Overview
Longride is a Tokyo-based independent film distribution company that imports and releases 5 to 10 foreign-language arthouse films per year in Japan. Founded on June 26, 1998 by Fumio Hatano, the company is headquartered in Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Muromachi, and operates as a limited liability company (tokurei yugen gaisha). Longride celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. The company's business consists of three pillars: importing foreign films, theatrical distribution, and promotional campaigns. Its catalog is heavily weighted toward European and American prestige drama, character studies, and festival-circuit acquisitions.
Longride acquires films at major European festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian) and through relationships with international sales agents including Beta Cinema, Les Films du Losange, Celluloid Dreams, and Wild Bunch. The company releases its titles theatrically across Japan through partnerships with arthouse venues including Shinjuku Piccadilly, TOHO Cinemas Shante, Uplink Kichijoji, Midland Cinema Nagoya, Osaka Station Cinema, and Kyoto Cinema.
Distribution Model and Release Strategy
Longride operates a traditional theatrical-first model for the Japanese arthouse market. Releases typically open on 5 to 20 screens in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto, then expand based on audience response. The company runs full Japanese-language promotional campaigns including subtitles, press screenings, and cultural media outreach. For crossover titles, Longride partners with larger exhibition chains to broaden reach beyond core arthouse audiences.
In 2025, Longride entered a co-distribution partnership with MARCH Inc., a new distribution and promotion company established on March 3, 2025 by Contents Seven. Their first joint release was Francois Ozon's When Fall Is Coming (May 30, 2025), which premiered at the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival where it won the Screenplay Award and Best Supporting Actor Award. This partnership gives Longride access to Contents Seven's downstream digital, TV, and videogram operations, creating a one-stop pipeline from theatrical through secondary windows.
Longride also operates the LONGRIDE STORE, an online merchandise shop selling original posters, T-shirts, and film-related goods for dedicated releases, generating supplementary revenue beyond box office.
2024 to 2026 Release Slate
Longride's recent and upcoming releases demonstrate its curatorial identity:
- Return to Reason (January 24, 2025) - A collaboration between artist Man Ray and director Jim Jarmusch, released with original poster merchandise through the LONGRIDE STORE
- Blue Moon (March 2025) - Academy Award-nominated in two categories, the story of lyricist Lorenz Hart
- The Choral (May 2025) - Ralph Fiennes starring in a story about a choir in a 1916 English town during wartime
- When Fall Is Coming (May 2025) - Francois Ozon directed, co-distributed with MARCH Inc.
- The Penguin Lessons (2025) - Based on a true story, acquired from international sales
- Midas Man (2025) - Biographical drama about Beatles manager Brian Epstein
- Calle Malaga (2025) - Theatrical release
- Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2026) - Johnny Depp directed, starring Al Pacino, acquired for all-media Japan rights
- Riefenstahl (2024) - Andres Veiel's documentary about Leni Riefenstahl, world premiered at Venice and Telluride, acquired from Beta Cinema
Catalog and Acquisition History
Longride's catalog spans over 55 distributed titles with a strong concentration in French, European, and American independent cinema. French films form a significant portion of the library, including Amour (Michael Haneke), Persopolis (Marjane Satrapi), The Lunchbox, Sorry We Missed You (Ken Loach), I, Daniel Blake (Ken Loach), Happy End (Michael Haneke), Everybody Knows (Asghar Farhadi), The Insult (Ziad Doueiri), Frantz (Francois Ozon), Dheepan (Jacques Audiard), Hitchcock/Truffaut, Jimmy's Hall (Ken Loach), Being and Having (Nicolas Philibert), The Summit of the Gods, Jeanne du Barry, and The Blue Caftan.
The company also distributed Paterson (Jim Jarmusch), Perfect Days (Wim Wenders), and Rainy Day in New York (Woody Allen). Longride co-produced Escape from Mogadishu (Ryoo Seung-wan), which was released theatrically in Japan.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Longride is a realistic acquisition target for filmmakers whose work sits in the prestige drama, character study, or festival-circuit arthouse categories. The company acquires finished films at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Sundance, and Tribeca, and through relationships with international sales agents. MG (Minimum Guarantee) ranges for Japan territory typically fall between $5,000 and $50,000 depending on the title's profile, festival pedigree, and director track record.
For international sales agents, Longride is a first-call Japanese distributor for European prestige titles, particularly French cinema. The company's long-standing relationships with Les Films du Losange, Beta Cinema, and other European sales companies mean that films represented by these agents are likely to reach Longride's acquisition team quickly.
Longride does not operate an open submission portal. Filmmakers seeking Japanese distribution should work through their international sales agent or approach the company through festival markets. The company's programming identity favors films with emotional depth, strong performances, and human-scale stories over genre or formal experimentation. Films with name directors, festival premieres, or awards nominations have the highest probability of acquisition.
