2022, MHz Choice is the leading North American SVOD service dedicated to international television series, priced at $7.99 per month. In 2024, Kino Lorber merged MHz Choice with First Look Media's Topic streaming service, combining both libraries under the MHz Choice brand. The combined service features European dramas, mysteries, and Nordic noir. MHz Choice also offers a free ad-supported service, MHz Now, on Samsung TV Plus and Plex.

Kino Now: A TVOD platform launched in September 2019, offering over 1,500 films for digital rental or purchase. Indiewire described it as "the arthouse iTunes."

Kino Cult: An AVOD channel launched in October 2021, specializing in genre films from the Kino Lorber library. Also available as a Kino Lorber channel on YouTube with hundreds of rotating titles.

Kino Marquee: A virtual cinema platform launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to help shuttered arthouse theaters generate digital revenue. Kino Lorber received a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this initiative.

2026 Acquisitions

Kino Lorber has been actively acquiring throughout 2026, with deals negotiated by VP of Acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer:

• Atonement (Reed Van Dyk) - Iraq War drama starring Hiam Abbass, Boyd Holbrook, and Kenneth Branagh. Debuted in the Quinzaine competition at Cannes 2026. North American rights acquired from WME. Fall 2026 theatrical release planned.
• Soul Patrol (J.M. Harper) - Documentary about the first all-Black special operations team in Vietnam. World premiered at Sundance 2026, where Harper won the US Documentary Directing Award. Also won top documentary prize at Sarasota Film Festival 2026. Awards season theatrical release planned, followed by digital, educational, and home video.
• Filipiñana (Rafael Manuel) - Surreal debut feature executive produced by Jia Zhangke. Won Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at Sundance 2026, European premiere at Berlinale February 2026. Theatrical release planned for later in 2026.
• Two Pianos (Arnaud Desplechin) - Romantic drama starring Francois Civil, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, and Charlotte Rampling. World premiered at Toronto, US premiere at Rendez-Vous with French Cinema March 2026. Theatrical release spring 2026.

Distribution Model and Deal Structures

Kino Lorber acquires films at major festivals and markets including Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Venice, Toronto, Sundance, and the European Film Market. The company focuses on international arthouse and documentary acquisitions. Its volume model, releasing 30 theatrical titles per year, allows it to acquire films that larger specialty distributors might pass on, including international films without major festival premieres.

Deal structures typically include a modest advance against revenue sharing, with home entertainment, streaming, and educational rights playing a significant role in the overall deal value. For films with long catalog life, Kino Lorber's multi-platform infrastructure, including Kino Film Collection, Kino Now, Kino Lorber EDU, and Kino Lorber Studio Classics, creates revenue opportunities across theatrical, digital, physical, and educational channels over many years.

The company also distributes over 350 titles annually to the home entertainment market through Kino Lorber Studio Classics, adding to its growing library of 4,000+ titles. This home video operation is a core revenue driver, with the physical media collector market remaining resilient for curated boutique labels.

Historical Context

Kino International was founded in 1977 by Donald Krim, who built the company by importing and releasing international films, including titles from the Janus Films library that were otherwise unavailable in the United States. The company established itself as a home for American classics, silent cinema, and international arthouse cinema. Filmmakers introduced to US audiences by Kino International include Wong Kar-wai, Michelangelo Antonioni, Roberto Rossellini, Andrei Tarkovsky, Shohei Imamura, Julie Dash, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, F.W. Murnau, and Fritz Lang.

In 2009, Lorber HT Digital acquired and merged with Kino International to form Kino Lorber. Under Richard Lorber's leadership, the company expanded into physical media with Kino Lorber Studio Classics (2014), digital streaming with Kino Now (2019), virtual cinema with Kino Marquee (2020), AVOD with Kino Cult (2021), SVOD with Kino Film Collection (2023), and international TV streaming with the MHz Choice acquisition (2022) and Topic merger (2024).

What Filmmakers Should Know

Kino Lorber is an active acquirer at every major festival and market. Filmmakers with international arthouse features or documentaries should ensure their sales agent or festival sales rep is aware of Kino Lorber's acquisition activity. The company's VP of Acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer negotiates most deals, typically at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto, and Sundance.

The company's deal structures favor films with long-tail potential. A film acquired by Kino Lorber gains access to theatrical release, Kino Film Collection streaming, Kino Now TVOD, Kino Lorber Studio Classics physical media, and Kino Lorber EDU educational licensing. This multi-window approach can generate revenue for years after the initial theatrical run, particularly for documentaries and international features with academic adoption.

Kino Lorber is more accessible than higher-profile specialty distributors like A24, Neon, or IFC Films for international films that lack major festival premieres. The company's volume model means it can acquire and release a broader range of projects, including films with smaller theatrical potential but strong catalog and educational value.

Watch: Trailers and Interviews

See Also

For how long-tail distribution revenue from home entertainment and streaming compares to theatrical, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across theatrical, home entertainment, streaming, and educational windows for a film with strong catalog potential, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For the Kino Lorber Studio Classics home video label, see the Kino Classics entry. For the educational licensing division, see the Kino Lorber EDU entry.