Notable Releases
Longride has distributed in Japan films by Michael Haneke (Amour, Happy End), Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You, Jimmy's Hall), Asghar Farhadi (Everybody Knows), Francois Ozon (Frantz, When Fall Is Coming), Jim Jarmusch (Paterson, Return to Reason), Wim Wenders (Perfect Days), Jacques Audiard (Dheepan), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), and Johnny Depp (Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness).
Example Titles They've Released
Longride's catalog spans over 55 distributed titles with a strong concentration in French, European, and American independent cinema. French films form a significant portion of the library, including Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012), Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, 2007), Frantz (Francois Ozon, 2016), Dheepan (Jacques Audiard, 2015), Jeanne du Barry (2023), and The Blue Caftan (2022). Ken Loach is a mainstay of the catalog with I, Daniel Blake (2016), Sorry We Missed You (2019), and Jimmy's Hall (2014).
Other notable releases include The Lunchbox (2013), Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015), Being and Having (Nicolas Philibert, 2002), The Summit of the Gods (2021), Paterson (Jim Jarmusch, 2016), Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023), and Rainy Day in New York (Woody Allen). Longride co-produced Escape from Mogadishu (Ryoo Seung-wan), which was released theatrically in Japan. Recent releases include Blue Moon (2025), Academy Award-nominated in two categories with Ethan Hawke as lyricist Lorenz Hart, and Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024), Johnny Depp's second directorial effort starring Al Pacino, acquired for all-media Japan rights.
Deal Structure Reputation
Longride operates a traditional MG (minimum guarantee) acquisition model for Japanese territory rights. MG ranges typically fall between $5,000 and $50,000 depending on the title's profile, festival pedigree, and director track record. Higher MGs are reserved for films with name directors, major festival premieres (Cannes, Berlin, Venice competition), or awards nominations. Lower MGs apply to first-time directors or films with limited festival exposure.
The company acquires films at major European festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian) and through relationships with international sales agents including Beta Cinema, Les Films du Losange, Celluloid Dreams, and Wild Bunch. Films represented by these sales agents are likely to reach Longride's acquisition team quickly, as the company maintains long-standing first-call relationships with European sales companies. In 2025, Longride entered a co-distribution partnership with MARCH Inc., a new distribution and promotion company established by Contents Seven, giving Longride access to downstream digital, TV, and videogram operations for a one-stop pipeline from theatrical through secondary windows.
Typical Acquisition Profile
Longride acquires finished films in the prestige drama, character study, and festival-circuit arthouse categories. The company's programming identity favors films with emotional depth, strong performances, and human-scale stories over genre or formal experimentation. French cinema forms the largest segment of the catalog, followed by European and American independent titles. Films with name directors, festival premieres, or awards nominations have the highest probability of acquisition.
The company acquires at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Sundance, and Tribeca, and through relationships with international sales agents. Longride does not operate an open submission portal. Filmmakers seeking Japanese distribution should work through their international sales agent or approach the company through festival markets. The company releases 5 to 10 films per year theatrically, typically opening on 5 to 20 screens in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyoto, then expanding based on audience response. For crossover titles, Longride partners with larger exhibition chains to broaden reach beyond core arthouse audiences.
Recent Slate and Acquisition Activity
Longride's 2024 to 2026 release slate demonstrates its curatorial identity. Riefenstahl (2024), Andres Veiel's documentary about Leni Riefenstahl, world premiered at Venice and Telluride and was acquired from Beta Cinema. Return to Reason (January 2025) was a collaboration between artist Man Ray and director Jim Jarmusch, released with original poster merchandise through the LONGRIDE STORE. Blue Moon (March 2025) was Academy Award-nominated in two categories. The Choral (May 2025) starred Ralph Fiennes in a story about a choir in a 1916 English town. When Fall Is Coming (May 2025), directed by Francois Ozon, was co-distributed with MARCH Inc. and premiered at the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival where it won the Screenplay Award and Best Supporting Actor Award.
Additional 2025 releases included The Penguin Lessons, based on a true story and acquired from international sales, Midas Man, a biographical drama about Beatles manager Brian Epstein, and Calle Malaga. Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2026), directed by Johnny Depp and starring Al Pacino, was acquired for all-media Japan rights after premiering at San Sebastian and Rome. The MARCH Inc. co-distribution partnership, established in 2025, gives Longride access to Contents Seven's digital, TV, and videogram operations, creating a full-window pipeline from theatrical through secondary distribution.
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See Also
For more formally adventurous Japanese specialty distribution, see Transformer in this directory. For the full range of Japanese specialty distributors, see Gaga Corporation and Imagica Robot. To model Japanese theatrical revenue as part of an international distribution strategy, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how international sales agents connect territory-specific distributors like Longride to films, see Distribution Deals Explained.
